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Ne«t Vork 14609 USA (716; *82 - 0300 - Phone (716) 288 5989 - Fa» ,K c~ Handbook for F'^rmers WRITTEN ESPECIALLY FOR THE FARMERS Ol- DUNDAS COUNTY BY V. C. XINXICK. U.S.A. A(jriciilluri.-t, Cominis.fion (if Com'i rcitlioit Aro i:. P. lUi.XDT, n.s.A. Agrlculluiul h'l'jiriseiitiillir in Dunil(i< fnitnlij of till- (hilnrii) l>i jiiiitiiunt of Aijiu ultinr Commission of Conservation Canada if ly Kit Scale iioaoo 3 95 Miles to 1 Inch • o , • , ^ ^a« map /„,„ ,,,„<, ofCoriiwaU shett.De,.!. ol l„Un„ //''UAI ■ CT'oo rnrm-i ih oA/n thus COMMISSION OF CONSERVATION CANADA Handbook for Farmers Written Especially for the Farmers of Dundas County, Ont. BY F. C. NUNNICK. B.S.A. AND E. P. BRADT, B.S.A. - ! <:nn,lh„vl l{,i,r,.,„t„lin i , l)„neuc. Dr. 1 rank D. Aoaus, Dean, Faculty of Applied Science, .McGill Lniversity. Montreal. Mgr. Charles P. Choquette, St. Hyacinthe, (Jiie., Professor, Seminary of Si. Hyacinthe and Member of Faculty, Laval L-'nivcrsitv. Mr. Edward (ioHiER, St. Laurent, Oue. Mr. \V, F. Tye, C.E., Montreal. Dr. James VV. Robertson, C.M.G., Otuwa. Hon. Sen.ator William Cameron Edwards, Oti.iw.i. Mr. Charles .\. McCixh., Pembroke, Ont. Sir Edmund B. Osler, Toronto. Toronto. Mr. John F. MacKay, Business Manager, The Cilolu; Torf)nto. Dr. B. E. Fkrnow, Faculty of Forestry, l"nlversit\- of Toronto, Dr. Geor(;e Bryce, Iniversity of Manitoba, Winnipet;. Dr. William J. Rutherford, Member of Faculty, liiivtrsitv of Saskatchcw.m, Saskatoon. Dr. Hi.NKv M. ToK", President, I'nivcrsitv u< .Mlwrta, Eilmonion. Mr. John Pease Babcock, Victoria. Members ex-ot V. Weeds, Insect Pests and Plant Diseases Classification of weeds. General methods of controlling weeds. Wild mustard. Perennial sow thistle. Insect pests. Poisons U, hiJng insects. Contact insecticides for sucking insects. Fumigant- 1-e- [)ellants. Lice on live stock. White grubs. Wire worms. Grasshoppi-rs. Potato beetle. Green cabbage worm. House pests. Plant diseases. I'ungicides. Smuts and rust. Late blight of potatoes. Orchard work in Dundas county 32 VI. Miscellaneous Farm Activities Summer pasture. Pasture for hogs. Smithsr crops. The farmer's garden. Winter work on the farm 46 Foreword 'T'HE Committee on Lands of the Commission of Conservation undertook ■■■ to carry out some work, with and through individual Illustration Farms, in the different provinces of Canada during a period of three years. The results were entirely beneficial to the Illustration Farmers, to the other farmers in their neighbourhoods and to agriculture generally. Some instances of the main benefits are recorded in the sixth and seventh Annual Reports of the Commission. A year before the completion of the three-year period, I said at the annual meetingof the Commission: "I now hope for and desire an Illustration County after the plan of our Illustration Farms. In it there could be tried out, and put to the proof, the theories and concepts of the best things that have been found useful there or elsewhere. It would provide to other counties revelations of attractive rural life. It would illustrate how satisfying and profitable farming could become." And so it came about, after careful surveys had been made and considered, that Dundas county was chosen as an Illustration County. It is proposed to con- tinue th o-operation with the county for a period of at least five years. The race is on. It is Dundas county against time to make, within five years, the greatest measure of progress in all worthy ways that may be practicable. It is Dundas county against time to illustrate to all Canada how far a rural community can go towards attaining the fine art of living beautifully, happily and prosperously in rural homes and rural occupations. .As part of rhe general plan, four representative farms were selected in each of the four townshii)s of the county. Many hearts besides mine are turning with hope to these sixteen farms. Many eyes besides mine are look- ing for light on a belter way, and longing for the dawn of a better day for rural life, tlirough what they will accomplish and illustrate. This pamphlet was prepared by Mr. F. C. N'unnick, Agriculturist to the Commission, and Mr. F.. P. Bradt, Agricultural Represt-ntative of the Ontario Department of Agriculture, primarily to remind and help these sixteen representative farmers and. secondariK' to serve all the farmers of the county. I commend it to tiieir careful study; and I invite them to make notes from their experiences this year which will assist their counsellors to prepare an even better b' uieful in imKKithing the soil. COMMISSION OK CONSERVATION Smoothing Harrows.— When the soil has been pulverized with the disc and it is desired to leave it smooth, or when mellow soil has just been ploughed, the smoothing or spike-tooth harrow may be advantageously employed on account of its lighter draught and the wider area covered. It is also a very efficient weed killer when used on corn and potatoes after they have been planted. It may be used before and after the plants come up. If corn is to be harrowed, it should be planted slightly thicker than usual; and, if planted in drills, it should be harrowed crosswise of the rows. If potatoes are planted shallow, they are likely to be pulled out of the rows. Judgment must be exercised in harrow- ing crops after they are planted or sown. A light harrowing of grain crops after they are three or four inches high is often beneficial. This cannot be done, however, if the crop has been seeded with clover and grasses. .A light harrow should alwavs be used on crops. The light tilting harrow is particularly suitable for this purpose as it can be set with the teeth sloping backwards so as to do little injury. Weeds are most easily killed when they are very small or have just germinated, hence harrowing and early and close cultivation are necessary if fields are to be kept scrupulously clean. The Roller.— The roller is useful to crush clods and to compress the furrow slice after ploughing sod. When manure or green crops have been ploughed under, a roller is needed to compress the soil and eliminate the air spaces under the furrow slice, which would have a tendency to dr>- out the top soil. The roller is sometimes used after the drill to make the soil smooth. This is not a Making The Man-Power Count The use of four-hofM teams, wider machinery and tandem outfit! will help to over- come labour ■carcity. TiLl AGE » good practice, as an unnecessary loss of soil moisture is likely to occur. The roller should be followed by the smoothing harrow to leave a surface mulch. A light roller may be used to advantage at times on a drilled field two or three weeks after the drilling to break the crust which may have formed and to level the ridges left by the drill. The rolling of heavy soils when they are wet should be avoided. The soil may lie too closely packed and the air excluded, which would interfere with germination. After-Harvest or Summer Cultivation. — By this is meant the ploughing and cultivating of land immediately after the crop has been taken off or after it has been pastured up to the middle of summer. The usual method is to skim plough vtry shallow, roll and disc, or otherwise cultivate in the expectation of ploughing again two or three inches deeper in the fall. This has been found to be useful in the suppression of weeds, in the conservation of moisture and in the increasing of crop yields. When a field has become badly infested with seeds, the shallow ploughing and packing in the warm weather rots the sod and the subsequent tilling causes the seeds in the soil to germinate and also kills the young plants. Moisture is retained under the surface mulch formed, which helps to rot the sod and other litter. When the fall ploughing is done, this surface soil and rotted sod is placed where the roots of the next crop can best make use of it and the two or three inches of soil turned up by the deeper ploughing makes an excellent seed bed. Actual tests have shown that good profits havje been made in cleaning land and in increased yields, even when allowance has been made for the extra labour. Less time is required in the spring to fit the land for crop on a field so treated. Cultivated Crops By cultivatinj; frequentiv weeds are controlled and a surface mulch formed which consen'es moist uie. The last cultivation of corn should be shallow. 1* COMMISSION OF C O N S E R V A T I ON Drainaiie. — Many suppose that land drainage is concerned only with carrying off excess water from very wet soils, but it does more than this. It improves soils that are shallow, or in poor texture, or but slightly wet. By carrying away exces-S water, it permits of earlier work on the land in spring- time. By lowering the water-table, the air and rainwater penetrate to a greater depth, thus making a shallow soil deeper and affording a larger feeding ground for the roots of the plants. The texture is improvied by the weathering, and the chemical and bacterial action consequent upon the admission of the air and rainwater. A drained soil will hold moisture better and withstand drought much better than an undrained soil, because the roots have penetrated more deeply and can draw upon the supply below the surface. Very little of the land in Dundas county is under-drained. Much of it would be vastly improved thereby. Dig a few holes and study the sub-soil. If drainage is decided upon, be s»ire that a suitable outlet is available. Complete information regarding drainage may be secured upon application to the Agricultural Representative of the Ontario Department of Agriculture at Morrisburg. II. MANURES ■pROM the beginning of agriculture, the fertility of farm soils has been chiefl\ *■ maintained by the application of manures. The real value of manures and their effect upon the soil were not known until quite recently, and, even now. we are p )bably just beginning to understand the manifold ways in which manure works this improvement. The principal value of manure was thought to be in the plant food it contained. It has even been said by some that, since a ton of stable manure contained say from S2 to S4 worth of nitrogen, potash and phosphoric acid, the same amount of plant food could be purchased and applied more cheaply in the form of commercial fertilizer. This may be true as regards plant foe , but the conclusion must not be drawn that commercial fertilizer can take the place of manure. From the analyst's point of view, a ton of manure may be worth $2 to $4, but from the farmer's point of view, it may be worth several times that amount, because the farmer knows that he cannot, with the amount at which the plant food in the manure is valued, buy artificial fertilizer that will give the results on most soils that are to be ob- tained from the use of one ton of manure. Manure benefits the soil in other ways than by adding plant food. Manure Improves Texture of the Soil.— The chief value of manure on many soils is its beneficial effect upon the texture of the soil. Most farm soils contain large amounts of plant food and the cause of unproductiveness is often that the soil is in a poor condition of tilth. One of the great functions of manure It P.\ys To Keep Good Livestock Good livestock, intelligent care and use of manures, and systematic crop rotation, meaa permanent agriculture in Dundas county. , 12 COMMISSION OF CONSERVATION then is to so change the texture of the soil, that the plant can more readily use the plant food in it. When thoroughly incorporated, it loosens a heavy soil and has a tendency to bind together light, leachy soils* making both warmer, more friable, more retentive of moisture and generally more congenial tj plants. Bacteria in Manure. — Aside from the humus it adds, manure benefits the soil in still other ways. It contains countless numbers of bacteria that are beneficial to the soil. When the vegetable matter contained in the manure rots in the soil, certain acids and ferments are produced which influence the supply of available plant food. All this is in addition to the plant food value of manure. The influence of commercial fertilizers is due almost solely to their supply of plant food; farm manures influence all soil conditions which are essential to the production of profitable crops. Farmers must learn to rely more and more upon nature's provisions for maintaining fertility, viz., farmyard manure and the returning of plants to the soil. Value of Manure.