E.-7a

6

Return of Experiments— continued.

In order to show the facility with which fruit may be grown in connection with, agriculture, about three acres of land have been set apart for an orchard, and about one-third is already planted, chiefly with apples and pears. The preparation of the ground and planting have been carried out entirely by students, under the instruction of the gardener. Two objects have been kept in view : first, to secure the best kinds of blight-resisting stocks ; second, to adapt the mode of cultivation to the peculiarities of the climate. The stocks selected for apples are the Northern Spy and the Majetin, both of which possess great powers of resisting blight. The former is the better stock where dwarf specimens are required ; the latter for those of larger growth, but may be used advantageously even for dwarf specimens, of kinds not making a robust growth,

Name. Prom wlience introduced. Result of Cultivation. Cereals — continued. Three samples barley ... U.S.A. and Russia Failures. Black barley ... Spain ... Curious rather than useful; yet a plump good berry. Rye. Mammoth rye ... U.S.A. ... Very large berry. Believe it to be a wheat. Winter ... Russia & Canada Both fair samples. Cultivation not continued. (e.) Sukdby Plants. Sainfoin ... England and Vic- This valuable plant is still in cultivation, but the soil of toria the farm is unsuitable, being deficient in lime. Some seed is available for distribution. Canary grass ... ... Yield not large, soil being poor; but this is evidently a crop suitable to the climate and for limited cultivation. Sugar-beet, Imperial ... France, via Vic- Imperial grows well. This is the first year the laboratoria tory has been of use in determining the percentage of sugar. Three roots, pulled 12th May, gave the following results :— j. w»i»lit Tonoth Circum- Percent. Percent. JNo. WeigM. Length. ferenefJ# o f Sugar , ofWater . I 2 3 4 lb. oz. inchea. 2 0 11 1 10 11 18 8| inche9. 12i Hi Hi 1036 960 7-92 83-92 82-89 84-80 Pale yellow colour. Av. 1 11 10 12 9-29 83'87 No. 1, a coarse necky root, weighing 2 lb. 4 oz., contained 84 90 per cent, water, and yielded only 3'87 per cent, sugar. Grows very well —sugar not determined. Many (15 to 20) varieties of corn have been tried. They —some of them—may be useful for fodder, but the climate on the plains is too cold and windy for the ripening of the seed, which, however, in several varieties, set very well. The same may be said of this plant. I should recommend its being carefully tried in the North Island. The climate is apparently too cold for this American hedge-plant. Have fair hedges of this. It grows rapidly in good, free, well-drained soil. Stands climate, and fruits well. Am, however, undecided as to its value for general use here. A very useful plant, preferable to rape on dry lands ; but must be fed in the autumn, else stalks become tough, are not then eaten by stock, and cannot be covered in by the plough. Neither the purple nor the green variety is suitable, turnips giving more feed and being more easily grown. If seed of the "drumhead" were cheap and true, this kind—which gave the best results —might be grown with advantage on heavy lands. It is not necessary to transplant. Besides trials of samples, a few acres have been grown the last two years. The yield of both seed and straw has been very fair. Some of the straw has been retted ; but without machinery for dressing the fibre it is useless to continue the experiment. No. iugar-beet, white Silesian ilaize Christchurch ... U.S.A. and New Zealand flarly amber sugar-cane New York )sage orange Victoria if rican box-thorn ,, ?housaud-head kale Cohl-rabi i^ield cabbage jinseed