— According to recently published figures, the value of animal manure produced annually in the United States amounts to $2,2 ,5,700,000. Reckoning on this basis, we find that in Canada there is pro- duced annually animal manure worth over $200,000,000. This is only a by-pro- duct on the farm, yet it is the farmer'-, greatest asset in the maintenance of soil fertility. Much Carelessness in Caring for Manure.— On account of manure being a by-product, it is not given the care and attention which the so-called principal products of the farm receive. The Commission of Conservation has found by actual investigation on 3,000 farms in Canada that the majority The Wrong Way Manure should never be piled under the eaves. Prevent leaching, whenever possible by drawing it to the field as made. MANURES 13 of farmers exercise no special care to prevent waste of manure. In 1916, the Commission of Conservation visited 400 farms in Dundas county and learned that very few of these had manure sheds. Proper manure pits or cellars are almo t unknown. Less than one per cent of the farmers visited saved all of the liquid manure, while 90 per cent of the farmers admitted that they exercised no special care to prevent the waste of manure. This means that fertilizing elements to the extent of millions of dollars annually are being lost in Canada and that many thousands of dollars are lost in this way in the county of Dundas. What would we think of a farmer who would wilfully allow some of his live stock to wander away and become lost, or who would not mend a hole in the granary floor, through which he knew grain was leaking out and being lost ? In these times of stress and food shortage, careless waste of anything that will contribute toward increased production is decidedly unpatriotic. Every pound of plant food in the shape of manure should be jealously guarded and used on the land. Every avenue of waste and loss should be closed. How Losses Occur. — Losses occur principally from super-heating or fermentation, leaching, and the escape of liquid manure. A common sight in Dundas county is a manure pile beneath the eaves of the barn. Water from the roof drips upon it, rains and snows beat upon it, winds dry it. After the rain, dark puddles will be seen in the yard, or, if the land is sloping, dark streams will be seen carrying off the richness that has leached from the piles. The very best part of the plant food contained in the manure is carried away in this manner. It is the portion which is most quickly soluble, hence the most readily available to the plant when the manure is mixed in the soil. In dry climates, the loss from leaching would not be so great, but in Dundas county where the annual precipitation is large, the loss is very considerable and should set every farmer thinking how to prevent it. Loss from Fermentation. — .Another way in which manure frequently loses value is by heating or fermentation. When it is piled deeply and loosely so that the air can enter the pile, it begins to heat and decay. Horse manure is especially apt to heat quickly. This fermentation is caused by the growth of bacteria which need heat and air. If the air can be kept from entering the pile by closely tramping and packing it, less fermentation will take place. Nitrogen in fermenting manure is rapidly changed into ammonia which escapes into the air. Everyone has noticed the decided 'smell' of a manure pile that is heating. It denotes that plant food is escaping. The heating of manure burns a part of the vegetable matter which would have become humus when applied to the soil. The hotter the manure becomes, the greater is the loss of the humus- making material. How to Prevent Loss by Heati'ig. — ^This loss occurs only when manure is piled so that the air passes through it readily. Compacting the manure by tramping will do much to prevent this loss. Keep as much of the liquid manure mixed with the solid as is expedient. Another method of preventing heating s to mix the cold and hot manures together, that is, the cow manure and he horse manure. Do not allow the pile to become too high, keep the upper u COMMISSION OF COXSKRVATION surface even. If fermentation is Ijeginning, it can often be checked liy mixinn a small amount of fresh manure with that which is fermenting. Loss from the Escape of Urine.— Another loss is caused by failing to siive the liquid portion. The liquid contains more nitrogen and more potash than the solid dung, yet in many ca.scs it is allowed to run to waste, while the solid ijortion is more or less carefully saved. The plant food in the liquid portion is immediately available to plants when the manure is applied to the soil and should be saved and applied to help the young r'.ants to get a good start. How to Care for Manures.— Leach" i usually causes a greater loss of plant food than either fermentation or the escape of the liquids. There are two ways of overcoming the loss from leaching: by hauling the fresh manure from the stable and spreading it directly upon the land; and by properly piling it under cover. Drawing the manure to the field as made involves the loss of less fertility than is usually suffered from storing it and is the most satisfactory method whenever it is expedient. Some farmers think that there is a consider- able loss when manure is spread on the snow in winter time. Careful experiments have shown that the loss is much less than is generally imagined and manure may be drawn out and spread in winter time, unless the land upon which it is being applietl is too steep or the snow becomes so deep as to prevent this being done. It is usually necessary to store at least a portion of the manure. When this lias to Ix- done, it should be piled under cover in order to prevent the rain from leachiPK through it. A single heavy shower in the summer may carry away enough plant food from an uncovered pile of manure to pay for a large share of the cost of the manure shed. Another method is to build shallow, covered cement pits into which the manure is dumped and into which the liquid mr ire is allowed to drain. The pit should be big enough to hold several week's supply of manure or as much as it is convenient to store before hauling it to tht; field. Value of Liquid Manure.— The figures in the accomparying tables, which arc taken from Bailey's Cyclopedia of American Agriculture, clearly emphasize tin- wisdom of taking every precaution to prevent the loss of liquid manur-. The amount of liquid manure produced as compared with solid m'aimre will varv much according to the kind of feed being used and the age of the animal being fed. In some cases, tiie weight of the urine will be greater than the weight of the solid manure. In any case, the amount is sufficient to warrant the closest attention to prevent it being lost. COMPOSI" ION OF FRESH EXCREMENT One Thousand Pounds of Fresh Dung Contain: Water 1 Clbs.) Nitrogen Ubs.; Phosphor! '-. arid libs.; " lUkalies""" (Ibs.J 760 SO 3.0 6.0 7.5 ! 3.5 2.5 4.5 6 3.0 S40 1 1 SCO 5 (1 Sheep 580 3.0 - MAX I RES 15 One Thousand Pounds or Fresh I'rine Contain I (lb«.) Horse Cow . . Swine. Sheep. 8«)0 97S 865 Nitrogen (lbs.) 12 8 3 14.0 Phosphoric acid (lbs.) 1 25 OS Alkalies (lbs.) 15 14 2 20 COMPOSITION OF ONE THOUSAND POUNDS OF DRAIN.A<;E Lf'^'ORS Water (lbs.) .Nitrogen (lbs.) Phosphoric iicid (lbs.) Potash (lbs.) Drainage from gutter behind milch cows 932 820 9.8 15.0 2.4 1.0 8 8 Drainage from manure heap 49.0 Saving Liquid Manure. — The simplest way to save liquid excrement is to absorb it by the use of pient" of bedding. Many materials may be used for this purpose but straw is hkely to be the most common and available absorbent in Dundas county. It is quite •:ommonly thought that straw in the manure is not as valuable as clear manute, but if the straw has been used to absorb the liquids it is more valuable than is generally supposed. Marsh grass, leaves, sawdust and shavings may be used for the same purpose. The two last mentioned should not be used in large quantities as they have no fertilizing Deuberate Waste Drain tarrying away liquid from pig pen. This meaiu a serious loss. You can't afford it. Don't allow it. 10 COMMISSION OF CONSERVATION value and lower the value of the manure. It h a good plan to have a quantity of fine dry soil or dried peat or muck on hand to use in conjunction with the ordinary kinds of betiding. These earthy materials are valuable as bedding and have the added value of possessing the power to absorb ammonia gas as well as the liquids and so prevent the loss of nitrogen and help to keep the air of the stable sweet. Collecting the liquid manure and distributing it upon the fields by means of a tank with a sprinkling attachment has been practised CO some extent, but this plan has not been found to be generally practicable. Ordinarily, more satisfactory results are obtained by using absorbents and plenty of bedding. Application of Manures.— On a majo-' .y of farms, most of the manure that is available for application to crops is made during the winter months when the animals are stabled. No advice regarding the best time to apply manures can b given that is applicable to all conditions. In general, the sooner manure can be spread upon the land after it is made, the more will the soil be benefitted. There is also a greater tonnage of ir^nure when first made than at any other time. If piled for any length of time in the field, the weight will appreciably decrease. Special conditions, of course, demand special treatment. Where market gardening is being practised, it is liest to have the manure rotted, as quicker results are obtained in the growing crop. Young clover seeding can often be strengthened by a light top dressing early in the fall, which helps the young plants to get a stronger root hold and enables them to stand the winter better. This is particularly true with regard to the tops of knolls, or thin spots in the seeding. PROPERLY Constructed Barn-Yard Floor Cement saucer-shaped floor in barn-yard prevents loss in liquid manure by giving the litter an opportunity to absorb it. MANURES 17 Rate of Applying Manure. — Manures are often applied too freely. Rarely is it profitable to apply heavily on a small portion of the farm each year to the neglect of the balance of the farm. It is much better for the land to receive frequent and light uressings than heavy dressings at longer intervals. If 100 tons of manure are available to be used on a ten-acre field of corn, it would be better to apply the manure at the rate of ten tons to the acre over the whole field than to apply twenty tons to the acre on half of the field and allow the other half to go unmanured. Regardless of how manure is applied there is a certain amount of loss caused by leaching in the soil. The sooner the fertilizing elen nts of manure can be recovered by the crop being grown on the land, the less loss there will be. It stands to reason that, if all the corn plants on the ten acres reach out to recover the manure applied, there will be less loss than if the plants on only five acres are working for its recovery. How to Apply Manure. — There are many farmers who do not make use of manure spreaders 'when it would be profitable for them to do so. On the other hand, farmers who do not have a large amount of manure to draw out and who make a practice of drawing it in the winter may profitably get along with- out a manure spreader. It will scarcely pay to have a manure spreader on the farm unless the bulk of the manure is to be drawn out at a time when the spreade*- can be used. Liming the Soil. — L.me is an important factor in maintaining the fertility of certain soils. the soil contained no lime, plants upon it would not thrive. Most soil'' contain enough lime for the needs of the crop, although occasionally it becomes exhausted in some soils. Lime is, therefore, not usually appli.d as a direct fertilizer. When applied to sandy soil, it has a tendency to make it more retentive of moisture, and, when applied to clay, it has the opposite effect, making the soil more crumbly. Lime sometimes liberates the plant food, making it more soluble and thus available for the use of the plant. Its important function, however, in modern agriculture is to sweeten sour soils. Such soils, even though rich in plant food, usually produce poor crops. If the acid in the soil can Ix; neutralized by the addition of lime, better crops are likely to be produced. Soils are often acid where such a condition would be little expected. A simple method of determining acidity in soils is to test it with blue litmus paper. This can be purchased at almost any drug store. Take several samples of soil from different parts of the field, mi.\ them into a pa&ce with water, and insert one end of the litmus. Leave it for an hour and if the blue paper is turned red where it comes in contact with the paste, the soil is likely sour. Soils which do not show marked acidity sometimes need lime. The best way for a farmer to determine this is to apply lime on a strip of his field and compare the results of the crop on this treated strip with those on the untreated portion of the field. Lime may be applied at about one ton per acre, either late in the fall or early in the spring. If air slaked lime is used, about one and one-half tons to the acre should be applied. If fresh stone lime is used, it should be placed on the land in small heaps and covered with moist soil for a few days until it has become finely powdered. It may then be spread when there is no wind. 18 COMMISSION OF CONSERVATION Clover As A Fertilizer Corn on the left was grown on a com stubble. The taller corn on the right was grown on clover sod Clover as a Manure. — Red clover and green crops are sometinu's used as green manure, to be ploughed under, if the land is poor in hunuis. Kven where clover is cut for hay and only the roots and the stubble turned under, it has a marked influence in increasing the yield of succeeding crops. By means of the nitrogen fixing organism on its roots, it is able to gather nitrogen from the air and leave it in th soil in a form which can be readily utilized by grow- ing crops. It frequently happens that decided increases in yield have l)een obtained from ploughing under a crop of clover. It should be emphasized, however, that the mere introduction of red clover into the farm rotation is not in itself a sufficient procetlure to maintain indefinitely the productivity of the soil. The clover adds only the nitrates to the soil and removes large quantities of potash, phosphorus and lime, especially if cut for hay and the manure made from it is not returned to the soil. To get full value from clover in the rota- tion, the manure produced from the feeding of it should be returned to the land. III. VARIETY AND SEED SELECTION RKCKNT investigations conducted on 400 farms in Dumias county revealed the fact that many farmers did not know the names of the varieties of any of the grain sown on their farms, and, that among those who knew what they were sowing, many were not using the varieties which were most suitable or most protiiablc. Kvery farmer should know these things. It is simply a matter of good business. If he does not know, he will likely use sf)me very inferior variety yielding much lower than the best. \ARIETY SELECTION Fourteen varieties of oats were lieing grown among the 400 farirters visited. There cannot be fourteen best or most suitable varieties for Dundas county. Some of these farmers were surely sowing varieties which were un- wisely chosen. Some farmers still persist in trying every new thing that comes along. The E.Kperimental Farms are testing and trying out new varieties con- tinually for the benefit of farmers, many of whom pmss up this available inform- ation and buy at a high price some new variety recommended by those having it for sale, without knowing anything about it. It may be weak strawed, thick hulled, susceptible to disease or otherwise quite unsuitable. It is best to rely on the information given out by the Experimental Farms and Agricultural Colleges and sow only varieties of proved excellence. Every farmer who does not know what he has been sowing lives within easy reach of some one who has good seed of a good variety and can obtain su.Ticient of this to give him a start. It should be sown separate from other varieties and care taken to keep it pure. Following is a list of varieties recommended for Dundas county: Oats— Eariy: O. A. C. No. 3. Late: Banner and O.A.C. No. 72. Barley — O.A.C. No. 21 and Manchurian. Spring Wheat— Marquis, Red Fife, Huron. Fall Wheat — Dawson's Golden Chaff. Peas — Arthur, Canadian Beauty, Golden Vine. Beans — Fearce's Improved Tree, Small White Pea, Schofield Pea, Navy, California Pea. Corn — Flints: Longfellow, Salzer's North Dakota, Compton's Early. Dents: White Cap Yellow Dent, Early Bailey,,Wisconsin No. 7, Improved Learning, Golden Glow. Potatoes — Early: Irish Cobbler. Late: Green Mountain, Mangels — Yellow Leviathan, Ideal, Mammoth Long Red. Carrots — Bruce's Improved Short White, Steele Brigg's Improved Short White. Turnips— Perfection, Ne Plus Ultra, Good Luck, Canadian Gem. Buckwheat — Silver Hull and Tartarian. Fall Rye— Petkus. Spring Rye— O.A.C. No. 61. 20 COMMISSION Ol" ( (» N si; K \ A TJ () N (I) Grass seed sown in rows on uniform quality of soil. Difference in vigour is caused by difference in seed. S)W the Iwst. (i) O. A. C. No. 72 oats on left. Banner oats onriijht. These are two of the Ix-st. They were grown on the farm of Samuel Smyth, Dundela. (3) Corn grown from selected seed on Whitteker Bros." farm, WillianiBbiirg. VARIETY AND SEED SELECTION 21 .SEED SELECTION If then- is one thing that is largely in the farmer's own hands it is the quality of the seed grain used on his farm. It has been repeatetlly demonstrated that it pays to sew good seed. This applies with equal force to grain, root, vegetable and garden seeds. Some seeds required on the farm may have to be purcha-^d, and only the very best should be obtained. Under ordinary conditions, however, the farmers of Dundas coQnty should not find it necessary to purchase seed grain, once varieties suitable to local conditions have been secured. It was found that less than one per cent of the 400 farmers visited in Dundas by the Agriculturist of the Commission of Conservation in 1916, were following a systematic selection of their seed grain. Only 24 per cent saved the best portion or portions of their fields for seed. Practically every man claimed to clean his grain for seed, but '' j majority put it through the fanning mill only once. The time to select most intelligently and profitably is when the grain is standing in thf d uncut. The best part of the best field should be marked and from it the seed should be kept. Those who have not done this should do the next best thing, and thoroughly clean the grain for seed. Do not wait until the day the seed is required but get it ready at the very first opportunity. Put the grain through the mill two or three times, or until all dirt and shrunken kernels have been removed. Selected and cleaned seed means larger yields. It pays to sow a special plot or small field fron /hich to obtain seed each year. The seed for this plot should be especially well selected, cleaned and graded, or even hand-picked, during the winter time. This would insure good seed each year and prevent the strain or variety from running out. It is not necessary to change seed every few years, as many farmers suppose, although beneficial eflfects have been noted when seed grown on one type of soil is sown on a different type, that is, from sand to clay, or vice versa. Seed grown in the northerly portion of this country and sown farther south will often mature a few days earlier than when sown where grown. 'Like begets like' and if a good crop is expected, good seed must be sown. Potatoes.— Experiments with seed potatoes, conducted at Guelph during the last fivfe years, have demonstrated that those which have not fully matured have given better yields than the fully matured tubers. The practice of planting immature potatoes for seed is quite common in England. The farmers of Dundas county might well follow the same practice and combine with it hill selection. When the potatoes are beginning to ripen, the most vigourous hills can easily be noted. Vigourous tops above ground usually indicate a good yield of potatoes underground. The vigourous hills can be dug at the time of selection, providing it is late enough in the fall to insure, the potatoes keeping well until planting time next spring. 22 COMMISSION OF CONSERVATION The l)est way to obtain immature seed is to plant the potatoes somewhat late, so that by digging time, they will not be mature and \et the weather and season will be such that they will keep without rotting when stored. Where the potatoes in a hill have particularly strong tops and are of good size and yield well, they should be kept for seed. In hills, however, which do not yield satis- factorily, they may be used for cooking. It will be found that some of the hills have resisted bugs, disease and dry weather better than other hills, and that the yield of certain hills will be higher than others. The diseeise resistant and high yielding hills will produce a better crop than seed taken from the common bin, or from the planting of small tubers, a practice which is too commonly followed. On one farm where the Commission of Conservation was conducting illus- tration work, the selected seed was planted in the middle of the field, potatoes from the common bin being planted on either side. At digging time, the yields were cu/efully measured and it was found that the selected seed gave a yield of 33 per cent in excess of the yield from the ordinary seed. Another method which might be followed with profit is what is known as 'the tuber unit selection of seed potatoes.' A number of typical, large-sized tubers of the variety to be grown are selected and cut into sets for planting, the sets from each tuber being kept apart and planted separately, each being care- fully marked at the time of planting. The yield from each tuber is carefully noted in the autumn and further selections made in the same way from those which prove to be most desirable and prolific. It is better to plant the medium and large-sized potatoes than the under- sized and small ones, but even when this is done, some of the largest or medium-sized potatoes may have come from low-yielding hills, that is, where there were only two or three potatoes to a hill. The advantage that the hill and tuber unit methods of selection have over the practice of planting seed from the common bin is that the grower knows that each potato he is planting comes from a high-yielding hill, and, consequently, he has a right to expect an increased yield. In •^his, he will not be disappointed. Com. — Corn is not commonly kept for seed in Dundas county, but where early maturin,i varieties of flint corn are grown, the keeping of selected seed might more often be practised. The selecting is best done before the corn is cut, providng the crop is to be used for ripened grain and the stalks fed as stover. From the strong, sturdy hills, with large perfect ears, choose the best for seed. Select from the field more than will be required to plant the crop of next year. A second selection can then be made before planting time of the very choicest ears already gathered. The ears, after being pulled, should be carefully and thor- oughly dried and stored in a dry place. A practice which might profitably be followed with corn is the ear-to-row planting, that is, pick out some of the very finest ears and plant one row from the seed of each car. When the crop is grown, there will be marked differend - in the rows of corn. Seed from the best 'n.! most desirable rows can be chosen \ A R I K T V AND SEED SELECTION 23 the next year. If this method is followed year after year, a grower may select his way into very desirable strains of corn which will be more suited to his conditions than the seed which is commonly purchased. To illustrate what ma>- be accomplished from selection in seed corn, let us consider the results of some work conducted at one of the experimental stations in the United States. Selections were made for stalks with the ear high up on the stalk, and selections were also made for ears low down on the stalk. These selections were conducted for a numlx-'r of years. In the one case, the highest cars were chosen and, in the other, the lowest ears. Plots were planted from each until fixed strains of both high-ear and low-ear corn were obtained, the average height of the ear on the former being from six to seven feet from the ground, and on the latter from 18 to 24 inches. Beans. — There is usually considerable unevenness to be noticed in the ripening of field beans, some stalks ripening from one to two weeks ahead of others. This means that if the crop is harvested when the first stalks are ripe, the green plants will be harvested too soon ard, consequently, the oeans on them will be shrunk*'" and of poor quality. If the crop is not harvested until all the plants have npt-ncd, the early maturing plants will Ix; over-ripe, causing the beans to shell md be lost upon the ground. Thus a loss will occur whichever method of harvesting is followed. These conditions were prevalent in very many of the bean fields of Dundas county in 1917. The loss occurring in this way may be materially lessened by carefully selecting seed plants. The loss from bean anthracnose, or pod spot, can also be lessened by selecting plants having absolutely clean pods. As the amount of seed used per acre is comparatively small, from three to five pecks, varying according to the size of the seed, the task of selecting seed is not a great one. As early maturing varieties are desirable in this county, the clean, well podded; early maturing plants should be hand-picked and kept for seed. If it is not desired to select enough in this way each year for all the seed required the following spring, enough at least should be selected to sow a special seed plot to produce each year seed for the following year. This hand method of selecting from the seed plot should be followed each year for the seed plot of the following year, or best results will not be obtainetl. Tests conducted at some of the experiment stations in the United States have shown that marked improvement in the evenness of maturity may be obtained by careful selection and that best results are obtained by repeating tiie selecting process carefully each year. It is best to rotate the bean crop with other crops for the purpose of keeping the seed free from disease and increasing the yield per acre. Root and Vegetable Seed Growing.— Until recently, we have imported nearly all the root and vegetable seed used in this country Small amounts of turnip and mangel seed had been grown in different parts of Canada previous to the war, but ^nce 1914, efforts along this line have been considerably increased. It has been found that home-grown ." ' gives better results than purchased seed. 24 COMMISSION OF CONSERVATION The production of home-grown root seed is not a difficult matter. To raise seed of mangels, turnips, beets, carrots and parsnips, good, medium sized shapely specimens should be selected at digging time. The rootlets should be left on and the tops cut otT to within two or three inches of the end of the spe- cimen. Do not trim too closely. The roots may be stored in a cool, fairly dry cellar and care taken to prevent freezing. Karly in the spring, plant the roots out in well-drained soil, about two feet apart, in rows three feet apart. When plant- ing, place the top of the root slightly below the surface of the ground. Cult- ivate the ground regularly and keep it free from weeds. Where a small amount, or enough only for home use, is being grown, tlir stalks are cut when the seed is beginning to rijjen and are allowed to dry thoroughly, after which the seed may be threshed out by hand with a flail or stick on a large sheet in tlie field on a dry day. The seed should be stored in a dry place until it is neetled in spring.* Seed Testing. — Much disappointment has been caused by farmers neglecting to test their seed before sowing; especially is this the case when the seed has been purchased. Seed pur-hased from a distance or a dealer should always be tested for germinatixe power. If it gives a low test, more seed should be sown, or the crop will be too thin. A known number of seeds may be placed between two blotting papers on a plate anil kept moist for a week or ten days in a warm room. The numlxT of seeds which have germinated can be counted and the information thus gained will In; of great value to the farmer when he sows this seed. It is much better and exceedingly more profitable to take the little trouble necessary in testing the seed than to sow seetl which is low in germ- inating power and have, as a result, only a half crop. Thickness of Seeding. — This is a much debatetl question and can be best settletl by trials conducted by the farmer himself on his own farm and under his own local conditions. Generally speaking, however, less seed is required on good soil than on poor soil. An excellent test for ev^ry man in Dundas county to conduct would be to sow an acre with half a bushel of seed less than is usually sown, and an acre with half a bushel more than is usually sown, along side his usual thickness of seeding. This should be done for several years and the results carefully noted in order to obtain reliable information to serve as a guide for future operations. •A special bulletin on this subject has been prepared by the Dominion Department of Agriculture, and may be had upon application to the Publications Branch, Department of Agriculture, Ottawa. IV. CLOVERS AND CLOVER SEED PRODUCTION ^TpHK agricultural survey of Duiulas county in 1916, showed that a very small -■- ix-rrcntaKc of the farmers were ((rowing their own clover seed. I'ractically all visited wiTe sowing red clover, hut on many of the farms the amount of seed sown per acre was very small, l)eing in somi> instances less than three pounds. .\!)out two-thirds of the grain sown was found to be seeded with clover. Red clover is one of the principal foundation stones of |Hrmaiient agri- culture in Dundas county. It has for centuries constituted an important factor in maintaining a permanent system of agriculture in the Old World. In this country, it has assumed in recent years a more and more important role in the maintenance of soil fertility. It is utilized both as hay and a> a pasture crop, and sometinii's as a soiling crop. Clover as Feed.— ("lover cut at the right time and properK cured can hardly be surpassed as a dry f. Clover as a Fertilizer, flover stores in the tubercles on its roots nitrogen fn .n the air and it also forms humus in the soil when ploughed under as a green manure. ("onse(|uently, it adds plant fwxl to the soil and improves its texture. From 189-J to 1002, comprehensive experiments were conducted at the Central Kxixrimental Farm, Ottawa, to determine the effect of clover upon soils. Various kinds of farm crops were grown on plots, a portion of which had grown clover in the previous year and a portion of which had not been seeded to clover the previous year. A large number of plots were used in this experiment, many kinds of crops were grown and as the experiment extended over several years, the results are reliable and valuable. There was a notice- able increase in yield on the plots where clover had been grown . The increase in Banner oats amounted in some instances to as much as 19 bushels an acre. The increase in barley was as high as 15 bushels an acre. In corn fodder, the increase on the plots receiving clover wa. ; high as four tons in the case of Longfellow, while with Learning, there was an increase, in some instances, of over 11 tons per acre. Potatoes showed an increase as high as 50 bushels to the acre on the clover plots. The method of conducting these experiments was, briefly, as follows: Ten or twelve pounds of clover seed were sown in the spring with a nurse crop. Late in the fall the resulting clover crop was ploughed down if grain was to follow the next year, or ploughed down the second or third week in May of the following spring if corn and potatoes were to be planted. Thus, it was from only one year's growth of the clover, that these results were obtained. Other experiments have been conducted which have shown that a crop of clover stubble ploughed under increased crop yields. 26 COMMISSION OF CONSERVATION Good Seed Necessary. — In sowing clover, good seed should lie used. Good seed, though costing more, has been found by repeated trial to be the cheapest in the end. Methods of Seeding. — ^While clover has been hailed as a great soil im- prover, it must not be thought that it can always be grown successfully on poor and worn-out soils, or that it will give satisfactory results when carelessly sown. In Dundas county, clover is usually seeded with the spring grain. On sandy soils it should be sown a little deeper than on the heavier soils in order that it may come in contact with the moist earth, which will aid germination. From one and one half to two inches is not too deep in iandy soil. A better seeding will usually be obtained when sown with a nurse crop that will be har- vested early than if sown with later maturing crops. When clover seed is being sown, it is best to sow the nurse crop slightly thinner than usual. A light top dressing of manure on the knolls and on spots where the soil is poor will often prove Ix-neficial and will help the young plants to make a stronger growth to carry them through the winter. There are various opinions regarding the; effect of clover seeding on the nurse grain crop. This matter has received attention from the Central E.\perimental Farm at Ottawa and it has lx.'en found that the seeding of clover has no notice- able effect upon the yield of the grain crop with which it is sown. Further south, it has been found that, when the nurse crop is cut, the hot dry weather often kills out the young crop of clover. This may occasionally happen in Eastern Ontario, but the weather is usually cool enough and there is generally sufficient moisture in the soil to enable the young plants to survive and become vigourous before going into the winter. Clover Sown with Summer Pasture. — Land where annual summer pastures are sown, such as oats and peas, or oats and vetches is u.sually a good pltice to seed with clover. It has been found thai, on account of the nurse crop being pastured olT early, the clover seeding is given an opportunity to develop. While the tramping of the ground may be thought to injure the clover plants, it has been found to he beneficial rather than harmful. Seeding with Fall Grain. — While very little fall grain is grown in Dundas county, the method of seeding fall crops may be here menti ined. Timothy is sown in the fall with the fall grain and the clover seeded in the spring. The clover seed should be sown upon the last light fall of snow late in the spring or on a morning when the ground is slightly frozen. Thickness of Seeding. — Many farmers fail to get a good stand of clover because they do not sow enough seed. Where a field is to be kept for hay and pasture, timothy should always be sown with the clover. If the clover does not come through the winter successfully, or, for some other reason, docs not give a good crop, the farmer will have the timothy to fall back upon. A good mixture, is eight pounds of red clover, two pounds of alsike, and eight pounds of timothy. This may seem a fairly heavy seeding, but from many tests conducted at our experimental stations, the thick seeding of clover and timothy has given CLOVERS AND C L C) \' E R SEED PRODUCTION 27 uniformly better results than the thin seeding. On the heavier soil of Dundas county, if the season is favourable, a lighter seeding of clover will give good crops, but it is safer to sow a suflftcient amount to allow for the seeds that will not germinate and for the plants that will Ix' killed out. The thicker stand of •clover also forms a winter protection and helps the plants to survive the cold weather. A thick crop oi clover also helps to control and smother out weeds. In a thin crop of clover there will always be open spaces where weeds are sure to grow. .An excellent test for each farmer in Dundas county to conduct would Ix' to sow, on a field where soil conditions are uniform, a round or two of the drill with a lighter seeding than he usually sows, and a round or two of the e successfully produced in Dundas, but because very little attention has been given to this matter in the past. Some splendid crops of seed were bars ested and threshed by Dundas County farmers during the past season There are many .idvantages to be gained by growing and sowing home-grown seed. The farmer who has seed of his own this year (1918) will not likely sow it so sparingly as he would if he had to buy it at the present high price. Best results are obtained from the home-grown seed. On a numl>er of illustration farms conducted in other parts of Ontario by the Commission of Conservation in previous years, liome-grown seed, and seed purchased from seed merchants, were sown side by- side in the same field, under uniform conditions. In every instance, the home- grown seed came through the winter better. In some cases, the crop from home-grown seed came through the winter safely, while that from purchased seed was badly injured. By sowing home-grown seed, there is no risk of intro- ducing noxious weeds from other parts of the country as often happens when the seed is purchased. 28 (OM MISSION ol ( ONsi; K \ A T ION (Ij I'loxtr sivd ml wiili grain biniJiT with twinr and irip arm rcniciM'il. It dritd will and ;hri'?,lu-il easilv. = 2' Ciitiin^ ilovfr >fcil wiih mower lo which dray lalilf is allaihcil. Om- man follows and rakcs it off into \vindrr)ws. The second crop of clover is often pastured when it would pay much Ix-tter to allow] it to ripen for seed. It does -it matter if some timothy or other gras-cs be present, as the clover aftermath is but little affected by other grasses in the second crop, which usually make a light second growth. If often happens too, that a second crop of clover looks thin and may be thought tfx) poor to produce a crop of seed. Let it be remembered, however, that a thin crop will not produce much pasture. In one case in Quebec, known to the writer, a 24-acre field of second crop, which was being kept for seed, looked to be too thin to be worth harvesting and though it gave only one-half ton to the acre of the clover before being threshed, it yielded 141 pounds of seed per acre. Had this field been pastured much of the clover would have been tramped down into the ground and the ainount of feed really obtained bv the stock would have been small. Cut First Crop Early.— A mistake commonly made by many farmers is the cutting of the hay crop too late. Very often this will prevent the harvesting of a crop of clover seed. The seed on red clover comes from the second cutting; consequently, the first crop should be cut early to allow the sccoad crop u, produce seed before danger of frost in the fall. To get liest results in Dundas county, the first crop should be cut before July 1st. Many farmers pastpone the cutting of the first crop, thinking that the longer they leave it the tomtons of hay they will obtain. This is true up to a certain point, but, after thore point t'LOVKRS AND fl.OVKR S K K I) I'ROUI ITION J9 is reached in the maturity of the crop, the [K-rceniaKe of i rude fibre Ix^comes greater, iowerinj; the iK-reeiitane of diKestihle protein. Karly rut hay, providinR it is well cure lime to cut. If the seed is soft and not properb' filled, or if it cannot be shelled out easily, let the crop stand, even if a few of the riper heads are lost. If the seed is ri|)e in the heail, the early frosts of fall will not hurt it. If the sei-d is not ripe, it will not be gcxxl for sowing, even if cut to avoid frost. .\ common mistake made by inexperienceil clover seetl growers is to cut the si-t'd crop 1(h) early. How to Cut. — The old self-rake reaper w.. commonly used in Western Ontario for cutting clover seed and a few may be found on farms to-day, kept for this purpose. Some implement companies manufacture a clover harvester which is especially designed to cut clover seed. Any farmer who has not one of the si'ir rake reajx-rs, or a clover harvester need not be deterred from growing clover on this account as other devices can l)e usetl. The ordinary mower can be utilized for this purpose. It should be u.sed in the morning while the dew is still on, to prevent the seed from shelling. .\ iK-tter arrangement is the ordinary mower with a table attachetl to the cutter bar. It requires two men to handle this outfit. .A couple of holes are drilled at the back of the cutter bar and the table is attached by means of wire close up to the cutter bar and allowetl to drag on the ground behind. .\ man follows with a fork or rakt to keep the clover drawn back on to the table, and pushes it off to one side in windrows. The ordinary grain binder may also be used, the twine and the trip arm may be removed and the two small boards that hold the sheaf may be slackened or removed in order to allow the clover a free cour.se to the ground. This will lay it out in a swath on the stubble in a splendid position to dry and out of the way of the horses and machine. If the clover is high enough to permit of cutting in this way, it is probably one of th" lx;st methods which can \k used. The windrow can Ik- easily gathered with a barley fork. M COMMISSION OF CONSERVATION The length of time to allow the clover to remain ir. the windrow will depend on the weather and the condition of the crop when cut. It frequently happens that the crop will have to remain out two or three weeks before it is dry enough to thresh or draw into the barn. Method of Threshing.— The clover huller is the best machine for threshing the seed. A better job can be done with this machine than with any other, but it is not absolutely necessary to have a huller. A fairly good job can be done with the ordinary grain thresher providing certain adjustments are made. If the clover straw is to be used for feed, it might be well to run the mat- erial through, just the same as grain is put through. This will separate the heads and chaff from the straw. The .eads and chaff can then be put through a second, or third time, but before putting them through, a plate of sheet iron or a hard board should be placed directly behind the cylinder, closing up all of the back space except about nine inchts on the left-hand end of the cylinder. Another board should be placed in front of the cylinder to close up all except one foot at the right-hand end. All small holes in the concaves should be closed and the concaves set as close to the cylinder teeth as possible. This will cause all of the material to pass from one end of the cylinder to the other, which will hull the seed much better than if passed through in the ordinary way. The chaff can be put through two or three times carefully, and it will be found that nearly all of the seed will come out clean. This L not as good as the clover huller, but is very useful when a huller cannot be obtained. Clover Huller At Work The clover huller is the best machine for this work, but the ordinary thresher properly adjusted will do a very good job. ,• I fl.OVKRS AND ri.OVKR S IC KU I' R <) I) I I T I () \ Alfalfa Growing. "Alfalfa has lN.-*.-n trk-S havi' luroim' a sfrious iiiv , u. ,ne farmers of Diindas county. "▼ Laws have Ixiii passi'd to coiitrol their spread, Imt tliesu are very rarely enforced. K\ery year, clouds of Canada thistle and perennial sow thistle seed are allowed to sow themselves broadcast through the coiintv. Threshing machines move undean.d from farms that are hadly infested to farms where practically no weeds are found. Many farmers continue to hiiy the cheaper Krades of clover and grass seeds that contain many weed seeds per ounce and thus lay up for themselves trouble at a later date. If the exact loss weeds cause to farm crops could be fiKured accurately in dollars and cents and presented to the public in that way, its magnituilc would be appalling. This loss goes on year after year. On some farms it is trilling, on many others it takes a heavy toll ot the crop yield. Since space will not permit a discussion of the methods for tlie control and eradication of all the worst weeds, only a few general principles will be given, special emphasis being laid on methods for dealing with one or two of the worst. Classification of Weeds.— In order to combat weeds successfully, one must have a knowledge of two points, (1) How long the plant lives, (2) How it reprrxluces and spreads. Weeds may be classified according to length of life as follows: Annu.u.s. These come up from the seed, bear flowers and seeds and die down, all within one year. Example -common mustard. BiKNNi.M.s. These grow from the seed, but produce only leaves and a root the first vear. The second year a flower stalk comes up, seeds are prwluced anil the plant dies. Kxample— burdock and blue weed. Fi;ki;nniai.s. These live on year after year unless the ros. iNs.i.( I iM-.sis WD i'i..\\ i d isi; asks ■i.i Farmkrs Field Meeting rh<->c farmers are disiiissinR their problems ccinccrnieiK soil ami crops under actual obser\ation. Seeing is l)elie\ inj;. 2. HoKD Crops. Breaking up land often with the use of howl crops tends to keep it clean. These crops cannot he deiKiuled upon alone, however, to control creeping perennials. This is due to the fact that although in cultivating the r(K)tstocks are cut, they are not all destroywl, and, in a short time, begin to grow again. ,1. Slmmkr F.vm.owing. It is generally conceded that siininur fallowing is too wasteful of land to be employed very extensively. It is, i)ossibly, the most effective way of controlling the hardy perennials. Where ;i tieltl is badl\ infested with sow thistle, it might pay to lose one crop in order to effectivcK' eradicate this weed. On high priced land, such as we have in Dimdas county, and where a heavy stock is being carried, rarely can a field be spared to leave a^ a fallow. Only in such extreme cases as mentioned above woukl this be ad\ isable. 4. Early Aktkr-Harvkst C'lltiv.vtion. This is one of the best ways t<> ilcstroy annual or winter annual weeds. It has been dealt with on p.ige 9. 5. Skkding Down. A heavy seeding of grass and clover will effectively control many annuals. Cutting the hay crop early will prevent most of these weeds from going to seed. 6. Smother Crops. The aim of this method is to kill the weeds by depriving them of light and air. This is accomplished by getting some ((uick-growing crop, such as buckwheat, established on the land while the weeds are in a weakenefl condition from recent cultivation. This is a very effective way of controlling many weeds. 7. Hand PiLUNfi. This is pmrtiral only when a weed is not very ahunrlant. If a farmer is watching his crops and fields closely, he can frequently check the spread of a bad weed by digging it out ujion its first appearant e. This may pivc an endless amount of trouble later on. I ■.a COMMISSION OF C O \ S K R V A T 1 () N S. SiiEKi'. It is well known that a flock of sheep will do a great dea toward helping to keep down weeds. In frxt, there are few weeds that sheep will not eat. .At the present time they are a very profitable class of live stock as well. Two Common and Bad Weeds in Dundas County.— Wild mustard, or herrick, and perennial sow thistle are two of the worst weeds with which the farmers of Dundas county have to contend. 1. Wild Must.vrd or Hkrrick. Owing to the great vitality of the seed, this is a hard weed to eradicate. The seed will live for years in the grountl and when brought to the surface will germinate and grow. If the weed is just starting on the farm and only showing to a small extent, hand pulling is the best thing to do. If, however, as is usually the case, the field is overrun with it, the following system is recommended by Howitt of Guelph. Cultivate the stubble ground early after harvest. As soon as the seeds have had time to sprout cultivate again thoroughly, repeat this at intervals and plough the last thing in the fall. Put in a corn crop the following spring and cultivate thoroughly throughout the growing season. Cultivate with the disc— or spring-tooth culti- vator after the corn crop is removed but do not plough in the fall. Cultivate again in the spring and seed down with a grain crop the following year. Spraying with Chemicals. Demonstrations have been conducted b>- the writer in Dundas county which have shown that mustard can be pre- vented from flowering and going to seed by the use of sprays. If these were continued long enough, a field would eventually become rid of the weed. These sprays destroy tiie mustard but do not injure the grain. Iron sulphate (copperas) 80 pounds to 40 gallons of water, may be used. Spray on a bright sunn\ day when the young mustard plants arc well up, but before they come in bloom. Spraying attachments can be secured to go with any barrel pump and the material can be very quickly applied. Copper sulphate (blue stone) can also be used; eight pounds to 40 gallons of water being a strong enough solution. Ic has not proved quite as effective as the iron sulphate. Boih of these chemicals are too expensive at the present time to use for this purpose. Previous to the war the cost of application amounted to approx- imately $1.00 per acre which was quite within reason. Forty gallons of the solution will cover approximately one acre. 2. Perenni.\l Sow Thistle. One of the worst weeds in Ontario and a weed that is rapidly gaining a foothold in Dundas county is the perennial sow thistle. No system can be given that will work in well on all farms, but all the following methods have features to commend them. Method 1. Immediatel>' after the removal of the grain crop, plough the land deeply, preferably early in August. After ploughing, disc frequently until frost stops the growth of the plants. Start discing early in the spring or replough fairly early. Cultivate the land frequently until about June 1 and plant thickly to fodder or ensilage corn in rows from three to three and one-half feet apart. Cultivate the corn frequently until it shades the ground completely. Remove the corn by September 15th, plough the land, and sow immediately to fall rye. WEEDS. INSECT PESTS AND PLANT DISEASES as In the spring, sow clover in the rye, and harrow. The following year cut the first crop of hay and plough under the se( )nd. Plant corn the next year and work into a short rotation. Where cultivated crops cannot be grown success- fully or cannot be used, buckwheat, following early summer fallow, may be grown quite satisfactorily for smothering out the thistles. Vigilance, prompt and thorough cultivation, and short rotations are necessary in the eradication of sow thistles on large areas. .yfethod 2. This is a system of intensive cropping suggested by Dr. Zavitz. As soon as a cereal crop is harvested, plough the land and give frequent cultivation to the first or middle of September. Then sow winter rye at the rate of about two bushels per acre. This can be pastured the following spring, or cut for hay or grain. As soon as the crop is off the land, put in rape, turnips, or buckwheat. The advantage of this system is that three crops are harvested in two years and the sow thistle fought at the same time. Method 3. This is a method somewhat similar to the one just described and which has worked out very satisfactorily on many farms. Seeti the land to winter rye, harvesting and removing it from the field before the end of July. The sow thistle will, in the first place, be given a severe setback by being cut just at a time when it is coming into bloom. Start discing at once. Do a thorough job of il. crossing so as to be sure that no strips are left untouched with the disc harrow. Where the ground is rather hard or compact, it is reconniendefl that the field be double-disced the first time; that is, lappng over half way on the return round. Disc frequently during the rest of the season to prevent any growth above the surface. In the late fall, just bcfor zes up.plough deeply, thus exposing the roots to the action of the winter fn,. Ii will kill many of them. The following spring cultivate frequently .o prevent growth above the surface. For this purpose use either an ordinary disc harrow, a spring-tooth harrow, or a cultivator equipped with knives or sweeps. These are effective in cutting off the stems a couple of inches below the surface before ;;hey have an opportunity to make their appearance. Cultivate frequently until about June 15th, and then prepare the ground and seed to buckwheat or millet. Sow about three pecks per acre in either case. If millet is used, it is recommended that a bush< oats be added. Oats make rapid growth and the two combined make a most excellent crop for hay. The object in sowing thick is to have the crop cover the land completely. If any weeds should occur after this treatment, cultivation can be continued in the fall, after the removal of the crop and the following spring up to planting time. The great advantage of this method of treatment is that no crop is lost during the process of killing the weeds. The principles outlined in the methods described above can be applied in •he control of any bad perennial weed with creeping rootstocks. m COMMISSION OF CONSERVATION i Insect Pests In combatting the various insect pests on the farm, it is important to know something of the nature and life history of the insect. Most insects do their damage to farm crops when in the larvae or grub stage. For convenience in classification we can divide insects in two classes: (1). Those with biting mouth parts. Example— potato beetle. (2). Those with sucking mouth parts. Example — plant lice. It is obvious that different treatment is necessary for these two classes of insects. In combatting the former class, we can destroy the insect by using direct poisons. For the latter, we have to use some material that will act as a smothering agency such as whale oil soap.dust materials, etc. Poisons for Biting Insects. — The following poisons are given as remedies for all biting insects. Paris green, a bright green powder, is one of the combinations of arsenic and a deadly poison. It may be applied dry if miked with three or four times its weight of flour or fine air-slaked lime, but it is more generally used in solution. Paris Green Solution: Paris Gi-een 8 to 10 ounces. Slaked lime 1 pound. Water 40 gallons Mix the Paris Green first in a small vessel with a small quantity of water, adding more water later. Arsenate of lead may be obtained as a powder or a paste. The latter is the more common form, but the two do not differ as to their chemical properties. It is not so violent a poison as Paris Green, and for this reason is not so liable to burn the foliage. It is frequently dusted in powdered form upon the leaves of garden and truck plants to which it sticks very well. Arsenate of Lead Solution: Arsenate of lead paste 3 pounds. Water 40 gallons. Hellebore is a poison which has the advantage of losing its poisonous properties after a few days and may be applied safely to ripening fruits. It may be used dry or cis a spray. When sprinkled on dry it should be mixed with three times its weight of flour. Hellebore Solution: Hellebore 1 ounce. Water 1 gallon. Poison bran mash is a mixture of Paris Green, bran and sweetened water, and is effective in fighting cutworms. Poison Bran Mash: Bran 25 pounds. Paris Green J^ poi'i'd. Molasses 1 quart. Water 2 gallons. WEEDS, INSECT PKSTS AND IM.ANT DISEASES 37 Mix the bran and Paris Gret-n dr>-. Pour the molasses into the water and wet the bran with the mixture. Stir until thoroughly mixed. The mash should be scattered on the surface of the grouiul among the infested plants. Contact Insecticides for Sucking Insects.— Kerosene emulsion is one of the simplest and most effective remedies for plant lice. Made stronger and in large quantities it can be used successfully against insects hibernating in rubbish piles. It cannot harm plant tissues. F"or plant lice, it should be applied as a fine spray. Kerosene E-mulsion : Hard soap J.^ pound. Hot water (soft) 1 gallon. Kerosene (coal oil) 2 gallons. Shave the soap in the gallon of boiling hot water and when dissolved remove from the fire and add the kerosene. Churn violently with a force or bucket pump until a smooth creamy emulsion is formed. If made properly, no oil will separate. The mixture can be kept indefinitely if sealed from the air. It should be diluted with 10 to i . parts of water for plant lice. Whale oil or common laundry soap is effective against plant lice in the following solution: Hard soap 1 pound. Water 5 gallons. Tobacco dust may be used against root-infesting aphides, by applying a liberal dressing of the dust directly upon the roots and then filling in the dirt. Tobacco extract may be prepared as a spray by boiling on., pound of tc bacco dust and stems in a gallon of water. Dilute for use with one or two parts of water. It is quite harmless to plants. Commercial brands of tobacco extract are very effective. Fumigants. — Fumigation is used for killing insects in enclosed spaces. Carbon bisulphide is probably the most common fumiganl, although sulphur, tobacco, and hydrocyanic acid gas are sometimes used. Sulphur very often injures the germinating power of the grain and is to be avoided for this reason. Hydrocyanic gas is a very dangerous and deadly poison, and should never be used except by an expert. Carbon Bisulphide. Use one pound to each 100 cubic feet. The dose should be increased if the temperature is below 60 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the material in an air tight box, barrel or bin. Pour the carbon bisulphide into shallow dishes and set on top of the material, close the bo-, cover with canvas or old blankets and leave it for 24 hours. When the bin is opened, stir the grain to allow the gas to pass off. Do not allow a ft re, light, or a burning cigar to come anywhere near the carbon bisulphide, or the recently fumigated material. Repellents. —Tobacco dust, air-slaked lime or even fine mad dust, coated thickly, will keep away various insects such as the Heabeetle or other leaf eaters. Tree tanglefoot is a sticky substance of the same naure as Hy-paper. Barded around trees it prevents the ascent of caterpillars. ;{K COMMISSION OF CONSERVATION The above remedies are all found eJective in controlling the various kinds of insects. Strive to know something of the nature of the insect and then apply the remedy that will be most effect! v'e for that particular insect. Lice on Live Stock. — The following suggestions will prove effective in dealing with lice on live stock. Cattle Lice. Dust the cattle with one part of hellebore, added to three parts of cement or road dust. In the summer, when there is no danger of the stock taking cold, washing the animal with the tobacco solution described above will prove quite effective. Lice on Pigs. The mud wallow is the natural means of destroying lice. Where pigs have not access to this, the following is a splendid remedy. Mix coal oil aiid ordinary linseed oil together in equal parts and rub on the backs of the pigs. The linseed oil prevents the blistering effect of the coal oil. Poultry Lice. Provide a dust bath of fine ashes or s^nd, with a small quantity of raw sulphur added Poultry Mites. Spray the roosts with coal oil or lime sulphur. White Grubs. — Frequent rotation of crops will prevent the multipli- cation of these grubs. Do not Ipave land in grass too long, as it is the old mea- dows and pastures that serve as breeding grounds. Where grubs are bad, grass land should not be followed by corn Deep ploughing late in the fall will throw up many of the grubs and newly developed beetles. Wire Worms. — Use treatment similar to that described alxjve for grubs. In garden crops, the worms can often be trapped by placing bunches of clover sweetened with molasses and poisoned with Paris Green under a boarj on the top of the soil. Grasshoppers. — These may be controlled by: 1. Breaking up old pastures, their breeding places, by ploughing 5 or 6 inches deep in late fall or in spring. 2. Rolling the meadow with a heavy land roller after harvesting the hay crop. This will destroy large numbers. 3. Using the new poison bran mixture: Bran 20 pounds. Paris Green 1 pound. Molassch '2 gallon. Water about 2 gallons. Lemons 2 or 3 fruits. Mix the bran ami Paris Green thoroughly dry in a tub or any large receptacle. This may be done the night before. On the morning of using, squeeze t!ie juice of the lemons into the water, run the pulp and rind through a meat chopper, and add this and also the molasses to the water, stir well, and then pour the liquid upon the poisoned bran: mix so thoroughly that every part is moist and will fall like sawdust through the fingers. Apply in the morning be- WEEDS. INSECT PESTS AND PLANT DISEASES 30 twoen 5 and 7 o clock by scaitering so thinly over the infested field, feme corners and roadsides, that the above-mentioned amount will cover 4 or 5 acres. Sometimes a second application about three days later is necessary. Do not delay using until damage has l,een done, and do not look for results until two or three days afte. applying. Potato Beetfe.-A mixture of Paris Green and arsenate of lead gives best results ore-half pound of Paris Green and one and one-half poun.ls of arsenate of lead to 40 gallons of water. The arsenate of lead sticks to the leaves well whde the Paris Green is a quick poison. If using separate use about i pound of Pans Green or 3 pounds of arsenate of lead to 40 gallons of water. Green Cabbage Worm.- Mix Paris Green with three or four times its weight of low-grade flour or finely powdered lime. Dust on the cabbage when- ever the worms appear. No fear need be had of being poisoned with this treatment. It has been calculated that a person, to get enough poison to do him harm, would have to eat 28 cabbages at one sitting. House Pest8.-The common fly as a disease carrier is a much more serious problem for consideration in the country districts than in the city This IS quite evident when we consider that our modern cities are provided with sewers. The proper way to combat the fly problem is to destroy the flies iK-fore they get wmgs; or better still, to prevent them from being born it all Since 95 per cent of all house flies breed in horse manure, this should be spread upon the helds as soon as possible after being removed from the stable. This precaution also conserves the greatest amount of plant food for fertilizer. The house fly prefers very fresh horse manure whi.a has begun to ferment sufticiently to provide considerable heat and which is fairiv moist These conditions are found in ordinary manure piles. If the manure' could be drawn out at frequent intervals, say not less than twice a week, and spread ovt. the field. It would dry out sufticiently to kill any young maggots already in it and would not be a favourable place for the flics to deposit their eggs. Second in importance comes the care of garbage. If flies are deprived of their favourite breeding place, manure, they will seek others. Several species such as the blue-bottle, prefer decaying animal matter. At any rate, the fly invari- ably seeks out garbage for food, and who wants the flv to come dirertiv from his repast in the garbage pile to crawl upon the butter set out on the table > Do not let garbage accumulate. If the cook stove is used during the summer the house-wife can burn the garbage in small quantities, or if the manure is hauled out to the fields twice a week, the garbage can be carried with it Exposed to the sun and air in this way. it quickly dries and no harm is done. If neither of these means of disposal is feasible the garbage must be buried. Do not allow It to collect until it has become 'fly blown' and then throw a few inches of e-nrth over It. The maggots will hatch and easily make their way through the loose soil. Wrap the garbage from each meal into a tight newspa,)er bundle and bury these packages every other day or so. 40 COMMISSION OK f () N S K R V A T I O \ A third source of danger in the country is the outhouse, or privy. Enough has been said concerning the spreading of typhoid and other intestinal disease germs through flies to make any one realize the necessity of making this source absolutely lly-pro«jf. Keep the out-house in good repair. See that the vault is free from cracks and that the earth is filled in close about the walls. Screen the windows and ventilators. Provide the door with a spring that will keep it closed and the seat with a cover that cannot be left opened. The fourth precaution to hn ooserved is the proper screening of the dwell- ing house. You may be doing all you can to prevent the breeding of flies, but until all your neighbours do the same, you can not live safely or comfortably without screens. Further than this, you should refuse to take food supplies from a storekeeper who does not use screens. Such food may be contaminated before it comes into your home. Ants. — ^Secure a good large sponge, sprinkle this with a syrup made from Sugar dissolved in water and place it on a shelf in the cupboard or pantry where ants are bad. After some time remove the sponge and drop into a pail of boiling water. Repeat the operation and the ants will soon disappear. Moths. — Keep furs and woolen material in a cedar chest or a box in which leaves of a cedar tree are generously distributed. Moth balls are also effective. Plant Diseases F"ungus diseases are caused by plants known as fungi. These plants, unlike ordinary' flowering plants, have no green colouring matter (chloro- phyll), and are unable, therefore, to manufacture their own food. All their nourishment must be obtained from decaying animal or vegetable rem.iins or from living animals or plants. Those fungi which tlerivc their nourishment from living plants in so doing injure them in various ways and thus givt- rise to what are known as fungus diseases. Generally speaking, in combatting fungus diseases methods of urevention only are practicable. Once a fungus is within the plant nothing can be done to destroy it. Spraying with lime-sulph-ir, Bordeaux mixture or other fungicide is not done to cure but to prevent disease, 'n other words, the object of spraying is to cover the surface of the leaves, fruit or other parts of the plant with a sub- stauvTc poisonous to the spores of fungi, in which they cannot grow and penetrate the plant. Spraying, therefore, in order to be effective, must be timely and thorough. The spray mixture must be on the tree before the spores reach it and the surface of the leaves, fruit and other parts of the plant must be completely covered so, that there is not the smallest space on which a spore can germinate. Fungicides used to Prevent Fungus Diseases.— The following are the more common fungicides: Bordeaux Mixture: Copper sulphate (blue stone). . 4 pounds. Stone lime (fresh) 4 pounds. Water 40 gallons. WEEDS. INSECT PESTS AND PLANT DISEASES 41 Dissolve the copper sulphate in a wooden or brass vessel with hot water, pour into a barrel and add cold water to make 20 gallons. Slake the lime in another barrel, preferably with hot water; add cold water to make 20 gallons. Stir both barrels well and pour the lime into the copper sulphate barrel. Never mix concentrated ir k of lime and copper sulphate solutions. A stock solution of each may be made and kept indefinitely if not mixed. Dissolve 40 pounds of copper sulphate in 40 gallons of water by suspending just below the surface of the water in a coarse sack. Each gallon of the liquid \yill now contain one pound of copper sulphate. Slake any desired quantity of lime and put it into a box or barrel in a shaded place, or sunk in the ground. Keep it covered with a small amount of water to ex. lud^ tne air. Calculate how much is required for 4 pounds of lime if well stirred. To test Bordeaux mixture, let a drop of ferro-cyanide of potassium solution fall into a little of the mixture in a saucer. If this causes it to turn reddish brown, add more lime until no change takes place. Home-Made Concentrated Lime Sulphur: This may be used as a sub- stitute for commercial lime sulphur, but is only about two-thirds as strong as a rule. Sulphur (a fine grade) 100 pounds. Fresh stone lime, high in percentage of calcium 50 pounds. Water 40 or 50 gallons. Put about 10 gallons of water in the boiling outfit, start the fire, add sulphur, stir to make a paste and break the lumps, then add the remaining water, and when near boiling put in the lime. Stir frequently while slaking and until all the sulphur and lime are dissolved. Add water from time to time to keep -'t up to the 40 or 50 gallon mark. Boil one hour, then strain through a screen of 20 meshes to the inch, into storage barrels. Make enough at once for the season's work. Cover well to keep out the air, or pour oil of any kind over the surface to a depth of one-eighth inch for the same purpose. To determine how much to dilute for different applications use a hydro- meter with specific gravity readings. Formalin Solution: Forty per cent formaldehyde; can be purchased at any drug store. Corrosive Sublimate: 2 ounces to 15 gallons of water Loose Smut of Oats. — This is a fungus disease causing an immense loss in Dundas county each year. It is carried over the winter as minute spores attached to the healthy kernels of grain. These infect the crop the next year. !t is quite common to see a loss of from ten to as high as thirty per cent of the crop. It is a very simple disease to control, the following measures being very effective. Treatment: Sprinkle the seed grain with formalin solution. This is made by mixing one pint of formalin with 40 gallons of water. Smaller amounts may be made in the same proportion. Spread the grain to be treated on a clean canvas or floor. Sprinkle the formalin solution over it with an 42 COMMISSION OF tO N S E R V AT I ON ordinary garden sprinkling can. Then shovel the grain over so as to mix it thoroughly. Again sprinkle and shovel over the grain. Do this until every kernel IS wet: then pile up in a heap and cover with clean sacks or canvas and leave lor three or four hours. At the end of this time, .pread the grain out thinly to dry shovelling It over occasionally will hasten drying. One pint of the formalin solution will treat between 40 and 50 bushels of grain. IMPORT.XNT Points: 1. Ask your druggist for a formalin solution containing 40 [jer cent formaldehyde. 2. Disinfect bins, floors, seed drill, etc., by sprinkling with the solution I he sacks, if previously containing grain, should be immersed in the solution. •. u ^- ^^Z'^*' f «^«i ^^^*^'" treatment, and sow as soon as possible, although It has been kept for ten days to two weeks after treatment without injurious results. If the gram is to Ik; held any length of time, dry verv thoroughly before putting It bark in bags or bins. 4. Never allow damp grain to freeze. It Pays To Treat Skhd CiRain Banner oats grown on t"- -f trill of A. E. .\asH ^ ■ ->rrisburg. lyJ" ''.e sceil was carclully treated with formalin, and although thorough search was made, no smut was found. This was the third year Mr. Nash had trcatee working m your orchard and the bee men are protected by a law against spraying when trees are in full bloom. Do not delay many days after the blossoms have fallen or the blossom end of the apple will close up and it will be impossible to get poison in the end. which is very important in controlling the codling moth worm. Fourth Spray: It is always advisable to put on four applications in this district. This fourth spray should at least be put on all bearing Mcintosh and Fameuse trees as they are most susceptible to scab. This is made the same strength as the third spray, possibly cutting down the arsenate of lead to 2 pounds to 40 gallons or omitting it altogefher. It is applied usually 10 davs or two weeks after the third spray. For further information on spraying get a copy of Prof Casar's latent bpray Calender. It may be had from the Ontario Department of Agriculture, Toronto. The above described sprays have been found to keep fruit clean and pro- duce a high percentage of No. 1 apples. Apple growing in Dundas county pays, a fact which has been demonstrated by many local fruit growers. Gross returns of as high as $2,2(K) have been received from 5^ acres of orchard in one year. Dundas county is especially adapted to the production of high-class apples. Ihe soil and climate favour quality and colour in the fruit. The county is known as the 'Home of the Mcintosh Red,' and this variety, along with the Fameuse, grows to perfection. It is highly advisable to encourage fruit growing in a district so well adapted to it. In order to determine something of the cost of growing apples in the count % the Ontario Department of Agriculture undertook to handle an orchard l„r three years. The orchard selected contained good trees but had never be.i. given much care. It was composed of forty-five Mcintosh Red trees, and six ur seven trees of mi xed varieties. on 7^^< ff^ ^^^'' ^^^ '^^^^'^^^ was thoroughly pruned; to do this required 20 days labour. It was also manured at the rate of 20 tons of barnyard manure to the acre. The ground was ploughed shallow between the rows in the spring. A twelve-foot strip of sod was left around the trees. The culti- vated portion was seeded with red clover about the middle of June The last two years the land was left in sod entirely, the crop being cut and allowed [to remain on the ground. The last method of handling an orchard in this distnct IS preferable; for the fruit takes on a better colour and, as a result has a better flavour. WEED,, INSECT PESTS AND PLANT DISEASES 45 In only one year of the three was it found necessary to thin the apples. 1 hat year practicallj 50 per cent of the crop was removed early in July and the trees st.U had all they could support in the fall. The thinning resulted in about 15 jH-r cent more No. 1 fruit, and the portion that was thinned bore -riually as nnirh fruit, considering all grades, as the area left unthinned. The thinning paid well for labour spent. The following is a summarized statement of the results of the work with the orchard for three year.. For the last year an itemized report is given so that the method of calculation of profits may be shown. l')14 ml profit [XT aero §205 H 1"'^ "■'.';;■■■;■ sa^ss ^^'^ ^48.77 •^'■^'''•'«^' S202..55 KINAM lAI. STATKMKNT, DKMONSTKATKIN ORCHARD, 1916 < 11. IIVATION: [,^ . ^'1"'"'! K™'*"' ' i •'•'>■■ '"an ,iml team, at S4.00 S200 4 days at S2.00 per dav « „„ J-2daygatherinK brush at S2.00.... , JJJ Sprayi.vi;: •■>*' ''""team a'ild'omfit"'' *'" ''""''' ^ ''""''" ^^"^ '''"^' "' ^^'^ ^^ ^°"^' Cost OF Spray Material,' 6 .^ippLicATioss: ^^ ^ 85 Ji gallons, lime sulphur at 17c per gallon 11 to OSIbsarsenateof lead at $9.15 per cwt. .. toe Picking: 5.95 120 bbls. apples at 25c per bbl ,„ n„ Packing and Grading: ■'" "" 120 bbls. at 35c per bbl ,, „ Packages: 4.^.00 120 bbls. at 45c ,, ^ Hait-ing Fruit TO St.\tios: ^"^ "" Five trips at $1.50 7 . 50 1"°'a' $201.03 Receipts fi bbls. No. 1 Mcintosh Ro.l at S6.()0 e,^ „„ It, •■ " ,i .,5;; TO (K) I ■■ " 1 Wealthy " 3.m'. '.'.'. *i ^ \ " I Mann " 3.00 f^ -' ■• " 1 Duchess "2.00 i^ » " " 1 Pewaukee " 3.00 .'....'.'..'.'.' ^00 Total $637.00 RECAPITULAnON Receipts «,,, Expenditures ' ;.; \\\\\\ ' 20! 03 .Net profit from 1^ acres 1435 97 Net profit per acre $34g 77 VI. MISCELLANEOUS FARM ACTIVITIES TZ^'^'ul^ t ^'"^' has heenreceiving more attention than sumn.er earlv. kIvcs .he. clover ,^^11/ '"■"'"■ ^^' «'"''''"• '^'"^ P^«t"^«J «» nas.nr, in ,h f / • "'me on rapidly and thus provide some In ("i-ovkr Fastirk ''■''''"^'^^^^•c,!^^^Sit&zt;zi::;xz-- MISCELLANEOUS FARM ACTIVITIES 47 wh.^ f '" r ' ''^^''^- " "'^^•'' ^"' "^'^ •'"^f^"'*^- S"-"^- farn»ers are some- what afra.,1 ,o .n.rocluce vetches on their farms, bur as the common or wid vetch .san annual, there is little fear of its doing any damage whire Tshort rotat.on of crops is being followed. There is. howevc'. an Xd stcies calS oXut^r idV'f • "1'^' '' ^ ''^^^•"^"^ p^^^""'^' -^ '•« -."JTrdiS whfch I rl'r , 1""^ k"' "T ■' P''"'"''"^ '-^ '^'■^'^ "«P «^ "'^h fodder, wnich IS rather benehcial than otherwise, in the hay. On one farm in Dundas county last summer, five acres were sown to summer pasture. One acre was sown to oats and vetches, one ac" tToat^ and peas, and three acres to the wheat, oats and barley mixture. Th s field we::s\::rThfmT""M f ''^^r 't' '''■''"'' -'^- p-^-- «--»' wert short. The milk yield from the twelve cows being pastured on half of this field was increased by 35 pounds .x-r day. The ownef Ttated that he preferred the mix ure o oats and vetches to the other two. and that the oats whm ^^d Lt' Z'Zr""^ H 'r "'r''^ ""' ^^^ '^"^•^ ^^"- than iLe oa ironJhLTTT! °'^. "l '^^ ^^'" ""'^ ^^^'y P^'^^'^"*^ ^^e clover plants fronbe.ng shaded, and the tramping of the cattle .sufficiently compresses the soi to conserve moisture and makes a slight surface mulch. The cattTeTholk not be turned in until the crop is eight or ten inches high. The mo^t "l.mTa use of a pasture of this kind can be had by turning the cattle in for two o The resrirtime'Vt"''' H f t"' T ^""""« "^^"^ ""° -^"er field for th htnvv rl r;h 7l^ r ^""'' '^' '^"''^ ^'"^ ^'^'" '^"^ ground is soft from heavy rain, as they are likely to cut up the soft ground and. if clover has In-en own. the young plants are likely to be injured. The summe pastu e nSy be ulT-::^T' 'h" *'' °''*^^ ^P""« ^^^'"« ■■« completed'on the (Zu tnese mixtures may be divided and sown, say two weeks apart. runforT/n'°''i"°*'T^'''^"^"^'"'' "''""'^ be made to have an outdoor run for the pigs during the summer. A small field of clover, or an acre or two pr^lSe thrift :.7P'^'";"''' '^ ' ''"'^ ^'■^•" ^"'^ P''^"^>' "^ ^'^^^ -«^- -" rnrnff ?K ^ ^^" ''"'* ^™^ **'^'" '^'^^^P'y ^° « «'^^ '^ady ^or quick finish- ing oflf w^h a heavier grain ration in the autumn. It might pay to divide 'he field in which It IS intended to run the pigs, in order I g^ive ti em fr sh pasture p..no"t a crop sown for the pur- pose o smothering out noxious weeds. Couch grass often bLmes very troubl aome. but can be controlled by the use of a smother crop. Buckwheat l ^H' comn,only used for this purpose. It is sown thickly on wel prepared bnd. It comes up quickly and grows rapidly, and thus gives the leSl'l^y httle opportunity to develop. The land on which it is intended to sow the buck^ ■IS COMMISSION OK CONSKRN .ATION Buckwheat As A Smother Crop This crop of.buckwheat. on the farn, of A. E. Nash. Morrisburg, very successfully smothered out the couch grass which was in the field. Wheat should be well tilled and as much should be done as possible to weaken or kill the weeds before sowing the crop. This will help the smother crop t< grow more rapidly and to more perfectly perform its function. Splendid results were obta.ned m 1917 on two of the farms where illustration work was being done m Dundas county. The buckwheat was sown at the rate of one bushel per acre and completely smothered out the weeds and. at the same time, gave a good crop of grain when cut and threshed in the autumn. One thing must always be borne m mind in sowing a smother crop and that is. it must be sown thick enough to smother the weeds. The Farm Garden.-Fresh vegetables make up a very small part of the diet of many fanuhes on the farm. It is in.possible to estimate the value of he vegetal,Ies which may be grown in the home garden, but it is safe to say that a well-kept garden will yield a return many times as great as the return from an ecual arc. .ievo.e,! to general farm crops. There is great satisfaction.^ having an abundant easily available supply of fresh vegetables. Vegetables and fruits furnish a large part of the essential salts which are necessar^ to 1 e well-being of the human system, so that they are valuable medicinally as well as for fcKKl If more succulent food were eaten, less money would be spent Tn doctor s fees and me Wax. Pole Beans: Kentucky Wonder. Beets: Meteor. Egyptian, Eclipse. A Garden In The Corn Field ^ ""^ "' *rwer ^and'wirifJ*'''" l" '^I ^°'-^!°f «'=''' "" ^e cultivated by h,.r«;. power, and will give an abundance of green stuff for the table 60 COMMISSION OF CONSERVATION Brussels Sprouts: Improved Dwarf. Cabbages: Elarly Jersey Wakefield, Copenhagen Market (early), Danish Ballhead. Cauliflower: Early Dwarf Erfurt, Early Snowball. Carrots: Chantenay, Early 5>carlet Horn (small). Celery: Golden Self Blanching (early), French Success, Triumph. Corn: Malakoff, Peep O'Day (early), Crosby Early, Golden Bantam (second early), Stowcll Evergreen (late). Cucumbers: Arlington White Spine, Davis Perfect, Boston Pickling or Chicago Pickling for pickling. Lettuce: Black Seeded Simpson, Improved Hanson. Onions: Yellow Globe Danvers, Red Wethersfield. Parsley: Double Curled. Pepper: Cayenne, Chili, Early Neapolitan. Peas: Gregory Surprise (extra early), Gradus, Sutton Excelsior. Radishes: Scarlet White-tipped Turnip, French Breakfast. Spinach: Victoria. Squash: White Bush Scalloped, Hubbard. Tomatoes: Sparks Earliana, Bonny Best, i 'vingston Globe. Winter Work on the Farm.— Farnn-rs often neglect to put the machinery into good working order before the very day on which it is required for use. This is something that should be attended to in the winter time or long before the Ploughs Properly Stored Implements should be kept under cover. Necessary repairs and renewal of parts should be attended to before the spring rush bqpns. M ISCKLLANKOrS FARM ACT I\ IT IKS 31 machinery is required in the spring. The broken parts should be repairo'?, spare parts, which are likel\- to be required, should be obtained and every- thing possible made ready for 'the spring drive.' The seed grain should be cleaned ahead of time. .\ny material which can be purchased in advance should l)e on hand before it is needed. .\ plan for the crops for the coming summer should be thoroughly thought out and arranged during the winter. Consideration should be given to the rotation on the farm and plans made for catch crops if the\- liecome necessary through the failure of any of the regular crops in the rotation. Each farmer should give special attention to the business end of his operations and have his work for the coming summer thoroughly organized during the winter. It pays to plan out just how much can be accomplished with the man-power and horse-power available on the farm. Farmers indeed might well get together in this matter and arrange systems of co-operation among themselves. System, good business methods and thorough organization will go far to overcome the lalwur shortage and will assist materially in the incr- ase of agricultural production. In view of the increasing need for greater production of food stuflFs in Canada, the necessity ot putting forth greater efforts to this end cannot be too strongly urged. Farmers, and all others who are engaged in actual production, should leave nothing undone which will bring about an increase in the supply • ' fcxxl stuffs so urgently needed by the soldiers at the front and by Cu ^s in Canada. ■■■■ liHlljSj, ■Hi NL.C B.NC. 3 3286 09116024 8 =s^j:j^^.: K')=^^tfa*£^=i^ I I «*- If ON DEMAND \ ^> t The Dominion of Canada Will Pay Duiiilnion Demand Notes are :icc('i)l(«(l everywhere in Canada in pl.'ice of ur Country .\pfils Your Sniinfis Write to the Department of Finance, Ottawa, or Apply at Any Bank or Money Order Post Office ^^V,. I K-"^ ^,^i^'^1-^-^^:-■H-.^^^i^--(^^;::^?l^--3S~^S^^.^^f: