CONTENTdm
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, 1950
Sessional Papers of the Province of British Columbia
British Columbia. Legislative Assembly
application/pdf
PROVINCE OF BRITISH COLUMBIA Department of Agriculture FORTY-FIFTH ANNUAL REPORT 1950 VICTORIA, B.C. Printed by Don McDiarmid, Printer to the King's Most Excellent Majesty 1951 To His Honour Colonel Clarence Wallace, C.B.E., Lieutenant-Governor of the Province of British Columbia. May it please Your Honour: I have the honour to submit herewith for your consideration the Annual Report of the Department of Agriculture for the year 1950. HARRY R. BOWMAN, Minister of Agriculture. Department of Agriculture, Victoria, B.C., January 2nd, 1951. BRITISH COLUMBIA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE DIVISION AND STAFF MEMBERS, 1950 Minister of Agriculture: "'Honourable H. R. Bowman. Minister's Secretary: Miss P. Hetherington. Deputy Minister: *W. H. RobertsonT B.S.A. Departmental Secretary: Miss A. E. Hill, Victoria, B.C. Administrative Division: *M. M. Gilchrist, B.S.A., Assistant Markets Commissioner, Victoria, B.C. George H. Stewart, Statistician, Victoria, B.C. *C. C. Kelley, B.S.A., Soil Surveyor, Kelowna, B.C. *R. G. Garry, B.S.A., Assistant Soil Surveyor, Kelowna, B.C. •J. S. D. Smith, B.S.A., Assistant Soil Surveyor, Kelowna, B.C. N. L. Camsusa, Chief Accountant, Victoria, B.C. J. S. Wells, Assistant Accountant, Victoria, B.C. A. J. Hourston, General Assistant, Victoria, B.C. J. A. McDiarmid, Clerk, Publications Branch, Victoria, B.C. L. W. Iohnson, Superintendent of Farmers' Institutes, Victoria, B.C. Mrs. Stella E. Gummow, Superintendent of Women's Institutes, Victoria, B.C. *Miss E. Lidster, B.S.A., Supervisor of Boys' and Girls' Clubs, Vancouver, B.C. W. H. Turnbull, Senior Apiarist, Vernon, B.C. A. McNeill, Inspector, Court-house, Vancouver, B.C. T. T. Vaulkhard, Clerk, Accounts Branch, Victoria, B.C. Plant Industry Division: *Ben Hoy, B.S.A., Provincial Horticulturist, Victoria, B.C. *N. F. Putnam, M.Sc, Field Crops Commissioner, Victoria, B.C. *C. H. Nelson, B.S.A., Assistant Field Crops Commissioner, Victoria, B.C. *E. W. White, B.S.A., Supervising Horticulturist, Victoria, B.C. E. C. Hunt, B.S.A., Supervising Horticulturist, Nelson, B.C. *G. E. W. Clarke, B.S.A., Supervising Horticulturist, Abbotsford, B.C. *J. L. Webster, B.S.A., Horticulturist, Court-house, Vancouver, B.C. *R. P. Murray, B.S.A., Supervising Horticulturist, Kelowna, B.C. *G. R. Thorpe, B.S.A., District Horticulturist, Creston, B.C. *M. P. D. Trumpour, B.S.A., District Horticulturist, Salmon Arm, B.C. *A. W. Watt, B.S.A., District Horticulturist, West Summerland, B.C. *J. A. Smith, B.S.A., District Horticulturist, Kelowna, B.C. W. Baverstock, District Horticulturist, Court-house, Vernon, B.C. *R. M. Wilson, B.S.A., District Horticulturist, Kamloops, B.C. *W. D. Christie, B.S.A., District Horticulturist, Abbotsford, B.C. *D. A. Allan, B.S.A., District Horticulturist, Oliver, B.C. *J. E. Swales, B.S.A., District Horticulturist, Nelson, B.C. *I. C. Carne, Assistant District Horticulturist, Vernon, B.C. *A. E. Littler, Clerk, Horticultural Branch, Victoria, B.C. *W. R. Foster, M.Sc, Plant Pathologist, Victoria, B.C. *I. C. MacSwan, Assistant Plant Pathologist, Vancouver, B.C. *W. F. Morton, B.S.A., Assistant District Horticulturist, Kelowna, B.C. G. H. Comly, B.S.A., Assistant District Horticulturist, Pentiction, B.C. *M. G. Oswell, B.S.A. Assistant District Horticulturist, Penticton, B.C. *E. C. Hughes, B.A. and B.S.A., Assistant, Field Crops Branch, New Westminster, B.C. * Member of the British Columbia Institute of Agrologists. BB 6 BRITISH COLUMBIA Animal Industry Division: *W. R. Gunn, B.S.A., B.V.Sc, V.S., Live Stock Commissioner and Chief Veterinary Inspector, Victoria, B.C. Iohn C. Bankier, B.V.Sc, Veterinary Inspector and Animal Pathologist, Langley Prairie, B.C. G. M. Clark, B.V.Sc, V.S., Veterinary Inspector, Kamloops, B.C. J. J. Carney, M.R.S.L., Veterinary Inspector, Nelson, B.C. A. Kidd, D.V.M., D.V.P.H., Veterinary Inspector, New Westminster, B.C. I. D. C. Clark, D.V.M., Veterinary Inspector, Penticton, B.C. C. F. Morris, D.V.M., Veterinary Inspector, New Westminster, B.C. *F. C. Clark, M.S.A., Live Stock Inspector, New Westminster, B.C. *U. Guichon, M.S.A., Live Stock Inspector, Kamloops, B.C. R. J. Weir, Clerk, Live Stock Branch, Victoria, B.C. *F. C. Wasson, M.S.A., Dairy Commissioner, Victoria, B.C. *N. H. Ingledew, Dairy Inspector, Vancouver, B.C. *G. Patchett, Dairy Inspector, Victoria, B.C. *G. D. Johnson, Dairy Inspector, Kelowna, B.C. *H. Riehl, B.S.A., Dairy Inspector, Vancouver, B.C. G. H. Thornbery, Superintendent, Cow-testing Associations, Victoria, B.C. J. A. Mace, Inspector, Cow-testing Associations, Victoria, B.C. *G. L. Landon, B.S.A., Poultry Commissioner, New Westminster, B.C. *W. H. Pope, Poultry Inspector, Victoria, B.C. R. H. McMillan, Poultry Inspector, New Westminster, B.C. Thomas Moore, Recorder of Brands, Victoria, B.C. A. J. Duck, Brand Inspector, Kamloops, B.C. R. L. Lancaster, V.S., D.V.M., Veterinary Inspector, Nelson, B.C. A. Robertson, V.S., D.V.M., Veterinary Inspector, Victoria, B.C. Extension Division: *Wm. MacGillivray, Director, Agricultural Development and Extension, Victoria, B.C. *G. L. Calver, B.E. (Agr.), Agricultural Extension Engineer, Vancouver, B.C. H. Barber, Clerk, Land-clearing Division, Vancouver, B.C. *G. A. Luyat, B.S.A., Supervising Agriculturist, Kamloops, B.C. *S. G. Preston, M.S.A., Supervising Agriculturist, Box 639, Prince George, B.C. *J. S. Allin, B.S.A., Supervising Agriculturist, Creston, B.C. *J. D. Hazlette, B.S.A., District Agriculturist, Box 999, Duncan, B.C. *R. L. Wilkinson, B.S.A., District Agriculturist, Courtenay, B.C. *A. E. Donald, B.S.A., District Agriculturist, Court-house, New Westminster, B.C. *M. J. Walsh, B.S.A., District Agriculturist, Williams Lake, B.C. *J. L. Gray, B.S.A., District Agriculturist, Kamloops, B.C. *K. R. Jameson, B.S.A., District Agriculturist, Smithers, B.C. *G. A. Muirhead, B.S.A., District Agriculturist, Smithers, B.C. *T. S. Crack, District Agriculturist, Pouce Coupe, B.C. *R. W. Brown, B.Sc, District Agriculturist, Fort St. John, B.C. *J. F. Carmichael, M.Sc, District Agriculturist, Grand Forks, B.C. *J. W. Awmack, B.S.A., District Agriculturist, Cranbrook, B.C. *A. M. Johnson, B.Sc, District Agriculturist, Vanderhoof, B.C. *S. B. Peterson, B.S.A., District Agriculturist, Creston, B.C. *George W. Hayes, B.S.A., District Agriculturist, Box 639, Prince George, B.C. *A. J. Allan, District Agriculturist, Box 498, Mission B.C. *H. R. Anderson, District Agriculturist, Nelson, B.C. *R. S. Berry, District Agriculturist, 34 Yale Road East, Chilliwack, B.C. *J. F. Caplette, Assistant District Agriculturist, Court-house, Vernon, B.C. *G. Cruikshank, Assistant District Agriculturist, Abbotsford, B.C. *A. R. Tarves, Assistant District Agriculturist, Quesnel, B.C. *C. M. Williams, Assistant District Agriculturist, Kamloops, B.C. *D. M. Hamilton, Assistant District Agriculturist, New Westminster, B.C. * Member of the British Columbia Institute of Agrologists. TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Report of Deputy Minister 9 Report of Statistician 10 Report of Markets Branch 16 Report of Plant Pathology Branch 18 Report of Farmers' Institutes 24 Report of Women's Institutes 29 Report of Agricultural Development and Extension Branch 33 Report of Soil Classification Branch 76 Report of Field Crops Branch 84 Report of Apiary Branch 98 Report of Horticultural Branch 101 Report of Dairy Branch 128 Report of Poultry Branch 133 Report of Live Stock Branch 140 Report of Recorder of Brands 193 Appendices—- No. 1. Threshermen's Report 196 No. 2. Movement of Grain Screenings 196 No. 3. Estimate of Honey-crop 197 No. 4. Inspected Slaughtering of Live Stock 198 No. 5. Grading of Beef Carcasses 199 No. 6. Average Prices for Cattle 200 No. 7. Average Prices for Lambs 200 No. 8. Average Prices for Hogs 201 No. 9. Dairy Premises Inspected and Graded 202 No. 10. Slaughter-house Licences 203 No. 11. Hide-dealers' Licences 204 No. 12. Stock-dealers' Licences 205 No. 13. Horsemeat-dealers' Licences 205 No. 14. Horse-slaughterers' Licences 205 . No. 15. Beef-peddlers' Licences _~ 206 No. 16. Permit to Transport Horses 206 No. 17. Permit to Transport Stallions 206 No. 18. Record of Cattle and Hide Shipments 206 Report of the Department of Agriculture REPORT OF DEPUTY MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE The Honourable H. R. Bowman, B.S.A., Minister of Agriculture, Victoria, B.C. Sir,—I have the honour to submit the Forty-fifth Report of the Department of Agriculture for the year ended December 31st, 1950. The Report, as submitted, contains detailed reports of the various branches which constitute your Department. Items not dealt with in the reports as mentioned are as follows:— PUBLICATIONS In the past year the Publications Branch received 4,228 letters requesting agricultural literature, distributed 43,472 bulletins to the public and the district offices, mimeographed 123,155 stencils for the various branches of the Department, and added 58,900 copies of new, revised, and reprinted publications to our stock. The following is a list of new and revised publications printed in 1950:— Forty-fourth Annual Report of the Department of Agriculture. Statistics Report, 1948. Climate Report, 1949. Land-clearing for Agriculture in B.C. B. 85. Diseases of Fruit-trees. H.C. 73. Exhibition Standards of Perfection. A.D.C. 50. Potato Diseases. F.C.C. 15. Poultry Diseases. P.B. 108. Turkey-raising, Practical. P.B. 27. Charts:— Fertilizer Recommendations, 1950. Control of Tree-fruit Pests and Diseases, 1951. Control of Small-fruit Pests and Diseases. Control of Vegetable and Field-crop Pests and Diseases, 1951-52. STAFF CHANGES Appointments.—R. S. Berry, June 22nd; Miss M. L. Dawson, May 22nd; Mrs. M. M. Gowan, August 21st; Miss S. Hamaura, March 13th; Mrs. L. W. Howe, April 1st; Mrs. I. M. Leversage, March 15th; J. A. Mace, May 1st; Mrs J. S. Mercer, April 11th; C. L. Neilson, November 6th; R. R. Owen, April 24th; Miss S. E. G. Peterson, July 1st; Dr. A. Robertson, July 1st; Miss B. E. Staf, September 1st; G. Cruickshank, October 1st; Mrs. C. Daykin, October 23rd; G. H. Comly, April 18th. Transfers.—Miss H. M. Gabel, December 1st. Resignations.-—J. E. Beamish, January 31st; Mrs. H. M. Bruhjell, April 30th; Miss K. M. Campbell, August 31st; Mrs. M. R. Campbell, April 17th; Miss H. M. Davis, April 17th; Miss B. B. De Graves, August 31st; Miss D. E. Furtney, April 30th; Miss R. I. Love, April 30th; Mrs. J. S. Mercer, August 31st; Miss J. E. Trehearne, March 31st; Mrs. B. E. Whitehead, November 1st; Mrs I. M. Leversage, December 1st. Superannuations.—Dr. J. B. Munro, O.B.E., November 7th; E. O. MacGinnis October 1st. 9 BB 10 BRITISH COLUMBIA FREIGHT ASSISTANCE ON FEED-GRAIN SHIPMENTS The Freight Assistance Policy covering shipments of feed-grains from Prairie points to British Columbia became effective on November 18th, 1941. The basis of payment is set out in Order in Council P.C. 5434. Further details are also contained in Canadian Freight Association Tariff No. 145. There has been no change made in the freight rates to British Columbia from the date that the policy became effective. From the date when this policy was brought into effect in British Columbia to October 31st, 1950, there has been imported into the Province a total tonnage of feed- grains amounting to 2,242,048 tons, valued at $14,386,963.60. The average rate per ton over the period for which this assistance has been given amounts to $6.42 per ton. During the last twelve months (December 1st, 1949, to November 30th, 1950) the importations of feed-grains into British Columbia have been as follows: Wheat, 51,081 tons; oats, 40,605 tons; barley, 18,729 tons; mixed grains, 1,133 tons; mill-feeds, 23,010 tons; total, 134,558 tons. It is hoped that this policy will be continued. LEGISLATION During the First Session of the Twenty-second Parliament of British Columbia new legislation dealing with agriculture as passed at that Session consisted of an " Act to amend the ' Stock-brands Act.' " This is cited as the " Stock-brands Act Amendment Act, 1950," and details covering this amendment are fully explained in the report as submitted by the Provincial Recorder of Brands. An " Act to amend the ' Milk Act,' " and cited as the " Milk Act Amendment Act, 1950," provides for further powers for Inspectors, as well as dealing with certain matters relative to the vendors of milk. Respectfully submitted. W. H. ROBERTSON, Deputy Minister of Agriculture. REPORT OF AGRICULTURAL STATISTICS G. H. Stewart, Agricultural Statistician SYNOPSIS OF AGRICULTURAL CONDITIONS IN BRITISH COLUMBIA, YEAR 1949 Preliminary estimates indicate that the gross value of agricultural production in 1949 amounted to $139,960,563. This was about 3 per cent below the all-time high production of $144,225,229 established in 1948. Cash income to British Columbia farmers from the sale of farm products amounted to $98,041,000 in 1949, a decrease of approximately 4 per cent from the revised estimate of $102,318,000 in 1948. The maintenance of the 1949 farm cash income at such a high level may be attributed largely to increased returns from the sale of grains, seeds, potatoes, vegetables, and dairy products. Less income was received from live stock, fruits, wool, and poultry products. The total value of imports of agricultural products is estimated at $79,360,956, a slight decrease from the estimate of $79,382,802 in 1948. Imports from other Provinces are valued at $74,497,655, compared with $75,260,392 in 1948, while imports from foreign points reached a total of $4,863,301, compared with $4,122,410 in 1948. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, 1950 BB 11 The total value of exports is placed at $31,424,263 in 1949, as compared with $36,264,372 in 1948, a decrease of $4,840,109. HORTICULTURAL CONDITIONS The winter in the Kootenay sections, while not extremely cold, was prolonged. Snow was recorded in early December, 1948, with a temperature drop to 4 degrees below zero in January, with heavy snows and low temperatures being recorded until the end of March in all fruit-growing districts of this area. In the Okanagan low temperatures were also recorded, varying from —12° F. at Oliver to —27° F. in the Salmon River valley. All districts, however, reported a comparatively heavy fall of snow, which undoubtedly was a protection to fruit-tree roots. One noticeable feature of the winter was the fact that through December, 1948, to March, 1949, cold weather generally prevailed, with little or no mild weather. Reports from the Fraser Valley show also that cold weather set in about the middle of December, 1948, and continued until the end of February. The cold weather was accompanied by snowfall which, while not heavy in comparison with Interior districts, was heavier than usual for this area. Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands also experienced one of the longest continuous cold spells on record. In this district, January, in addition to being cold, was one of the driest first months on record and February one of the wettest second months on record. Weather conditions began to improve in all areas toward the end of March, and what gave indications of being a late spring actually turned out to be a spring somewhat earlier than that of 1948. The spring was comparatively dry in all districts. This was particularly noticeable in the Okanagan and Coast areas. Summer rainfall was also light, and the general temperature, while not high, was higher than that of 1948. However, a few good summer rains were recorded, which materially helped the irrigation areas and also the Coast districts where late plantings of vegetables were made. Early fall frosts in many districts shortened the season for the harvesting of certain canning-crops, but this period on the whole was dry and gave an excellent opportunity for the harvesting of the main fruit and vegetable crops in all sections. Several severe hail-storms were experienced in the Okanagan during the past season. Amongst the hardest hit were sections of South Kelowna, Okanagan Mission, and parts of East Kelowna. Certain growers sustained losses as high as 70 per cent. Heavy losses were also experienced in Naramata and Penticton districts from the hailstorms of July 23rd and 24th and August 23rd. In these two districts approximately 500 acres suffered from hail. The Naramata district has had hail losses two years in succession, but had no hail damage for fifteen years prior to 1948. TREE AND SMALL FRUITS From a Provincial standpoint the production has, in the case of most tree-fruits, been the heaviest on record. While there has in the past been a heavier production of apples, the spring indications were that this crop would be smaller than in 1948. Nevertheless, due to favourable weather conditions, freedom from pests, etc., the crop of apples was considerably heavier than that of last year. The pear-crop was slightly below that of last year. The crop was undoubtedly reduced due to the general prevalence of fire-blight in many districts. HORTICULTURAL CONDITIONS The cherry-crop was one of the best on record and, in the Okanagan particularly, was harvested in excellent condition due to the satisfactory weather conditions at harvesting-time. BB 12 BRITISH COLUMBIA The peach-crop also was very heavy, and owing to the dry season there was little loss from disease. Dry weather, however, was a factor in the failure to size, particularly in early peaches. The apricot-crop was larger than that of 1948, with little or no Joss from disease. The plum production showed a marked increase, as also did the prune production. The prune-crop on the whole was of poor quality due to a heavy set and many devitalized trees. The total production of small fruits for the current year shows a reduction as compared with 1948. This is particularly noticeable in the case of loganberries, which suffered very materially from winter-injury. Other small fruits, such as blackberries, currants, and gooseberries, show little change from last year. Prices for small fruits, while showing a decline in comparison with past years, may be considered as satisfactory, with the demand excellent, particularly in the case of strawberries, and there was a heavy movement of this fruit in car-load lots to the Prairies from Vancouver Island. The total production of all fruits in 1949 amounted to 501,026,000 pounds, valued at $23,638,029, as compared with 448,184,000 pounds, valued at $27,078,666, in 1948, indicating an increase of 52,842,000 pounds or 11.7 per cent in volume but a decrease of $3,440,637 or 12.7 per cent in value. The 1949 apple-crop is estimated at 362,568,000 pounds, of a value of $12,115,057, as compared with 305,446,000 pounds, valued at $14,108,572, in 1948. The cherry-crop was the largest ever recorded. The 1949 crop amounted to 11,032,000 pounds, as compared with the 1948 production of 6,530,000 pounds, an increase of 4,502,000 pounds or 68.9 per cent. Production of peaches for the current year reached an all-time high. The 1949 crop is estimated at 38,666,000 pounds, as compared with 36,476,000 pounds in 1948. The 1949 pear-crop is estimated at 26,940,000 pounds, down 448,000 pounds from the previous year. The 1949 apricot-crop, amounting to 9,066,000 pounds, was the largest ever produced in the Province and exceeded the 1948 production by 1,458,000 pounds. The 1949 raspberry-crop is estimated at 9,338,000 pounds, as compared with 14,820,000 pounds in 1948, a decrease of 5,482,000 pounds. Production of strawberries in 1949 amounted to 14,814,000 pounds, of a value of $2,384,400, as compared with 19,192,000 pounds, value $3,443,105 in 1948. Of the other principal fruits, the estimated commercial production and value for 1949 are as follows, with corresponding figures for 1948 placed within parentheses: Plums, 3,048,000 pounds, $186,964 (2,686,000, $180,197); prunes, 17,614,000 pounds, $751,865 (13,820,000, $860,331); blackberries, 1,062,000 pounds, $103,419 (950,000, $112,578); loganberries, 878,000 pounds, $123,785 (2,262,000, $340,286). VEGETABLES With the increase in population there comes an increased demand for vegetables. This demand is met by domestic production as well as by importation. There is also a certain export movement of early vegetables from British Columbia to the Prairie Provinces and farther east. On Vancouver Island greenhouse tomato production during the past season has been well up to average, although prices are back more or less to normal after the very high prices of 1948. There was a fair car-load movement of tomatoes from Vancouver Island to eastern points. The heavy shipments were from the spring crop, eight straight car-loads being shipped east. From the fall crop, three car-loads were shipped to eastern points, making a total of eleven carloads in all. The broccoli-crop on Vancouver Island, which, under normal conditions, is one of the principal winter crops, was considerably damaged due to low temperatures. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, 1950 BB 13 In the Fraser Valley, vegetable production is of major importance and a large percentage of this production is within a comparatively small radius of Vancouver and New Westminster. Many other areas in the Fraser Valley could and undoubtedly will be developed as the demand for vegetables increases. In the Okanagan there is a heavy production of all main crops, such as onions, tomatoes, celery, carrots, beets, etc. There is very little variation in the acreage of these crops from year to year, enough being grown to supply local demand as well as a large percentage being used for export to the Coast markets and to the Prairie Provinces. The aggregate of all vegetable-crops for 1949 was 86,327 tons, of a value of $7,090,997, as compared with 77,654 tons, of a value of $7,670,856, produced in 1948, indicating an increase of 8,673 tons or 11.1 per cent in volume but a decrease of $579,859 or 7.5 per cent in value. Greenhouse tomato production in 1949 amounted to 1,958 tons, valued at $766,397, as compared with 1,848 tons, valued at $1,231,795, in 1948. Field tomatoes produced amounted to 20,481 tons, as against 19,619 tons in 1948, an increase of 862 tons. The quantity of field cucumbers produced in 1949 is estimated at 2,859 tons, as compared with 1,940 tons for the year previous, an increase of 919 tons or 47.3 per cent. An increase of 31 tons is recorded in the quantity of greenhouse cucumbers produced. The 1949 crop amounted to 311 tons, valued at $121,839. Of the other vegetable-crops, the following showed an increase in volume of production over the previous year: Beets, cauliflower, celery, corn, lettuce, mushrooms, parsnips, green peas, spinach, and turnips. On the other hand, such crops as asparagus, green beans, cabbage, carrots, onions, and rhubarb recorded decreases. FIELD CROPS The 1949 season was most satisfactory in so far as production of field crops is concerned. Throughout the Province satisfactory weather conditions prevailed, and although no record crops were established, yields and quality of cereal and hay crops were well up to average. The Fraser Valley made a remarkable come-back after the 1948 floods, and good crops of hay were harvested under ideal weather conditions for the most part. Early spring drought in the Vanderhoof-Smithers-Terrace area set crops back somewhat, but the crops survived and were only slightly below average. In general, cereal-crops were good throughout the Province, with quality being well up. Good harvesting weather prevailed throughout most areas. The oat-crop in the Fraser Valley was very good, with little damage from lodging. Crops in the North Okanagan were up to average in yields, with quality very good. The Peace River Block experienced one of the best years in regard to cereal production. Forage-crops in the Fraser Valley were good, particularly red clover. In the Central Interior and Peace River, alsike clover, altaswede red clover, alfalfa, and timothy were poor and very spotty. One field would yield 200 pounds per acre of seed, and across the fence the stand would not be worth cutting. Early frost probably contributed much to the poor seed-set. The total gross value of the principal field crops produced on farms in British Columbia in 1949 is now placed at $34,103,000, up $597,000 from the 1948 total. The total area devoted to the principal field crops in 1949 was 629,900 acres, as compared with 596,100 acres in 1948, an increase of 33,800 acres or 5.6 per cent. Wheat production in 1949 is estimated at 3,889,000 bushels from 149,000 acres, a yield per acre of 26.1 bushels, as compared with 2,459,000 bushels from 116,000 acres, or 21.2 bushels per acre, in 1948. Oats yielded 4,195,000 bushels from 83,400 BB 14 BRITISH COLUMBIA acres, as compared with 3,456,000 bushels from 75,800 acres in 1948, yields per acre of 50.3 bushels and 45.6 bushels respectively. Barley production is estimated at 494,000 bushels from 13,700 acres, or 36.1 bushels per acre, as compared with 485,000 bushels from 15,600 acres, or 31.1 bushels per acre, in 1948. The production of mixed grains is placed at 346,000 bushels from 8,000 acres, or 43.2 bushels per acre, as compared with 339,000 bushels from 8,400 acres, or 40.4. bushels per acre, in 1948. The production of all grain-crops amounted to 9,057,000 bushels, valued at $10,363,000, as compared with the 1948 production of 6,872,000 bushels, valued at $7,654,000. The total yield of hay and clover in 1949 amounted to 422,000 tons from 211,000 acres, as compared with 458,000 tons from 218,000 acres in 1948, yields per acre of 2 tons and 2.10 tons respectively. Alfalfa yielded 261,000 tons from 94,900 acres, or 2.75 tons per acre, as compared with 231,000 tons from 82,500 acres, or 2.80 tons per acre, in 1948. Fodder corn yielded 46,000 tons from 4,100 acres, or 11.2 tons per acre, as against 33,000 tons from 3,100 acres, or 10.50 tons per acre, in 1948. Grain-hay is estimated to have yielded 74,000 tons from 40,000 acres, as compared with 84,000 tons from 48,000 acres in 1948, yields per acre of 1.85 tons and 1.75 tons respectively. Fodder crops aggregating a total of 803,000 tons, valued at $16,297,000, were produced in 1949, as compared with 806,000 tons, valued at $18,973,000, in 1948. The total yield of potatoes in 1949 was 117,300 tons from 17,000 acres, as compared with 111,350 tons from 17,400 acres in 1948, the respective yields being 6.90 tons and 6.40 tons. DAIRYING There was a heavy winter snowfall throughout the Province, but generally favourable conditions prevailed during the spring and summer. Good hay and grain crops, coupled with a fairly mild open fall, resulted in a slightly increased milk production, with a steady demand and fair prices for all milk and milk products. Total milk production is estimated at 651,647,000 pounds in 1949, an increase of 18,071,000 pounds or 2.7 per cent over 1948. The quantity of milk used in the manufacture of factory dairy products represented approximately 35 per cent; fluid sales absorbed approximately 50 per cent; while the amount used on the farm for live-stock feeding, the manufacture of farm-made dairy products, and home consumption accounted for 15 per cent of the total milk-supply. The total farm value of milk production amounted to $21,844,000 in 1949, an increase of $207,000 from the previous year. The total value of dairy products, including manufactured products and fluid sales valued at the factory, plus the value of products made and used on farms, amounted to $30,707,000, an increase of $845,000 over the year 1948. The butter output of creameries in 1949 was 4,589,000 pounds, as compared with 4,326,000 pounds in 1948, an increase of 263,000 pounds or 6 per cent. Cheddar-cheese production is estimated at 496,000 pounds in 1949, as compared with the final estimate of 431,000 pounds in 1948, representing an increase of 65,000 pounds or 15 per cent. Ice-cream production was down from 2,492,000 gallons in 1948 to 2,387,000 gallons in 1949, a decrease of 105,000 gallons. Sales of fluid milk and cream, the latter expressed as milk, amounted to 327,502,000 pounds in 1949, an increase of 7,121,000 pounds in comparison with last year. The production of evaporated whole milk was the highest on record. The output of the condenseries in 1949 was 32,422,000 pounds, as compared with 31,286,000 pounds in 1948, an increase of 1,136,000 pounds. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, 1950 BB 15 LIVE STOCK AND POULTRY Two unusual winters reduced the foundation herds in some sections of the range country where ranches depend upon native hay for their winter feed-supply, but a recent survey indicates that these herds are building up again. Despite the general prediction that prices of beef would take a substantial drop when the heavy marketing season arrived, prices held up particularly well, especially for cattle ready for killing. New market outlets came along to at least temporarily help the situation. High prices continue to favour cattle carrying good but light finish and cattle that go for processed meats. The sheep industry has experienced another successful year from the standpoint of prices. The sheep population continues to go down all over the continent due to the problem of dogs and predators. Observations, however, indicate a revived interest in this branch of the live-stock industry. More replacement ewes are being held over, which should show an increase in sheep numbers very shortly. There is little change in the swine-production picture. With an increase in the numbers of sows to farrow from June to November, 1949, it does appear that there will be an up-turn in the cycle. Estimates of the numbers of principal species of live stock on farms at June 1st, 1949, showed a reduction from those of the previous year. The number of horses on farms is placed at 49,000, a decline of 3.2 per cent from the total of 50,600 in 1948. Cattle numbers at 348,000 represent a decrease of 13,600 or 3.8 per cent from the total at June 1st, 1948. Milk-cow numbers, estimated at 94,000 at June 1st, 1949, are 400 above those of a year ago. The June 1st survey indicated 92,800 sheep and lambs on farms, as compared with 104,700 in 1948, a decrease of 11,900. There were 55,000 hogs on farms at June 1st, 1949, as compared with 59,300 on June 1st, 1948, a decrease of 4,300. Numbers of hens, cocks, and chickens registered a decrease from 4,129,000 in 1948 to 3,814,000 in 1949, a decrease of 7.6 per cent. Turkey numbers at June 1st, 1949, reached the highest level ever recorded. The total of 225,000 represented an increase of 78,000 head or 53.1 per cent over the previous year. The number of ducks increased by 71.4 per cent, being 24,000, as compared with 14,000 on June 1st, a year ago. There was also an increase of 12.5 per cent in geese. Egg production during 1949 decreased by 4,044,400 dozens, or 11.9 per cent. Total production of eggs is estimated at 29,824,000 dozens, valued at $13,888,000, in 1949, as compared with 33,868,400 dozens, valued at $14,321,000, in 1948. Poultry-meat production was down from 18,266,000 pounds in 1948 to 14,922,000 pounds in 1949, a decrease of 3,344,000 pounds or 18.3 per cent. MISCELLANEOUS Seasonal conditions were good for practically all seed crops. High contract prices for all seeds, which was a feature of the war period, have disappeared, and prices are now nearer pre-war level. Total value of production has decreased, but the volume as a whole is much larger than at any pre-war period. The industry appears to be on a fairly firm basis. The total value of flower, vegetable, and field-crop seed production for 1949 amounted to $1,287,737, as compared with a value of $1,000,707 in 1948, an increase of $287,030. Due to a decrease in sheep numbers the total wool-clip was somewhat below that of the previous year. Wool production in 1949 amounted to 355,000 pounds, valued BB 16 BRITISH COLUMBIA at $102,000, as compared with .the 1948 production of 409,000 pounds, valued at $117,000. Total honey production for 1949 is estimated at 1,647,000 pounds, as compared with 1,638,000 pounds in 1948. Hops yielded 1,803,000 pounds from 1,520 acres, as compared with 2,009,000 pounds from 1,635 acres in 1948—yields per acre of 1,186 pounds and 1,229 pounds respectively. The 1949 crop was valued at $1,305,000. Climatic conditions were generally favourable to the growth and development of the 1949 tobacco-crop. The crop yielded 87,000 pounds, valued at $29,200, from 81 acres, as compared with 19,000 pounds, valued at $8,000, from 24 acres in 1948, the respective yields being 1,074 pounds and 792 pounds. The revenue derived from fur-farming in 1949 is placed at $602,000, as compared with a value of $673,000 for 1948. REPORT OF MARKETS BRANCH Ernest MacGinnis, Commissioner GENERAL Marketing conditions during the past year entered another phase, contributing to which were several circumstances, not particularly evident in former years. Until recently, the United States provided a market for our meat-crops and did little to compete in the fruit and vegetable field. The recent levelling-out of meat prices and a heavy vegetable-crop across the Border has introduced difficulties in disposing of the local products. This is especially to be seen with potatoes, carrots, and other root crops. Berries in the Fraser Valley were more fortunate, as in this case U.S. buyers bidding for the fruit built a floor upon which excellent prices and heavy disposal were effected. Heavy Okanagan fruit losses virtually wiped out its apricots and peaches and reduced the pear and plum tonnage, leading to heavy importations of these commodities. Although 10 per cent of the apple-trees were killed, the tonnage has increased over 1949, with an estimated 7,500,000 boxes compared with 7,000,000 last year. Rising feed and labour costs have had a depressing effect on production records in quantity and in quality, which in turn has an influence on marketing. Consumer buying-power, fortunately, has remained high, and there is a consistently greater demand for high-quality products. EXCHANGE SITUATION The adverse exchange situation has disrupted established markets for our major export crops—apples, berries, and small seeds—and resulted in the closing of the fibre- flax industry. The importation of bulbs, shrubs, and berries from Holland has been encouraged by it. Strawberries in S02 were landed in Victoria on November 15th at prices which eliminated local growers from possible competition, though they have stock on hand still unsold. ASSISTANT COMMISSIONER In January M. M. Gilchrist joined the Branch as Assistant Markets Commissioner. This was a promotion from the Extension Branch, in which he had been District Agriculturist at New Westminster. Mr. Gilchrist, a graduate of the University of British Columbia and an ex-R.C.A.F. officer, brings to the Branch a wide variety of experience, which is of value to this phase of agricultural industry. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, 1950 BB 17 In the early summer he accompanied the Minister and other officials on a survey of conditions in the Nechako, Bulkley, and Prince George areas. Later, accompanied by the Commissioner, he toured as far east as Windermere and in the early autumn, with him, made a study of early tomato and cantaloupe marketing in South Okanagan. In addition to other duties, he has assumed entire responsibility for editing the Markets Bulletin, which is becoming increasingly popular. MARKETING CONFERENCE One of the outstanding events of the year affecting marketing was the Second Annual Marketing Conference called by the Minister on November 24th in Vancouver, at the request of and immediately following the Annual Convention of the British Columbia Federation of Agriculture. On this occasion the production and marketing situation regarding ten of the chief agricultural products was discussed by the following speakers: Tree-fruits—Ivor Newman, president, B.C.F.G.A., and A. K. Loyd, president and general manager, Tree Fruits Limited; small fruits—J. Klassen and R. C. Lucas, Consolidated Coast Growers; beef—T. P. Wilson, president, British Columbia Beef Growers' Association; small seeds—W. H. Baumbrough, grower, and N. Van der Giesson, sales manager, British Columbia Seeds Co-operative; dairying—Harold German, president, British Columbia Dairymen's Association, and Everard Clarke, secretary, British Columbia Dairymen's Association; seed-potatoes—John Ronayne, Sr., Pemberton grower, and C. H. Bradbury, manager, Northern Certified Seed Potato Growers' Co-operative Association; vegetables—Col. A. W. McLelan, grower, and Col. E. Poole, secretary, British Columbia Interior Vegetable Marketing Board; poultry—Cyril Headey; sheep—Lloyd Haywood, president, British Columbia Sheep Association; swine—F. M. Reichel, president, British Columbia Swine Association. Commentators included Col. Moore Cosgrave, R. S. O'Meara, C. R. Mathews, Harvey Turnbull, William Read, William MacGillivray, and H. L. Ford, who reviewed the live-stock situation, present and future. The Honourable H. R. Bowman was present throughout the six-hour conference, which was chaired by officials of this Branch. OTHER ASSOCIATED ACTIVITIES During the year the opportunity was presented to become associated with the Dominion Economics Branch in a poultry-marketing survey in the Fraser Valley being undertaken by that body. Because of the importance to the poultry industry of an efficient marketing programme, it was considered that participation in such a movement fitted itself into activities of this Branch. Plans are under way for co-operation with the same agencies on another project next year. The Dominion Government, the University of British Columbia, and this Branch are all interested in these projects. British Columbia apples were the featured attraction of a non-competitive exhibit at the Royal Winter Fair. This was a well-planned display of commercial apples with appropriate advertising material and two officials of the fruit-growers' selling agency and one grower present to answer the many questions inspired by the exhibition. This Branch was able, for the second time, to assist with a grant. The Branch also participated with its own display in the planned farming programme carried out in the Fraser Valley. This was arranged by Mr. Gilchrist, who accompanied the exhibit throughout its tour. BRITISH COLUMBIA MARKETING BOARD The personnel of the British Columbia Marketing Board has been changed, with the replacement of J. A. Grant by the present Commissioner, who acts as secretary. BB 18 BRITISH COLUMBIA With the Chairman, he attended, in March, a Dominion-wide conference called by the Canadian Federation of Agriculture at Ottawa. At this meeting, marketing legislation, both Provincial and the Federal Act known as " Bill 82," was discussed. The " Natural Products Marketing (British Columbia) Act," having been before the Privy Council, was referred to as having passed both the acid tests of recognized legality and successful operation. It is noted that Saskatchewan now has a honey plan, that New Brunswick recently developed a potato scheme, and that a Prince Edward Island plebiscite on the question of controlled marketing was overwhelmingly favourable to the idea. Under this legislation the consumer receives full benefit from conditions presently developing through heavier yields and increased imports. Commodity Boards operating under the Marketing Act have been granted powers to control prices only on the regulated product actually produced in the area in which they operate, and not on imports from anywhere outside of their own areas, either as regards value or volume. Operations of a Commodity Board are therefore limited in so far as they may stabilize the producer prices and conditions of surplus, and consequently lower returns are attributed by the unthinking to inefficiency in operation of these boards. During the past season, interest has developed in the possible application of a scheme under the "Natural Products Marketing (British Columbia) Act" among several farm organizations, including berries, bulbs, and cut flowers, and dairy products; discussions are being continued. A study was undertaken covering conditions complained of by tomato and cantaloupe growers under the Interior Vegetable Marketing Board in the South Okanagan. The major difficulty was in the application of the quota and " pick to order " regulations made under that system. This study, when finalized, will be presented to the Minister for his information, but will constitute neither a directive nor suggestion to the Commodity Board elected by producers to administer the scheme which was established by Order in Council. It is interesting to observe that in any case when criticism is made of a Board's operation, the producers always emphasize their approval of the principle of orderly marketing, and that it is the administration of it in some particular instance to which criticism is directed. CONCLUSION Acknowledgement is made of the continued co-operation accorded the Branch by officials of this and other departments, the University of British Columbia, and Government of Canada. In closing this, my final report as Markets Commissioner, I would depart for a moment from the formal and express my personal appreciation of the many acts of courtesy and kindness which have been extended by officials of this Department and many others. To have been able to contribute to the good of agriculture in this Province through the Agricultural Production Committee, Emergency Farm Labour Service, Farmers' Institutes, and this Branch has been a privilege of which I am very proud. REPORT OF PLANT PATHOLOGY BRANCH W. R. Foster, M.Sc, and I. C. MacSwan, B.S.A. Many of the important plant diseases caused little damage owing to the dry weather during the growing season. Some of the diseases which caused less damage than usual are scab of apples and pears, fire-blight of apples and pears, powdery mildew of apples, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, 1950 BB 19 late blight of potatoes, onion mildew, and late blight of celery. Some of the diseases that were important are rosette of apples in the Okanagan, little cherry in the Kootenays, Coryneum blight of peaches in the Fraser Valley and Kootenays, brown-rot of cherries in the Fraser Valley, black-knot of plums in the Fraser Valley, red-stele of strawberry at the Coast, an unidentified virus disease of strawberries in the Wynndel district, Godronia canker of blueberry in the Fraser Valley, bunt of winter wheat in the Northern Okanagan, Typhula blight of winter wheat in the Vanderhoof area, and club-root of crucifers at the Coast. The Province still appears to be virtually free of bacterial ring- rot of potatoes. The amount of low-temperature damage to tree-fruits in the Okanagan and Main Line was greater than ever before. A virus disease was found to be the main cause of the difficulty of growing satisfactory crops of strawberries in the Wynndel district. The particular virus involved has not been identified, but a practical control is accomplished by the use of certified planting stock from the Coast. For the first time an agricultural hazard forecast for a disease—late blight of potatoes—was inaugurated. If an outbreak of late blight is foreseen, the timely warning may help in combating it. If the forecast is for freedom from attack, the farmers can save the expense of spraying needlessly. The Provincial regulations governing the shipment of horticultural and nursery stock to British Columbia from other Provinces of Canada have been cancelled. PERENNIAL CANKER OF APPLES There has been an increase in perennial canker of apples caused by Neofabraa perennans in recent years in most of the Okanagan. The increase has been due to a considerable increase in the number of woolly aphides, which are responsible for spreading the disease. The woolly aphis has increased with the use of DDT, which kills the woolly- aphis parasite, Aphelinus mali. ROSETTE OF APPLES Rosette, a zinc-deficiency disease, has become increasingly prevalent in the Okanagan. Apples appear to be affected more than other deciduous fruits. The recommendation where there is a noticeable zinc deficiency is to apply a dormant spray at the rate of 80 pounds of zinc sulphate per acre in late March or early April. As a preventive, zinc oxide at the rate of 2 pounds per acre applied annually as an early summer spray is recommended. INSPECTION FOR LITTLE CHERRY IN THE OKANAGAN Owing to severe winter damage in cherries, the regular inspection for little cherry was not conducted. Only the orchards where small bitter cherry had been previously found were inspected. The little-cherry disease still appears to be confined to the Kootenays. BLACK-KNOT OF PLUMS AND PRUNES The black-knot eradication campaign has been continued during the past year throughout the Lower Mainland, but mainly in the Chilliwack area, by publicity to growers with affected trees, and it is felt that some progress in reducing the number of affected trees has been made. A prune-orchard on the farm of J. Kehler, Chilliwack, established in 1949, with the assistance of W. D. Christie, as a demonstration orchard, has been used to show that the black-knot disease can be kept under control by early spring spraying of 1-10 lime-sulphur and the pruning-out and burning of all knots. BB 20 BRITISH COLUMBIA WINTER-INJURY IN TREE-FRUITS Low temperatures during January and February, 1950, caused greater losses to tree- fruits than ever before. Twenty per cent of all the kinds of fruit-trees were killed in the Okanagan, Main Line, and Grand Forks. Low temperatures ranged from —16° F. in the southern end to —37.4° F. in the northern areas. The amount of injury, such as killing fruits, buds, bark, and woody tissue to the trees that survived, varied with the temperature, the amount of snow protection, the kind of fruit-tree, the variety, age, cropping habits, vigour, and maturity. The least amount of damage to fruit-trees took place in the Penticton, Naramata, and Summerland districts, where the temperature was not as low as in the more northern districts, and where there was a heavy covering of snow, compared with the very little to none in the more southern areas. Peach-trees were injured the most, followed by apricots, sweet cherries, plums, prunes, pears, and apples. The peach varieties Valiant, Vedette, and Veteran appeared to be the hardiest, followed by Rochester, Elberta, and J. H. Hale, the most susceptible. In apricots, the Moorpark and Perfection seemed to be hardier as far as wood is concerned than Tilton or Blenheim, but the buds of the Tilton were the hardiest of the four. In cherries, the Lambert and the Van appeared to survive better than the Bing and Napoleon. The Italian prunes were the hardiest of the plums. In pears, the Bartlett variety was the most severely injured, compared with Flemish Beauty or Anjou. In apples, the Mcintosh, Wealthy, and Winesap seemed to be the hardiest, and the following appeared to be susceptible: Stayman, Jonathan, Rome Beauty, Newtown, Delicious, and Golden Delicious. In general, old trees were more severely damaged than young ones. Healthy vigorous trees appeared to survive better than weak or sick trees. The trees which bore the heaviest crops in 1949 appeared to be harder hit than those which bore lighter crops. WINTER-INJURY IN SMALL FRUIT Many blueberry plantings in the Fraser Valley showed severe twig and branch die- back injury as a result of the low temperature of the winter 1949-50. Slow-growing varieties—Atlantic and Pemberton—were not so severely damaged as were the relatively quick-growing varieties—Jersey and Dixie. Die-back was quite common in loganberries in the Fraser Valley and to some extent on Vancouver Island. A VIRUS DISEASE IN STRAWBERRIES An invesigation of the decline in yields of commercial strawberry plantations in the Wynndel district seems to have given promising results. The degeneration seems to be caused by a virus disease. A large quantity of certified strawberry plants from selected growers were planted in the district for the first time in the spring of 1949. In the summer of 1949 no noticeable difference was observed between the certified and the uncertified local-grown plants. In the following year, 1950, however, the difference was amazing, the certified plants gave six pickings, and were about three times the size and vigour as the local plants, which gave only two pickings. Even though the temperature was too high during the picking season and the pH 7.5 of the soil was too high for best growth, yields up to 6.5 tons per acre were obtained. The most promising means of rehabilitating the strawberry industry appears to be the use of certified strawberry plants for planting stock. CERTIFIED STRAWBERRY PLANTS The certification service for strawberry plants continues to be well received. The demand for the 2,000,000 certified plants was much greater than the supply. Thirty- three growers' plants passed for certification. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, 1950 BB 21 RED-STELE OF STRAWBERRIES The red-stele root-rot continues to be an important obstacle to the production of high-yielding crops in some areas of the Lower Mainland. The causal organism can be distributed in soil adhering to machinery, farm tools, boots, by drainage water, and by diseased plant roots. Commercial growers with infested land, however, can produce strawberries profitably by ridging their plants to allow for drainage of the plant roots. This practice of ridging plants to offset the effects of the disease is growing in popularity. Certified strawberry plants are recommended for new planting and for planting in land free of red-stele. BACTERIAL RING-ROT OF POTATOES British Columbia continues to be virtually free of bacterial ring-rot of potatoes. No rejection of potatoes entered for certification was caused by ring-rot. Nine farms in the Ladner-Westham Island district and one on Lulu Island, growing potatoes for the commercial market, were found to have crops affected by trace amounts of bacterial ring-rot. Potato-crops on four other farms were placed under detention because machinery had been used from affected farms. The source of seed for five of the farms was certified Katahdin from Prince Edward Island, 1948-49. For the others, the source of seed was from Pemberton, 1948-49. The sale of the crops under detention is being disposed of in paper bags to special markets and is expected to be completed not later than January 31st, 1951. No ring-rot was detected in any potatoes, certified or commercial, imported into the Province. Most of the inspected imported commercial potatoes came from the United States—106 car-loads and 10,717 sacks in trucks. Alberta only supplied 17 car-loads and Prince Edward Island 4 car-loads. Twenty car-loads of certified seed-potatoes were imported from other Provinces in Canada and one from the States. A bacterial ring-rot directive for imported potatoes was issued in October, 1950, and forwarded to all importers and wholesalers in British Columbia, as follows:— October, 1950. BACTERIAL RING-ROT DIRECTIVE RE IMPORTED POTATOES Dear Sir: For the 1950-51 crop season it is considered advisable to deal with all imported potatoes in such a way as will:— (1) Limit the number of affected car-loads of potatoes to be held in Victoria and Vancouver to a maximum of three cars. (2) Any car-loads over and above this maximum, which on inspection indicate the presence of bacterial ring-rot, must be immediately returned to Province or country of origin, unless they can at once be exported to fill orders. No build-up over three cars will be permitted. (3) In areas other than Victoria and Vancouver, affected car-load or truck must be immediately returned to Province or country of origin, unless they can be promptly disposed of to one of the listed markets given below. This regulation is necessary in order to:— (1) Reduce to a minimum the possibilities of spreading the disease. (2) To make available certain markets for British Columbia potatoes from Provincial ring- rot areas. Ring-rot potatoes, whether imported or grown in British Columbia, can only be shipped to the following markets where there is a minimum chance of spreading the disease:—• (1) Prince Rupert and coastal areas north of that port. (2) Coastal points that are isolated, such as Ocean Falls, .Port Alice, Powell River, etc. (excluding Bella Coola). (3) Lumbering, mining, forestry, and fishing camps on the Mainland coast as well as on the coast of Vancouver Island. (4) Government institutions, hospitals, potato-chip manufacturing plants (not fish-and-chip eating-houses), ocean shipping, local coastal shipping; Army, Navy, and Air Force camps. BB 22 BRITISH COLUMBIA LATE BLIGHT OF POTATOES Dry weather throughout most of the growing season kept late blight in check, and losses to commercial growers were slight. It was not until July 19th that the first occurrence of the disease, on plants of the Early Epicure variety in Sumas, was reported. During the third week in August, however, many unsprayed home garden-plots were severely affected by late blight, and losses from tuber-rot after a short period in storage were as high as 50 per cent. INAUGURATION OF POTATO-GROWERS' ADVISORY SERVICE A potato-growers' advisory service for the Lower Mainland was inaugurated this year in co-operation with N. S. Wright and R. Glendenning, of the Dominion Department of Agriculture, to warn growers of weather conditions favourable for outbreaks of late blight and for the dissemination relative to insect pests of potatoes. Two bulletins were issued—on July 24th and August 17th. The forecasting of plant-disease epidemics is rapidly growing in importance, and will continue to do so with the growth of understanding of disease weather relationships and the use of long-range weather forecasting, which has been an outstanding accomplishment during the recent war. Forecasting and spray warning services for potato late blight evolved independently in Holland, England, France, and the United States. A reliable crop-disease forecast appears to be useful to a farmer if it enables him to avert predicted disease outbreaks by timely intervention of control measures as crop spraying or dusting, or to save the expense of these control measures in seasons in which the forecasts are for relative freedom from disease. The destructiveness of late blight fluctuates from year to year, depending upon the weather conditions. The cumulative rainfall for June 1st to September 30th for the years 1938 to 1949, inclusive, was charted, and the resulting graphs were compared. Records in Canadian Plant Disease Survey showed that blight was most severe during the years of greatest cumulative summer rainfall. In the years of least cumulative summer rainfall, blight was slight or was not reported. A straight median line was drawn between the graph lines for the blight and non-blight years and may be called the critical rainfall line. This line joins 0 inch of rainfall on June 1st to 5Vi inches on September 30th. It is generally believed that optimum conditions for swarmspore production and germination must prevail for a period of seven to ten days before an epidemic of late blight occurs. The consistency of the correlation between cumulative summer rainfall and late-blight incidence during the past twelve years indicates that precipitation data and the critical rainfall line may be used to forecast the probable severity of late blight during a particular growing season. 2,4-D SPRAY INJURY An increasing amount of injury from 2,4-D seems to be brought to our attention every year. The hormone injury appears to come from drift or from spray equipment in which 2,4-D had been used, even though it may have been washed with water. The commonly affected are roses, tomatoes, grapes, beans, celery, and brussels sprouts. Slight injury was also observed in fruit-trees and carnations. THE CLOVER NEMATODE The clover nematode, Heterodera schachtii var. trifolii, was reported for the first time. The identification was made by Dr. G. Steiner, Division of Nematology, U.S. Department of Agriculture. An embargo was placed upon shipments to the United States from Canada. Further study by the Dominion Plant Pathology Laboratory, Saan- ichton, revealed that the pest was in both wild and cultivated land. The embargo was DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, 1950 BB 23 removed shortly after, when it was found that the clover nematode was also attacking plants in the State of Washington. BUNT IN THE NORTHERN OKANAGAN The amount of dwarf and tall bunt in winter wheat took a turn for the worse in 1950 in the Nortthern Okanagan. Good control was obtained from 1931 to 1944 by the growing of the resistant varieties Ridit and Hussar. The incidence of bunt on these varieties in this area was upward in 1945, 1946, and 1947. The incidence then dropped considerably during 1948 and 1949, but increased in 1950. The Wasatch variety under test for 1948, 1949, and 1950 has been very resistant, and is now recommended and licensed for sale. TYPHULA BLIGHT ON WINTER WHEAT Typhula blight of winter wheat again caused serious damage in the Vanderhoof area. The previous year, 1949, was the first in which serious damage had been reported. No satisfactory practical control is known. PROVINCIAL NURSERY-STOCK REGULATIONS CANCELLED The Provincial regulations governing the shipment of horticultural and nursery stock to British Columbia from other Provinces of Canada have been cancelled. The Provincial regulations were brought into force when the Dominion only inspected nursery stock imported from other countries. The present regulations under the Federal " Destructive Insect and Pest Act" take care of the movement of nursery stock from other Provinces to British Columbia. Consequently, there appears to be no further need for the Provincial regulations. The British Columbia regulations did not apply to points in the Peace River Block, or to all points along the main line of the Canadian National Railways from Lucerne to Prince Rupert, inclusive, and points north thereof. The British Columbia regulations which have been cancelled dealt with the shipment of nursery stock and plants from the Provinces of Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba destined to points other than the above indicated area. The regulations allowed the nurseries on the Prairies to deliver direct to consignees when bearing an official shipping-tag. The nurseries were supplied with tags on request, on condition that a statement of plants consigned was given at the close of the season that no plants were in the shipment other than such as were grown on the premises. The consignees were also able to obtain shipping-tags to forward to the shipper by applying direct to the Provincial plant pathology office. The shipments of nursery stock not tagged were forwarded to Vancouver for inspection or fumigation. The regulations also included the shipments of the following nursery stock and plants from points in Canada east of the Province of Manitoba, destined to points in British Columbia south of the area served by the Canadian National Railways from Lucerne to Prince Rupert, must be shipped via Vancouver for inspection or fumigation:— (a) Shipments of hardy trees, shrubs, and ornamental trees (except unprohibited evergreens). (b) Shipments of hardy trees, shrubs, and ornamental trees (except unprohibited evergreens) mixed with greenhouse plants, herbaceous perennials, herbaceous bedding plants, bulbs, tubers, etc. INTERPROVINCIAL NURSERY-STOCK INSPECTION Special delivery-tags issued to nurseries and others in the Prairie Provinces number 747 (898 in 1949), which covered shipments of ornamentals, greenhouse plants, fruit- trees, asparagus plants, potato eyes, onion-sets, and rhubarb. In addition, 53 untagged shipments arrived in Vancouver, of which 33 contained ornamentals, 7 greenhouse plants, 6 fruit-trees, 4 small fruits, 2 bulbs, and 1 potatoes. BB 24 BRITISH COLUMBIA PUBLICATIONS Three circulars were revised during the year:— (1) Diseases of Fruit-trees, Horticultural Circular No. 73. (2) Potato-diseases. Field Crop Circular No. 15. (3) Damping-off of Vegetables and Flowers. REPORT OF FARMERS' INSTITUTES L. W. Johnson, Superintendent At the close of the year there were 197 Farmers' Institutes in British Columbia, two less than the previous year. During the year four new Institutes were granted a certificate of incorporation—namely, Seymour Arm, District " G "; Deer Park and Renata, District " F "; and Squam Bay, District " D "—while the six Institutes which had failed to report for two or more consecutive years had their certificates of incorporation cancelled. Seven of the 197 Institutes have failed to file returns for two consecutive years, leaving 190 Institutes in good standing. The number of Institutes and membership in each of the ten districts for the year 1949 are as follows:— District Institute Membership "A"—Vancouver Island and Gulf Islands 21 1,147 " B "—Bulkley and Skeena 20 380 " C "—Nechako Valley 14 364 " D "—Kamloops and North Thompson 19 301 " E "—Lower Fraser Valley 31 2,825 " F "—West Kootenay 20 584 "G"—Okanagan and Shuswap 16 483 " H "—Cariboo 12 249 " I "—East Kootenay 15 304 " J "—Peace River 22 559 As most of the individual Institutes do not hold their annual meetings until the new year, and as annual returns are not required until March 31st, therefore the last complete figures available covering Institute activities are for the year 1949, and are shown in the following tables together with those for the year 1948:— Although there was a decrease in membership in 1949 compared to 1948, receipts and expenditures were greater, as were assets and liabilities. 1948 1949 Receipts $801,341.58 $913,211.32 Expenditures 736,128.54 824,706.68 Assets 267,648.11 308,540.89 Liabilities 84,194.69 103,288.58 One of the objects of a Farmers' Institute is to arrange on behalf of its members for the purchase, distribution, or sale of commodities, supplies, or products. It will be noted from the following table that there was a considerable increase in the purchase of powder and miscellaneous commodities over those of 1948, while purchases of feed and seed were somewhat lower:— DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, 1950 BB 25 District and Year Stumping- Powder Feed Seed Miscellaneous District " A "— 1948 $10,367.62 13,197.58 528.18 868.85 1,216.69 912.66 2,593.91 1,218.85 48,537.43 60,947.33 1,586.18 814.83 4,133.06 5,825.75 440.86 1,510.64 381.69 193.27 1,648.34 1,039.83 $4,308.29 1,959.03 4,794.21 10,516.34 8,856.76 8,836.64 2,285.98 2,596.03 431,518.73 331,808.67 45,287.79 85,433.19 5,884.59 7,408.12 11,831.01 $804.34 705.10 444.82 1,428.01 2,335.96 2,993.90 6,051.78 441.51 3,388.37 1,671.40 3,118.14 1,574.25 4,753.90 4,361.03 1,128.26 1,617.50 1,052.11 3,311.85 $5 016.10 1949. -_ 6,564.67 District " B "— 1948 18,183.43 1949 22,050.70 5,339.59 District '.' C "— 1948 1949 13,213.90 District " D "— 1948 :... 3,521.10 1949 4,379.58 5,284.70 7,399.18 33,638.65 72,062.13 1,165.43 District " E "— 1948 1949 District " F "— 1948 1949 -- -. District " G "— 1948 1949 3,225.36 894.75 District " H "— 1948 1949 - ' ... 297.62 District " I "— 1948 16,974.04 14,747.50 16,451.11 1949 1,709.46 District "J "— 1948 - - 1,546.44 1949 65.89 Totals— 1948 $70,466.46 86,529.59 $531,741.40 463,305.52 $23,117.68 18,104.55 $93,957.06 1949 ...- 130,968.49 DISTRICT INSTITUTES All districts held annual meetings during the year, which were well attended. A large number of resolutions on National, Provincial, and local problems affecting farmers and rural life were discussed. The National and Provincial problems were passed on to the Advisory Board, while those of a local nature were dealt with by the district executives concerned. The place and date of each meeting, together with the names of the president, secretary, and Advisory Board member elected, are as follows: — District Place Date Officers Elected " A " Nanaimo September 29th- June 22-23 June 20-21.- June 14 November 3 May 22 May 25- W. H. Dunn, Hillbank; J. T. Neen, R.R. 2, Nanaimo; " B " A. Mclntyre, R.R. 2, Victoria. George Brandon, Telkwa; Arthur Shelford, Wistaria; "C " Arthur Shelford, Wistaria. R. S. Fells, Dunster; S. Zingle, Box 536, Prince George; " D " " E " " F "... _ "G" Kamloops. New Westminster Balfour Deep Creek J. Andros, Vanderhoof. F. A. Shook, R.R. 1, Clearwater; E. C. Leavitt, Kamloops; William Harrison, Pritchard. T. Kuhn, R.R. 2, Cloverdale; J. C. MacKenzie, New Westminster; A. H. Peppar, loco. G. T. Haines, Brouse; K. Wallace, Boswell; William Shipmaker, Edgewood. "H " June 16 May 18 June 29.. Woodburn, Salmon Arm. " I " Canim Lake. L. G. Pippin, Cranbrook; A. B. Smith, Cranbrook; "J " A. B. Smith, Cranbrook. P. A. Leeland, Clayhurst; John Close, Sunset Prairie; A. H. Dunn, Sunset Prairie. BB 26 BRITISH COLUMBIA ADVISORY BOARD OF FARMERS' INSTITUTES The Advisory Board met in Victoria at the call of the Minister of Agriculture from February 27th to March 2nd. The Board considered 113 resolutions dealing with such matters as soil-conservation, warble-fly control, brucellosis, veterinary service, land- clearing, water-supply, noxious weeds, T.B.-free areas, and stock-brands; in addition, various resolutions regarding predatory animals and game matters, taxation, highways and public works, motor-vehicle insurance and licence fees, hospital insurance, daylight saving time, and numerous miscellaneous subjects were also considered. For the third year in succession the Board met with the president and secretary of the Federation of Agriculture for the purpose of discussing and agreeing on resolutions to be presented jointly to the Select Standing Committee on Agriculture for their consideration. Thirteen resolutions were presented to this Committee, and the following is the report presented to the Legislative Assembly by Thomas King, Chairman of the Select Standing Committee on Agriculture:— Legislative Committee Room, March 24th, 1950. Madam Speaker: The Select Standing Committee on Agriculture held several meetings and heard representations from the Advisory Board of Farmers' Institutes conjoined by a representation from the B.C. Federation of Agriculture, and begs leave to report as follows:— (1) That in future years the Government allot more funds to the Department of Agriculture to the end that the farmers of the Province may become more efficient and improve the status of their living standard: (2) That, to encourage more rural settlement and make for better living for those engaged in agriculture, the Department of Public Works keep the side-roads in as good condition as possible: (3) That sufficient funds be supplied to the Game Commission to enable it to carry out a policy of conservation and destruction of predatory animals: (4) That the matter of school taxes be reviewed by the Department of Education with the purpose of making equitable distribution among all citizens: (5) That the Government review the operation of the " Hospital Insurance Act" with a view to having the Department handling the matter place it in as high and efficient and economical standard as is possible so that the great benefits thereof may be made available to all our citizens at as reasonable a cost as possible: (6) That the Government fully investigate the automobile insurance systems as proposed by Mr. Thomas King, M.L.A.: (7) That hereafter, when it is decided to have daylight savings, the months to change to this idea may conform to the summer school holidays, being, as suggested, from July 1st to Labour Day: (8) That the Department of Agriculture assist in the matter of advertising British Columbia seed-potatoes in the test-plots conducted in the State of California: (9) That the raising of bulbs be considered as a regular farm activity so that they be not liable for licences or taxes not exacted from other branches of agriculture: (10) That, if and when the International Water and Power Commission decides on development on international rivers for power that may be developed in the United States, arrangements be made to bring to British Columbia whatever power it may be economical so to do. All of which is respectfully submitted. Thomas King, Chairman. During this meeting of the Advisory Board the following resolution was passed:— Resolution No. 72 Whereas this Board meeting is at the time the Legislature is in session and any proposed legislation cannot be considered by the House; and Whereas if the Board meeting was held earlier, copies of all resolutions approved by it could be forwarded to each member of the Legislature well in advance of the Session, and time allowed for the drafting of appropriate legislation: Therefore be it resolved, That it is recommended to the Honourable the Minister of Agriculture that the date of the meeting of this Board be advanced to the latter part of November. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, 1950 BB 27 In keeping with this request the Minister of Agriculture called a meeting of the Advisory Board in Victoria from November 27th to 30th. This meeting replaces the one that would have normally been held the latter part of February, 1951. Resolutions were passed dealing with such agricultural subjects as margarine, machinery field-days, land-clearing, water-supply, erosion, Boys' and Girls' Clubs, legal fences, definition for farmer, farmers' licences, subsidy on fertilizers, lime and stumping-powder, control of animal diseases, veterinary services, Newcastle disease, noxious weeds, etc. Resolutions dealing with predatory animals, game, taxation, marketing, highways, and public works, motor-vehicle insurance, education and social welfare, freight rates, electrification, daylight saving, and various miscellaneous matters were also considered, making a total of 134 resolutions in all. The Board selected some ten resolutions dealing with such subjects as land-clearing, erosion, department of co-operation, animal diseases, motor-vehicle insurance, school taxation, rural electrification, daylight saving time, increased appropriations for the Department of Agriculture, and land taxation for presentation to the Select Standing Committee on Agriculture during the next sitting of the Legislature. EXHIBITIONS AND FAIRS During the year there were held in the Province one Class A exhibition, two Class B exhibitions, and fifty-three fall fairs, all of which received assistance from the Department in the form of judges and grants. The place and date of these exhibitions and fairs were as follows:— Exhibitions Vancouver (Pacific National) Aug. 23 to Sept. 4. Chilliwack September 6 to 8. Armstrong (Interior Provincial) . September 11 to 14. Fairs Vancouver Island Mayne Island August 23. Alberni August 24 to 26. Saturna Island August 30. Ganges August 31. Courtenay September 1 to 4. Saanichton September 4. Cobble Hill September 6. Duncan September 7 to 9. Coombs September 8 and 9. Sooke September 13. Nanaimo September 14 to 16. Luxton September 16. Ladysmith September 20 and 21. Lower Fraser Valley Gibsons August 18 and 19. Squamish September 2. Mission September 2, 4, and 5. Meridian Heights September 4. Port Moody September 7 and 8. North Burnaby September 8 and 9. Abbotsford September 11 and 12. Ladner September 13. Haney September 13 and 14. BB 28 BRITISH COLUMBIA Agassiz Cloverdale South Burnaby_. Langley Vancouver-. Aldergrove Okanagan, North Thompson, etc. September 15. ..September 15 and 16. -September 15 and 16. September 18 and 19. .October 6 and 7. ..October 18. August 31. Peachland— Oliver ___ September 4. Louis Creek September 4. Cawston September 7. Rock Creek September 7 and 8. Lillooet September 14 and 15. Salmon Arm September 21 and 22. East and West Kootenays Invermere September 1 and 2. Arrow Park September 9. Crawford Bay September 13. Castlegar September 13. Nelson September 14 to 16. Creston September 29. Central British Columbia and Peace River August 18. Montney Sunset Prairie __. .. August 19. McBride August 30. Williams Lake Aug. 31 to Sept. 1. Prince George September 1, 2, and 4. Fort Fraser September 2. Bridge Lake September 2. Woodpecker September 2. Watch Lake September 6. Quesnel September 8 and 9. Terrace September 13. Francois Lake September 16. In addition to the above fairs the Department gave financial assistance to eight other fairs, consisting of seed, potato, turkey, rabbit, and fat-stock shows. POUND DISTRICTS As the rural areas of the Province continue to be settled, more requests are being received for new pound districts and extension of boundaries of present pound districts. Petitions were received from eleven areas requesting pound districts, ten being granted and one rejected. Districts constituted were as follows:— Name of Pound District Date Constituted Peace River _ _ _ April 24. May 2. June 6. Campbell River _ _ Vancouver Island ___ _____ _____ __ East Kootenay _ Shirley - - - - Vancouver Island _ _ _ East Kootenay _ July 14. July 14. August 16. September 26 Balmoral-Carlin-Notch Hill _ _ Big Eddy Rejected. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, 1950 BB 29 Petitions were received during the year from six areas requesting that the boundaries of existing pound districts be extended. These were as follows:— Name of Pound District Date Extended Oyster-Cedar South Dawson North Enderby and Grindrod Kootenay Reclamation Flats.. Fruitvale _ Progress Lumby _ Vancouver Island . Peace River North Okanagan _ Creston East Kootenay Peace River Okanagan January 27. February 13. June 15. July 12. August 16. October 15. December 15. In addition to the above constitutions and extensions, twenty-five pound districts requested the appointment of pound-keepers, all of which were granted. REPORT OF WOMEN'S INSTITUTES Stella E. Gummow, Superintendent The Women's Institutes have continued their steady growth during the year, with six new Institutes organized to bring the total to 216. Reports received from 201 Institutes for 1949 gave the membership as 5,035. The financial reports for that year showed the total receipts of these Institutes amounting to $119,915.13, while the expenditures were $84,440.30. The Institutes that show the largest totals are those that keep up their own halls, and the hall receipts and expenditures make a large sum. The value to the communities of this total is hard to assess. It is found in the community activities sponsored and the worthy causes helped. These show a fine record of community service in building halls, improving school-grounds, promoting health services and well-baby clinics, fall fairs and flower shows, garden competitions, aid to needy and burnt-out families, and welcoming new Canadians and newcomers. NEW INSTITUTES The new Institutes organized were Kersley and 100-Mile House in the Cariboo, Ymir and Winlaw in the Kootenay, and Englewood and Woss Lake in the northern part of Vancouver Island. The interest and enthusiasm shown in each case was an encouraging indication of the value of a Women's Institute to the community, with almost every women present for the inaugural meeting. PROVINCIAL CONVENTION The Tenth Provincial Convention, held lune 6th, 7th, and 8th at the University of British Columbia, surpassed all records for enthusiasm and attendance. It was highlighted by the presence of Mrs. E. Morton, of Vegreville, president of the Federated Women's Institutes of Canada. The outstanding session was one devoted to Home Economics, which was addressed by Mrs. Morton, and which was attended by 150 women from near-by Whatcom County, Wash. A tour of the new Home Economics Building was made at this time. (The interest in the University was indicated later in the sessions, as it was voted to raise $500 to furnish a room in the new Women's Residence.) A noteworthy session was the one devoted to Agriculture, when the topic under discussion was the Federated Women's Institute project of Soil-conservation. Dean Blythe Eagles was chairman, and four speakers prominent in soil-conservation work addressed the Convention on Conservation, Erosion, Soil-depletion, and Utilization. BB 30 BRITISH COLUMBIA The question period proved of interest and value, as the types of soil in different parts of the Province were discussed. The Hospital Insurance Commissioner, Lloyd Detwiller, gave an informative and enlightening talk on the subject of hospital insurance. Mrs. R. J. Sprott, Alderman of the City of Vancouver, as speaker on Citizenship, was a fine example of women in public life. Mrs. R. W. Chalmers, a beloved and respected Women's Institute leader for many years, retired from the Provincial Board, and much appreciation was expressed for her years of service. The following officers were elected: President, Mrs. J. H. East, Keremeos; vice- president, Mrs. A. A. Shaw, 4020 Tenth Avenue West, Vancouver; secretary-treasurer, Mrs. R. Doe, Box 35, Salmon Arm; directors, Mrs. E. Glover, 915 Darwin Road, Victoria, and Mrs. C. C. Strachan, Experimental Station, Summerland. Conveners of the Standing Committees were chosen by the Board as follows: Agriculture, Mrs. J. Young, Rose Prairie; Citizenship, Mrs. E. Tryon, Parksville; Handicrafts and Industries, Mrs. L. Cunnington, Little Fort; Home Economics, Mrs. T. Windt, R.R. 1 (Alexandria), Quesnel; and Social Welfare, Mrs. M. Powers, Camp Lister. DISTRICT MEETINGS *Twelve district meetings were held during the year, and also two district rallies at which the Institutes attending voted to form their own district. Some of these meetings were honoured by the presence of the Minister of Agriculture, the Honourable Harry R. Bowman, Mrs. J. H. East, and Mrs. A. A. Shaw, as well as Mrs. R. W. Chalmers, Mrs. R. Doe, and Mrs. E. Glover in their own districts. All fourteen were attended by your Superintendent, while visits to individual Institutes were made as time permitted. These meetings were held as follows:— April 4th.—South Fraser District at Abbotsford. This was the largest of all district meetings, with 250 women, from twenty-six Institutes, attending. Since the change to one-day meetings the attendance and interest has increased. A thoughtful discussion on rural and urban relations among women, with a view to creating a better understanding of the problems of food production among city women brought out much useful comment. April 15th.—North Fraser at Haney. One hundred women attended from sixteen of the twenty Institutes, with interesting reports showing the variety of work done. April 26th.—North Vancouver Island at Courtenay. Encouraging results were reported regarding the district project of a home for senior citizens at Courtenay. This was started by the Institutes, and has now grown into a community project backed by all organizations. May 4th.—South Okanagan at Summerland. One hundred and fifty-six members and sixteen delegates were present at this meeting, which featured a trip to the Experimental Farm. Resolutions were stressed regarding the use of apple-juice fortified with Vitamin C and the use of the 20-ounce can as well as the 15-ounce for fruit and vegetables. May 6th.—North Okanagan and Salmon Arm at Salmon Arm. There were 170 registered at this meeting, with nineteen Institutes represented. Among the resolutions passed was one asking for a Home Economist under the supervision of the W.I. Branch to give instruction in Home Economics to Women's Institutes and Girls' Sewing Clubs. A number of Girls' Clubs are sponsored by the different Institutes in and around Salmon Arm, and they have been most successful. May 9th.—Rally of North Thompson Women's Institutes at Little Fort. This was a good meeting, with the Institutes of Barriere, Beresford, Birch Island, Clearwater, Little Fort, Squam Bay, Star Lake, and Westsyde attending. This has been a part of the North Okanagan and Salmon Arm District, but distances have been so great that very few were DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, 1950 BB 31 able to attend. At this well-attended and enthusiastic meeting it was decided to ask for permission to form the North Thompson District, and an executive was elected. A resolution was passed asking that the new proposed pipe-line from Alberta should follow the route of the Canadian National Railway through the North Thompson. May 13th.—Arrow Lakes at Arrow Park. There were seventy-eight registered at this meeting, with nine Institutes out of ten reporting. Resolutions dealt with roads, dental service, daylight saving, bus and mail service, and rural electrification. May 16th.—Kootenay at Slocan City. An interesting display of Japanese dolls was a feature of this meeting. They were arranged by the local Japanese people, many of whom are still living happily in this district. Resolutions were passed asking for a road from Edgewood to Robson and a plebiscite on daylight saving. May 18th.—East Kootenay at Cranbrook. The addition of a large representation from the three Institutes of Creston, Wynndel, and Lister-Huscroft made this a very successful meeting, with thirty-five members representing seven Institutes. The main resolution was that all cattle should be tested for Bang's disease. June 16th.—Cariboo at Canim Lake. Eight Institutes were present at this one- day meeting. The first hour was a joint meeting with the Farmers' Institutes of District " H," after which separate sessions were held. Mrs. T. Windt, district president, was named as Provincial convener of Home Economics. Each Institute demonstrated some type of handicraft or gave a short talk, and this resulted in demonstations of darning, spinning, attachment to a sewing-machine, use of a knitting-machine, weaving, a talk on the history of Horsefly by a native daughter, and the story of the Alexandria Historical Table-cloth. June 20th and 21st.—Central Interior at Prince George. This is the only two-day district meeting, and is held at the same time as the Farmers' Institutes of District " C." A tour was made to the Experimental Farm and Northern Interior Travelling Library. Resolutions were passed regarding snow-ploughing of the roads, seed-grain, maturity of fruit for the consumer market, a public park, family allowances for children over 16 years attending school. June 23rd.—Bulkley-Tweedsmuir at Quick. Nine out of eleven Institutes sent delegates, with fifty-seven present altogether. A feature was an interesting and informative talk on the teeth of pre-school children by Dr. Weber, a young dentist from Europe farming in the district. Through the representations made by the Institutes, he was allowed to practise on a permit, and this resulted in a service to the people that has filled a great need. Resolutions were passed asking for improvements to roads, keeping roads open for school buses in the winter, more public health nurses, electrification, daylight saving, and bank closing-hours. June 28th.—Peace River at Pouce Coupe. At this well-attended meeting it was decided to give the money left over as a result of closing the Dawson Creek rest-room for the furnishing of a Women's Institute ward in the new Pouce Coupe Hospital. A tour of this building, now under construction, was a part of the programme. September 27th.—South Vancouver Island at Sooke. This was a good one-day meeting, with resolutions passed asking for garbage-dumps in unorganized areas, compulsory vaccination for Newcastle disease. A new feature was panel discussion groups, with different conveners leading in discussions on Agriculture, Citizenship, Drama groups, Handicrafts, and Women's Institute work and method. These proved of interest, as the different members divided into the separate groups for the half-hour discussions. PROVINCIAL BOARD The Provincial Board met November 20th and 21st at Vancouver. The president, Mrs. J. H. East, gave an interesting account of the meeting of the Associated Countrywomen of the World in Copenhagen, from which she had just returned. BB 32 BRITISH COLUMBIA Mrs. R. Doe, secretary-treasurer, announced that the sum of $740.24 was on hand as interest on the $10,000 Othoa Scott Trust Fund for crippled children. As no appeals had come in for help recently, it was decided to give the sum of $250 each to the two institutions started by the Women's Institutes—the Crippled Children's Hospital in Vancouver and the Queen Alexandra Solarium on Vancouver Island. The Women's Institutes Memorial Fund, a scholarship fund in Home Economics of $250 yearly, has now reached the objective of $10,000 in four years. The scholarship was awarded to Miss Margaret Whitham, of Duncan, this term. GIRLS' SEWING CLUBS Girls' Sewing Clubs have been sponsored by fourteen of our Women's Institutes, and the Busy Beavers Girls' Sewing Club, sponsored by the South Canoe Women's Institute, sent the winning B.C. team to the Toronto Fair this year—the first girls' team sent by this Province. RURAL HOUSING ADVISORY COMMITTEE A number of meetings of this Committee have been held during the year, with two new booklets issued—the Utility Room and Farmstead Planning and Layout. One on farm-house design is now ready for the printers. These booklets have been very popular, and seem to have filled a definite need. FEDERATION OF AGRICULTURE The annual meeting of the Federation was attended by your Superintendent and members of the Provincial Board. The affiliation of the Women's Institute with the Federation is valued as a means of providing a common meeting ground for discussion of rural problems. PACIFIC NATIONAL EXHIBITION The Women's Institute entries in this exhibition were of high quality and the competition keen. Twenty-one Institutes sent in 179 entries, making a total of well over 500 articles. The Silver Cup went to Hazelmere, with 40 points. Point Grey was a close second with 38 points, while North-east Burnaby and Haney tied for third place with 18 points. This work was ably supervised by Mrs. A. A. Shaw, vice-president, and she also arranged the demonstration booth at which different Institute members demonstrated quilting, weaving, soft toys, tatting, knitting, pastel-painting pottery and figurine-painting, rug-making, textile-painting, copper and leather work. HANDICRAFTS DISPLAY AT LEGISLATURE A display of quilts, rugs, weaving, pottery, copper and leather work was arranged in the rotunda of the Parliament Buildings the first week of the opening of the Legislature. This proved of absorbing interest to all visitors. MONTHLY NEWS-LETTER The monthly news-letter is sent out, along with highlights from the individual Institutes, twenty-five of them being included each month. Conveners' suggestions and the minutes of the Provincial and district meetings are also sent out, so that all Institutes may be kept informed of the activities of the others. INDIVIDUAL VISITS Individual visits have been made as much as possible. Some of these were made at the time of district meetings—Fort Langley for its fortieth anniversary, Westsyde, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, 1950 BB 33 Okanagan Centre, New Denver, and Nukko Lake. The Institutes of Colwood, Esquimalt, Lake Hill, Victoria, Cowichan, South Saanich, Langford, and Somenos in and around Victoria were visited during the year. Haney was visited on its thirty-fifth anniversary. A trip was taken to the northern section of Vancouver Island in October to visit the new Institutes of Kla-Anch and Englewood, and organize Woss Lake. These three are in a large logging area, and the Women's Institute has done a great service in providing a community meeting-ground for the women. In November a trip was taken into the Kootenay, when Winlaw was organized, and Renata, Robson, Granite Road, Nelson, Salmo, and Kinnaird were visited. In the Boundary a trip was made to Main River and Rock Creek, while a combined meeting at Greenwood included the Midway women. A large group of Japanese women were also present at this meeting. On request of the citizenship convener of the Qualicum Women's Institute, with Mrs. E. Glover, Board member, accompanying, a trip was taken to Hilliers to talk to the Doukhobor women. Some of the women addressed did not understand English and an interpreter was required. No effort was made to press them into organizing as a Women's Institute, but the friendly feeling of the B.C. Women's Institutes was stressed. Near-by Institutes have welcomed these Doukhobor women at their Institute meetings, and it is hoped that this may be the start of a better understanding. PRESS REPORTS Fine publicity has been given to the work of the Women's Institutes, your Superintendent, and the Board members by the Press. A very friendly and helpful spirit is evident in the excellent coverage and space given. APPRECIATION Your Superintendent wishes to acknowledge with deep appreciation the co-operation and help of members of the Provincial Board of Women's Institutes, the Minister and staff of the Department of Agriculture, and the men in the field, who have never failed to give every assistance possible to the work in this Province. REPORT OF AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT AND EXTENSION BRANCH William MacGillivray, Director The following staff changes were affected during the year:— J. E. Beamish, Extension Agricultural Engineer and Assistant Director of Land- clearing, resigned to return to Federal employment. George L. Calver was promoted from Assistant to the position of Extension Agricultural Engineer. M. M. Gilchrist, District Agriculturist at New Westminster, transferred to the position of Assistant Markets Commissioner at Victoria. A. E. Donald, District Agriculturist at Chilliwack, was transferred to fill the vacancy created at New Westminster. R. S. Berry, a 1950 graduate in agriculture from the University of British Columbia, was appointed District Agriculturist at Chilliwack. D. M. Hamilton, a 1950 graduate in agriculture from the University of British Columbia, was appointed Assistant District Agriculturist at New Westminster. George Cruickshank was transferred as Assistant District Agriculturist from Chilliwack to Abbotsford, the latter point being more central for his work with Junior Clubs. K. V. Ellison was engaged in farm labour placements at Victoria during the summer months and later was transferred as Assistant District Agriculturist to Prince George, where he handled much of the work in connection with land-clearing. BB 34 BRITISH COLUMBIA P. N. Sprout was associated with the Courtenay office as Assistant District Agriculturist, again largely in connection with land-clearing. He transferred in November to the Soils Branch at Kelowna. C. M. Williams, Assistant District Agriculturist at Kamloops, was given leave of absence to engage in postgraduate work at the University of British Columbia. During this winter K. V. Ellison will replace him at Kamloops. A number of changes took place in the clerical staff, details of which will be found elsewhere in the Report of the Department. The various regional and district reports submitted herewith deal with climatic and general crop conditions to an extent that makes further comment unnecessary. Much information on field-crop production and on live-stock production submitted by individual branch representatives has been omitted here, as it will appear in the reports of the branch heads concerned. This is also true of reports dealing with demonstration-plots of grains, pastures, or fertilizers. It is expected, of course, that, where due, the necessary credit will be given to the field officials concerned. Early in 1950 each District Agriculturist was asked to complete a reasonably detailed survey of the district he served. A suggested outline of operations was prepared here and submitted to each official for his guidance. The results were exceptionally good. While the assignment was at first regarded as an extra chore, several of those participating have advised that, as their research progressed, their interest became more keen and in the final analysis they felt that something of definite value had been accomplished. The majority of the completed surveys were of excellent quality and extensive in scope and detail. A few showed lack of imagination and failed to appreciate the value of the information sought to the district men themselves. Each regional supervisor has been supplied with a complete file of the reports, and others have been made available to the University of British Columbia and to the Department of Lands and Forests. We have had several other requests for copies, but have not been able to make them available. Copies of the original outline of information required have been sought and supplied to two other Provincial Departments of Agriculture. During the summer P. N. Sprout made similar surveys of most of the islands adjoining Vancouver Island. It is intended to ask for certain supplementary information this next year, which will add to the value of that now available. Steps will then be taken to edit and consolidate the data in one volume for the use of Departmental officials. Regional meetings with supervisors and District Agriculturists were held early in the year at Creston, Prince George, Kamloops, and Vancouver to discuss district problems and to review local programmes and objectives. The Field Crops Commissioner was present at all of these. Arrangements were made with G. L. Landon to hold short courses of instruction on poultry for District Agriculturists at the points named, and in this he had excellent co-operation from G. R. Wilson, of the Federal Markets Service. Encouragement was again given to the operation of Co-ordinating Committees on various phases of agricultural activity in certain areas. The committee established in Central British Columbia arranged, in co-operation with this Branch, for a tour that extended from Smithers to Quesnel over a five-day period in July. A number of interested agencies were represented, and the Honourable the Minister of Agriculture attended. This was felt to have been a worth-while effort. In the Kootenays, at Kamloops, and in the Fraser Valley, somewhat similar groups are functioning satisfactorily. It is felt that the formation of a small committee of Federal, Provincial, and University officials to deal with various matters arising out of requests for short courses is a progressive step. The same may be said of the recently appointed Advisory Committee on Junior Club work. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, 1950 BB 35 An effort has been made to keep the work of the Branch practical. Fieldmen have been encouraged to so base their approach to farm problems. The best advice that a District Agriculturist can give a farmer is that he use his land efficiently to produce those crops or follow those practices which his acreage, his soil, his climate, and his markets indicate will be to his best advantage—in the final analysis, which will make him most money. Emphasis has been placed on the need for sound land use for improved soil management and, in most parts of the Province, improved pasture management. In all districts, live-stock improvement has been of primary importance. Farmers are being urged to assess per acre returns on pounds of beef, pounds of milk, or pounds of butter-fat, of wool, or of lamb produced, rather than on the more commonly used basis of number of animals grazed or fed. Land-clearing again required much supervision from District Agriculturists in the areas where equipment operated. While very effective extension work can be carried out in conjunction with clearing on individual farms, it is evident that in some districts it is necessary to provide additional personnel for supervisory purposes if other essential work is to receive attention. Of particular interest in this year's operations was the project undertaken near Prince George in conjunction with the Department of Lands and Forests to determine pre-settlement clearing and breaking costs. Valuable information was obtained, and lessons have been learned that will have definite value in the future. Much time was given to this particular project, which will be further developed next year. In addition to the reports that follow, there are on file in the Department the individual reports of each official, which cover in detail the position of agriculture in the districts this past year. Some of these are outstandingly well prepared and most comprehensive in scope, outlining adequately the work carried out and the results achieved by the official concerned. VANCOUVER ISLAND Both R. L. Wilkinson, District Agriculturist at Courtenay, and J. D. Hazlette. District Agriculturist at Duncan, refer to the severe conditions experienced during the winter of 1949-50. In the Courtenay district a record snowfall of 98.5 inches was experienced, with a low monthly mean temperature of 21.1° F., which was almost 14 degrees lower than the long-time over-all average. Throughout the Island a late spring retarded planting and seeding of crops. Killing frosts were experienced late into May. While good growing conditions prevailed in the northern part of the Island until early August, the summer was one of the driest on record in the southern section, with hay and pastures suffering severely. Mr. Wilkinson indicates that while most of August and September were very dry, rainfall since October 7th has been three times greater than normal. In his district, crops generally were good, and secured under favourable conditions, although some difficulty was experienced in harvesting potatoes in the later part of the season. Much of the time of these extension workers has been spent in assisting various farmers in developing improved management practices. Emphasis has been placed on the need to step up the per acre production of milk and butter-fat on those holdings where dairying is practised, and to increase the tonnage and quality of hay, forage crops, and root crops, including potatoes. In co-operation with the Field Crops Branch, considerable demonstration work has been carried out, with particular emphasis placed on pasture management and pasture improvement. BB 36 BRITISH COLUMBIA In both districts definite efforts are being made by the officials concerned to develop an interest among farmers in better soil management. Demonstration work on subsoiling and on various tillage practices has been initiated. It is intended to develop these further next year, in the hope that perforation of the soil to a greater depth will prove of value in certain structures. The Department is particularly interested in this work, and the results will be very carefully assessed. All of this work will be commented on in greater detail by the Field Crops Commissioner. Both officials have initiated short courses, in co-operation with the Agricultural Societies functioning around Duncan, Alberni, and Courtenay, and with the Farmers' Institute at Hilliers. During the winter and spring of 1949-50 a number of lectures by specialists dealt particularly with soil management and improvement. Courses which commenced this fall are intended to assist in better dairy-farm management. Very definite interest has been shown at all points, and it is felt that the effort is very much worth while. Junior Club activities have required a considerable amount of time. More interest is evident, with an indication that there will be increased membership in each area next year. Further details of the 1950 Junior Club programme are shown in the report of Miss Lidster. Considerable time is also given to assisting the Agricultural Societies throughout the Island in planning and carrying out annual fairs. Many contacts made in this way have proven of definite value in the field of extension. Mr. Wilkinson finds his close connection with the Certified Seed Potato Growers' Association in the Courtenay-Comox area to be of great benefit. An organization of this nature is most valuable in a community, encouraging, as it does, better general farming practices. A man who is an efficient grower of certified seed-potatoes will rarely be other than a first-class all-round farmer. The annual field-day, with visits to the farms of all members, organized by Mr. Wilkinson and the officers of the association, permits a close and careful inspection of growing crops and, at the same time, provides an opportunity for a study of the methods employed in developing each phase of activity on the holdings visited. Mr. Hazlette has maintained a close association with the Saanich Jersey Breeders' Club and with the Vancouver Island Ayrshire Club, as well as with the work of the Cowichan Agricultural Society and the Saanich Agricultural Society, both of which are definitely interested in all phases of agriculture in the districts they serve. Adequate contact has also been maintained by both officials with Farmers' Institutes. A close liaison has been maintained by both officials with the Experimental Farm Service, with the Federal Production and Science Services, with the University of British Columbia, and with other branches of this Department. Assistance has been rendered in the selection of sires for dairy herds and for beef herds, in swine promotion, and in warble-fly control. They have actively participated in field-days organized in conjunction with Illustration Stations of the Experimental Farm Service. The services of the Agricultural Engineering Division of this Branch have been sought on several occasions to assist farmers throughout the Island on matters pertaining to drainage and to irrigation. There is a definite interest shown in sprinkler irrigation where conditions warrant. Material assistance has been given by this particular Division on farm structures, including barns, silos, potato-storage sheds, etc. Mr. Wilkinson has administered the land-clearing operations conducted from Parksville to Courtenay during the year. Over 410 acres were cleared, at an average cost of $66.54 per acre. It was necessary to provide him with the services of P. N. Sprout as an assistant, in order that the land-clearing operations referred to and those in the Powell DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, 1950 BB 37 River district would be properly supervised. Ninety-five acres were cleared in the latter district, at an average cost of $110.45 per acre. This will enable considerably more land to be seeded down to pastures and used for milk production. A very large proportion of that commodity consumed in the Powell River district is imported from the Fraser Valley at the present time. It would appear that it will be necessary to maintain land- clearing equipment on the northern end of Vancouver Island for at least another three years. Both officials report an increased interest in beef production. For reasons which we need not enumerate, a number of farmers have disposed of dairy herds, and the present high price of beef is encouraging this particular development. Mr. Wilkinson has indicated in his report the very great importance of the seed- potato industry to his district. He has outlined the extent to which growers are using fertilizer and the interest being shown in the control of diseases and in the general improvement of this particular crop. The various demonstrations carried out in both districts are of definite importance. Factual data are being obtained that is of great value in making recommendations based on actual local results. The following statistics give some indication of the amount of work carried out in the Courtenay office from January 1st to November 15th, 1950: Farm visits, 951; mail received, 1,319; mail sent, 1,417; lectures sponsored, 22; meetings addressed, 5; meetings attended, 50; office callers, 791; reports and returns to Government, 802; soil samples, 21; telephone calls, 977; publications distributed, 516. Generally speaking, much effective extension work in the field of general agriculture has been accomplished on the Island this past year. FRASER VALLEY Extension offices are maintained at New Westminster (A. E. Donald, District Agriculturist, and D. M. Hamilton, Assistant District Agriculturist), Mission (A. J. Allan, District Agriculturist), Chilliwack (R. S. Berry, District Agriculturist), and Abbotsford (G. Cruickshank, Assistant District Agriculturist). While Mr. Cruickshank is primarily engaged in Junior Club activities, he is carrying out considerable other general extension work. As elsewhere in the Province, the Fraser Valley experienced an unusually severe winter, followed by a late spring. The summer generally was warm and dry, which lowered practically all crop yields. Reference is made by Mr Donald to the great increase in the number of urban wage- earners who are establishing residence in adjacent rural municipalities, with a consequent greater subdivision of existing farm lands. This development follows particularly closely on the expansion and extension of water services by the Greater Vancouver Water Board in the northern and western areas of Surrey. He refers to the work that might be done by the recently formed Regional Planning Board for the Fraser Valley in directing urban and industrial development to areas least suitable for agricultural purposes. All offices refer to the greater trend toward farm mechanization, the tendency to use more powerful tractors and equipment, and the definite interest shown in sprinkler irrigation. No great change is observed in farm-building construction, although lbafing-sheds and milking-parlours are increasing in use. Potato and other storages now being erected are of definitely improved types, with reasonably satisfactory temperature control. Mr. Allan mentions increased settlement along the North Fraser area. He indicates the extent to which dairy-farmers grow canning-crops, such as peas and corn, as cash crops. BB 38 BRITISH COLUMBIA This district Agriculturist has, in conjunction with the Field Crops Branch, conducted, with success, fertilizer-demonstration trials and potato-variety trials. There is a definite scope for much more work of this nature. Details of this year's operations are given elsewhere in the Report of this Department. In the spring of 1949 all offices co-operated in the planned farming display. The following quotation from the report of Mr. Donald outlines a certain phase of activity in soils:— " In the late summer and fall of 1949 the District Agriculturists of the Fraser Valley, by mutual agreement, took composite soil samples on a fairly evenly distributed basis. A total of 153 samples was taken, which were later analysed by the Field Crops Branch, and the individual results, together with soil-requirement recommendations, were forwarded to each farmer from whom soil was obtained. The analysis results were also summarized according to soil type, and the sample areas were also indicated on the soil map by means of a small black dot. This work has served to familiarize each of us with the various soil types, and the summarized information has been extensively used when discussing soils and in making recommendations. " To take care of requests for soil-analysis and to obtain more information on the various soil types, the same work was continued this year. Again this was done by mutual agreement for the purpose of pooling information. In all, 239 samples were taken. " It is not the intention of this work to prove or disprove previously existing information, but rather to enable ourselves and others to make a more confident approach to sound cultural practices under complex soil conditions." Reference is made to the greater use of lime, and it is evident that the work of the Branch in advocating increased application of this particular commodity is bearing fruit. Much information of a statistical nature dealing with crop condition and yields has been supplied from the reports of the various officials to the Field Crops Commissioner and will be found in his report. Valuable references have been made, by all offices, to live-stock production, artificial insemination, live-stock breeding problems, auction sales, milk production, cannery-crop acreages, etc., but as these will be dealt with in reports of other branch heads, they are omitted here. It is of definite interest, however, that there is general mention of the extent to which beef-cattle herds—namely, Herefords—are being established in the valley. D. M. Hamilton made several visits to the Pemberton Valley, and as no references to that area have appeared in recent reports of the Department, the following extract from his report is of definite interest:— " The farmers of Pemberton Valley depend for their livelihood to a very large extent on the sale of certified seed-potatoes. The areas planted to certified seed this year by forty-seven growers averaged 5.1 acres or 2.8 fields per grower. A total of 132 fields, or 240 acres, were planted, of which 100 fields passed official inspection. " There was some loss in crop due to flooding of the Lillooet River and its tributaries. Seepage through the dykes caused considerable damage; however, a few farmers kept this at a minimum by installing tractor-powered pumps. " Because of the losses encountered by high water and the prospects of a poor market for seed, some growers are looking for other agricultural enterprises. " This year a Provincial agricultural land-clearing outfit cleared approximately 147V5 acres for many of the farmers in the valley. High waters made it impossible to clear all of the land for which applications had been made. The land cleared was very much needed by the farmers and should assist them in expanding their operations into better and more complete farm units. " Turnip production has been developed to a limited extent. This year the crop looks very good, with, as yet, a favourable market. One farmer grew carrots for the local market. These, too, appeared to be of very good quality. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, 1950 BB 39 " Severe weather last winter seriously affected the few fruit-trees in the valley, with only one or two of the hardier varieties surviving. Late spring frosts caused further damage to trees and strawberry-patches. " There are three reasonably large cattle breeders in the valley, though most of the farmers keep a few head. Practically every farm has one or two milk cows, and three or four farmers ship cream to Lillooet. " The completion of electrification in the valley this fall and the proposed extension of the Pacific Great Eastern Railway to Vancouver will both benefit the district greatly. Farmers will be able to further modernize their holdings, and improved farm practices will include live stock, with emphasis on dairying. Live-stock production complements potato-growing. " The Dominion Government through the P.F.R.A. has spent, and is spending, large sums of money in the valley. Lillooet Lake has been lowered 9 feet by dredging out the Lower Lillooet River. New cuts have been made for the Lillooet River so that it will run straight down the valley and not meander at will. These operations are expected to assist in controlling the river. Dykes have been erected and strengthened along the Lillooet River, Birkenhead River, Ryan and Miller Creeks, and large ditches are being dug which will link in with a proposed canal system. It is hoped that this will control the high water of the Lillooet River and its tributaries and will stop seepage water from damaging crops. " I visited Pemberton Valley six times this year, and on every occasion found the farmers more interested in my arrival and wanting more assistance and information from the Department." All district officials devote considerable time to Junior Club activities, and excerpts from their reports will be found in the section dealing with that particular division. Mr. Allan handled farm-labour placements in the Mission area, which required much of his time during berry-picking. Mr. Berry refers to the value of the short course featuring agricultural engineering matters which was held in Chilliwack last winter, and which drew an average attendance of seventy-nine at each of the eight meetings. A short course on dairy-farm management is being sponsored at Chilliwack and at Matsqui this winter. Certain statistical data from the New Westminster and Chilliwack offices is of interest:— Chilliwack Office Statistics, November 1st, 1949, to October 31st, 1950 Meetings of organized groups attended 81 Junior judging demonstrations and field-days attended ..._ 15 Machinery and other demonstrations attended 8 Flock inspections under hatchery-approval regulations 45 Miscellaneous inspections 5 Reports and returns to the Government 32 New Westminster Office Statistics, November 1st, 1949, to October 31st, 1950 Meetings of organized groups attended 48 Junior judging demonstrations and field-days attended 21 Machinery field-days and demonstrations attended 7 Junior Club inspections 189 1 Miscellaneous inspections 23 Soil samples taken for analysis * 108 Reports and returns to the Government 64 Publications, etc., distributed 2,200 Mail pieces received 2,350 Mail pieces sent 1,550 BB 40 BRITISH COLUMBIA The first five items include days or times when either or both the District Agriculturist or the Assistant District Agriculturist were in attendance. CENTRAL BRITISH COLUMBIA, NORTH CARIBOO, AND PEACE RIVER DISTRICTS (Report of S. G. Preston, Supervising Agriculturist) January, 1950, set a record for a low mean temperature, which was, in Central British Columbia, approximately 30 degrees below normal and making a difference of 2V% degrees in the yearly figure. Crops generally were a near failure in the Peace River, fair in the Quesnel and Vanderhoof districts, fair to poor in the Bulkley Valley, and good in the Prince George district. The Peace River suffered from a late spring. Precipitation was sufficient for a fair crop, both grain and seed, but hail in July and both frost and snow in August reduced most cereal returns to very poor yields of low feed grades. Where air drainage was good, a few farms escaped serious frost-injury and some No. 3 and No. 4 wheat was harvested, particularly in the area north of the Peace. Despite these drawbacks, small favoured areas produced good-quality cereals and seed crops. Application for assistance under P.F.A.A. was general throughout the Peace. In Central British Columbia the spring was very cold and backward, followed by an extremely warm, dry June. The Prince George area was favoured by rain before the condition became too serious, and the crops made a phenomenal recovery. Rain in other areas came later. Crops made a fair recovery in the Nechako Valley and Lakes District, but suffered all season from a moisture shortage. The Bulkley Valley and parts of the North Cariboo were very dry throughout the season, which reduced crop yields and gave poor natural and tame pasture. Frosts were experienced in the Houston Flats, in the Bulkley Valley. There grain and potatoes suffered considerably. Some frost damage is reported in all areas to potatoes, prior to digging. The cold spell in November, 1950, found some vegetable- growers unprepared, with consequent losses, particularly in temporary storage. Weather records for the period November 1st, 1949, to October 31st, 1950, are shown as an appendix. The value of live stock in a farm programme has never before been quite so evident either in the Peace River District or in Central British Columbia. Those with beef stock, dairy stock, poultry, swine, or sheep have an outlet right at home for the hay and grain produced, and a ready and remunerative market for the resulting live-stock products. Field Crops As indicated, this year proved a near disaster for Peace River farmers. Seed crops, however, were slightly better than in 1949. In Central British Columbia the best crops were in the Prince George-McBride districts, where the backward spring was offset by a particularly favourable fall. Very little cereal crops are grown in the Quesnel district, the northern part of which suffered severely from a moisture shortage. The only good crops observed were under irrigation. Spring Wheat The yield of this crop is only a fraction of that of 1949 in the Peace River—for example, some 480,000 bushels of poor feed grades as against some 2,500,000 bushels of No. 3 and No. 4 milling grades last year. The relatively low acreage of spring wheat in Central British Columbia is generally of good quality, however, and predominately of the Saunders variety. This variety is also becoming the favourite in the Peace River. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, 1950 BB 41 Fall Wheat As yet only a few cars of this crop are grown in the Nechako Valley, but an effort is being made to extend its production to the Prince George district, where newly cleared land will have to be cropped to best advantage to pay for the heavy clearing costs. To assure a steady market for this wheat, it appears necessary to produce a hard variety, unless further markets can be secured for the higher-yielding soft winter varieties. Oats This crop produced excellent yields in the Prince George district, with good germination expected. There were lower yields farther west, and very low yields in the Peace River District. Difficulty is expected in securing ample seed-oat supplies for the Peace next spring, although the germination of promising-looking crops is better than anticipated. No shortage of seed-oats is expected in Central British Columbia. Ajax oats is most commonly grown here, with Victory predominating in the Peace River. Barley The acreage of this crop is not extensive in either Central British Columbia or the Peace River District. The variety Olli is grown almost exclusively. Yields and grades this year were low in the Peace, and again difficulty is anticipated in securing 1951 seed- supplies. In Central British Columbia some good stands of barley were observed, but generally the hot, dry weather in June was too much for this crop. Alfalfa Yields of alfalfa seed were much improved this year in the Peace over 1949, but still quite low, and quality is, in many cases, poor. However, this and other seed crops will materially assist the farmers concerned in sustaining themselves until the 1951 crop returns. Alsike Clover This is the main seed crop in eastern Central British Columbia. Yields are fair, although not exceptional, and lower in the Nechako Valley, due to shortage of moisture. It was again obvious this year that for successful alsike-seed and alfalfa-seed production, opportunity must be afforded wild bees to pollinate the crops. This is usually done best by planting close to bush or leaving strips of bush to harbour the bees. In almost every case, growers have found that the yields of seed from large open fields have been disappointing. Other Crops Flax and rye contribute in some part to the economy of crop production in the Peace. Yields and grades are very low this year. Timothy-seed yields were fair, but the price was very low and little has been sold to date. The best yields were obtained in the Lakes District, but fair production was realized in the Bulkley, despite the low rainfall. A considerable amount of timothy was threshed in the Prince George district, but production of this crop is new to farmers there, and many spoiled the grade by excessive hulling during the threshing operations. Fescue and brome grass contributed to some extent to general seed production, and prices were fair. Prices Cereal prices remained reasonably steady this year. The price for soft fall wheat has dropped, with the loss of the export (east) market. Alsike clover prices strengthened, giving the farmer a more remunerative return. Altaswede clover is down, and timothy seed dropped from a 1949 price of 50 cents to 1950 offerings of 6V£ cents. The buyers have informed the growers that a large United BB 42 BRITISH COLUMBIA States crop has created a timothy-seed surplus. Most growers, anticipating a rise in values, are holding timothy seed. An estimate of field-crop production for the year 1950 is shown as an appendix. Weeds The weed problem in the Peace River Block is handled by two Weed Inspectors— namely, F. Martens, north of the Peace, and R. Shearer, south of the Peace. In Central British Columbia, weeds constitute a perennial problem, but to date have not required appointment of Weed Inspectors. On the whole, farmers are weed-conscious and are co-operating accordingly, as they realize the urgency of control. Weed-spray machines are being purchased, both in Central British Columbia and in the Peace, and farmers will save themselves many dollars if the spraying is done correctly. The Government-owned weed-spray machine operated by Mr. Shearer in the Peace was busy most of the season. It has been indicated that thresher and combine operations need closer checking at threshing-time to see that machines are cleaned out thoroughly before leaving each farm or travelling on highways. There is room in the Lakes District and Bulkley Valley for a combined weed-control, cultural practice, and reseeding programme on large areas of timothy land that has been invaded by dandelions. Much of this land cannot be ploughed, but is potentially good hay or pasture land if the weeds were kept under control. Officials of the Experimental Station at Smithers, aided by Mr. Jameson, District Agriculturist at that point, are conducting some experimental tests, but widespread demonstrations are also needed. Leafy spurge was observed in the Narcosli area this year. R. Tarves, District Agriculturist, attempted control measures, using chemical sprays, but with little success. A programme for control and eradication of this menace is being drawn up now, and will be implemented next year. This is the only district in Central British Columbia in which the weed is threatening. Fertilizers This year showed an extended use of commercial fertilizer in Central British Columbia. The chief fertilizer used is 16-20 for grain or forage crops. It is recommended that it be seeded in the spring with grain, or very early on forage or forage-seed crops. The fertilizer companies and the Department of Agriculture generally co-operate in fertilizer recommendations, but we have instances where company representatives have advised independently with negative results, and a consequent impression by the farmer that there is no place in his economy for the use of commercial fertilizers. In the Peace River Block some work is being done to determine the correlation, if any, between certain fertilizer applications and seed-set. Provincial and Federal Departments of Agriculture are working on this problem, but to date no significant results have been obtained. In the seed-potato growing areas of the North Cariboo, large quantities of fertilizer are used in conjunction with barnyard manure or green manure crops. To date, 6-30-15 has been used in most cases, but farmers are becoming more conscious that specific studies of their soil should be made, and many are prepared to accept recommendations for cropping and fertilizing. General Prospects for crops in the Peace River Block are good for 1951, provided sufficient good seed can be secured. There appears to be plenty of Saunders and Thatcher seed, but coarse grains are in short supply. Fall moisture is sufficient, but no more, and plenty of spring rain will be required. The Prince George farmer can look forward to good soil conditions next spring, and seed-supplies appear to be sufficient. Soil-moisture is low in the Bulkley, and early DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, 1950 BB 43 spring rain will be required to ensure crops. Conditions are fair in the Vanderhoof district. Little damage to fall wheat is anticipated from snow mould. The north section of the North Cariboo is still dry and, like the Bulkley, will need good spring rains to bring on pasture, range, and cereal crops. Live Stock Throughout Central British Columbia and the Peace River Block, live-stock men, or those whose income is partially derived from a live-stock project, are much better off than those dependent on cereals or seed crops. Despite this general assertion, live-stock men in the Peace River, the Bulkley Valley, and parts of the North Cariboo are having difficulty securing sufficient feed to winter their breeding replacement stock. It is doubtful if the five-stock population has increased much during the past year, but marketings, particularly of beef stock, have been heavier, indicating that quite a few ranches have sold heavily. A gradual increase in dairy stock is indicated throughout the central area of British Columbia, although large shipments of milk still come from the Fraser Valley, as does much butter, ice-cream, etc. Beef Stock Live-stock shipments were as follows: — Cattle Hogs Sheep District (Car-loads) (Car-loads) (Car-loads) Bulkley Valley 12 Lakes District and Nechako Valley 62 4 Prince George and McBride 11 1 * North Cariboo 41 6 1 Peace River Block 76 40 2 202 47 7 * Hogs and sheep. It is impossible to separate North and South Peace River shipments, as stock all goes out via the rail-head at Dawson Creek. Mr. Crack, District Agriculturist at Pouce Coupe, reports all live-stock marketings ahead of 1949. Four car-loads were exported directly to the United States from the Nechako Valley and Lakes District. Other Central British Columbia shipments were divided between Edmonton and Vancouver. Those from the North Cariboo went to Vancouver. Results of the sale at Quesnel will be found in the report of the Live Stock Commissioner. Higher prices realized for cattle have encouraged a number of stockmen to cull their herds and purchase better sires. Several new Bull Associations were formed this year in Central British Columbia and in the Peace River Block. The Federal Production Service feels that now is the time to maintain the quality of beef cattle, and is willing to co-operate with farmers who are prepared to make an effort to improve and increase their herds and arrange farming programmes to include five stock. Dairying The remunerative price for whole milk has interested a good many farmers in dairying. Most of those with an aptitude for dairying are improving their cattle and their premises for whole-milk production. All whole milk produced in the North Cariboo and Prince George area is consumed locally. In addition, some 30,000 gallons of milk were shipped in from the Fraser Valley. Shipments from the Bulkley Valley to Prince Rupert were supplemented by some 47,000 gallons from the Fraser Valley. BB 44 BRITISH COLUMBIA In the Peace River Block, the Sudeten settlement south of Pouce Coupe supplies most of the whole milk required for Dawson Creek. On the north side of the river a pasteurizing plant at Fort St. John handles the milk for that town. Throughout Central British Columbia and the Peace River Block it is very obvious that more dairy cattle could well be fitted into the economy of the various districts. However, farmers lack dairy experience and are loath to milk cows if there are other ways of making a living. In addition, good dairy stock and new dairy buildings are expensive. Swine There appears no marked change in hog production, either in the Peace River Block or Central British Columbia. It is expected, however, there may be a demand for young stock in the Peace River Block to help market frozen grain. On the other hand, some hogmen have had to sell off heavily owing to lack of feed. Mr. Brown reports a few new Swine Improvement Associations formed north of Fort St. John, thus enabling the farmers to obtain the use of good-type boars. In Central British Columbia unsatisfactory marketing conditions are the greatest single factor in restricting swine production. On completion of the Pacific Great Eastern Railway, however, it may be possible to co-operate with some of the Cariboo hog- producers in arranging joint shipments. Sheep Sheep-raising is a minor activity anywhere in Central British Columbia or the Peace River Block. There is no live-stock project to-day that will give as great returns as sheep, but the predator problem has caused practically every breeder to reduce flocks or go out of sheep altogether. We believe there is a place for the small farm flock and are trying to promote this form of sheep-raising. A number of such flocks are raised around Prince George and Vanderhoof, and no great problems are encountered as long as the sheep are fenced. Live-stock Diseases Indigestion and deficiency problems arose following and during the exceptionally cold weather of January last year. During that period, horses and cattle did not drink sufficient water and impaction followed. Other than the regular cases of milk fever, mastitis, etc., we know of no serious live-stock diseases during the season. Poultry Poultry and egg production changed very little in either the Peace River Block or Central British Columbia. Despite the apparent opportunity for poultry production at a low cost in the Peace River, very few people are interested. Perhaps the establishment of egg-grading stations and a more assured market would encourage more people to keep, at least, farm flocks. In Central British Columbia the high cost of feed, early in 1950, was discouraging, but, at the same time, sales of baby chicks were good, and no great decrease in production is expected this year. The North Cariboo poultry-producers at Quesnel have, perhaps, the happiest situation for egg sales of anywhere in British Columbia. The local market takes care of the whole production, and practically every egg-producer delivers his eggs to the co-operative egg-grading station. The following is a list of eggs handled through egg-grading stations during the past year in Central British Columbia: Quesnel, 68,075 dozens; Prince George, 17,000 dozens (30 per cent); Vanderhoof, 30,060 dozens; Bulkley Valley, 60,000 dozens (estimated). DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, 1950 BB 45 Turkey-raising has increased to some extent. The largest number is raised in the Soda Creek area, where some 2,500 poults were started. This year, blackhead caused heavy losses. All turkeys find a ready local market, and so far it has not been necessary to ship any out. Horticulture Fruits Fruit production of any scale is carried on only in the Terrace district. Elsewhere some small fruits are produced for farm use, but none commercially. Vegetable Seed A few acres of spinach and Swede turnip seed are grown at Houston. Some 4 acres of stecklings came through the winter and produced 500 pounds of Swede turnip seed. Of the 10 acres planted to spinach, 9,372 pounds of seed were harvested. Seed-potato Production Raising seed and commercial potatoes in the North Cariboo has, in a few years, become the chief source of income to a number of farmers and very materially improved the economy of all farm business. In other parts of Central British Columbia, some seed and commercial potatoes are grown, but not to the same extent. Mr. Crack reports three seed-potato growers south of the Peace River. However, with the frost this year, Peace River potato yields were low. In addition, Mr. Crack informs us that two of the growers produced Netted Gems, which are definitely not a recommended variety for the Peace River Block. The other variety was Canus, which, it is hoped, will be of as good quality as Irish Cobbler, but smooth enough to compete on the commercial market. The following is a table of potato acreages for Central British Columbia:— North CaribOO Acres Seed _, 404 Commercial 62 Bulkley and Skeena— Seed 69 Commercial 75 Prince George and McBride— Seed 40 Commercial 200 Vegetable Production A relatively good market for vegetables at Prince Rupert and Prince George has induced a number of enterprising farmers to produce for that trade. To date they are relatively inexperienced and have difficulty competing with the carefully graded produce from the south. Cariboo growers market some vegetables through the Interior Marketing Board at Quesnel. Land-clearing The season was excellent for land-clearing, and for the most part the farmers were well pleased. One unit operated through from May to the middle of November, and the second unit from July to the middle of November. In all, some 305 acres were cleared in the Vanderhoof-Endako area and 1,327.5 acres in the Prince George district, a total of 1,632.5 acres. In addition, these units did 408.5 acres of breaking and miscellaneous repiling and dirt work to the extent of $21,137.53. Seventy-six per cent of the total amount of work done was paid for in cash. BB 46 BRITISH COLUMBIA Junior Clubs As usual, the greatest activity in Junior Clubs was in the North Cariboo, where an active Club Council takes over much of the responsibility. Much credit is due to Mr. Tarves for his work in this phase of activity. A Club Council was formed in the Prince George area this year, but so far has been diffident about assuming any responsibility. The writer had the pleasure of accompanying the B.C. teams to the Royal Winter Fair at Toronto. This was an experience both for the members and the writer, and at this time our appreciation to the Department for being chosen is sincerely expressed. More detailed information on Junior Clubs will be found in the report of Miss Lidster. Meetings In July the Co-ordinating Committee on Agricultural Services for Central British Columbia meeting took the form of a week's trip from Smithers to Quesnel. There is no other means, we feel, by which all workers could so quickly and thoroughly become acquainted with the extent of the farming areas, the problems, and the reason for our various recommendations. Regional meetings of District Agriculturists were held in April and October. At the April meeting, R. W. Brown and T. S. Crack from the Peace River Block attended. In October a trip was made to the Peace River Block, of which the group consisted of Messrs. MacGillivray, Tapp, Reed, Putnam, and the writer. The main object of the trip was to attend the meeting at Spirit River, which dealt with seed-supplies for 1951. However, a trip was made as well by Mr. Reed and the writer to study the Lassiter land-clearing projects at Wahnam, Eaglesham, and Tangent. Conclusion The season has been unfavourable in the Peace River Block and only fair in other areas. The Prince George-McBride districts were the most favoured. New settlers continue to come into the Peace River Block and greater acreages are being cleared in Central British Columbia. Our greatest problem, and it is also the problem of extension, is to encourage suitable crops, rotations, and a sound live-stock programme. SOUTH CARIBOO, KAMLOOPS, NICOLA, SHUSWAP, OKANAGAN, AND SIMILKAMEEN DISTRICTS (Report of G. A. Luyat, Supervising Agriculturist) Climate The year of 1950 gave two extremes in climate in the range country of the Interior of British Columbia, in that temperatures during late December and all of January dropped to a record low, with a change of but a few degrees, while the summer months were continuously hot to an extent not experienced in the Interior for several years. The spring season was cold and backward, and remained so up to early June, when flood conditions on the Fraser River and its tributaries seemed inevitable. The month of September was without rain and with higher-than-average temperatures. The fall months of October and November were quite mild, but the precipitation was higher than usual. The first killing frost in the Southern Interior came on September 28th. Live Stock Beef Industry Marketing.—History was made in the cattle business, when record prices of $30 to $32 were paid for grain-grass finished steers in the late spring. Grass-finished steers DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, 1950 BB 47 during July and August sold for $28 to $30 per hundredweight, but in September these good ones dropped to a low of $24 because of the Canadian dollar seeking its own level. Prices have again risen, but the demand, especially for heavy steers, has been sluggish compared to that paid for replacement cows and heifers and for feeder steers. During the fall months considerable interest was manifested in replacement stock, which indicates that ranchers have an optimistic view-point on the immediate future of the industry. M. J. Walsh, District Agriculturist at Williams Lake, sums up the situation well;.— "Heavy selling during the years 1947 to 1949 was reflected in this year's cattle marketings from the South Cariboo. Total sales will probably be much reduced from the average of 20,000 head per year for the above period, a rough estimate putting the figure at 12,000. Sales to date from Williams Lake amount to less than 5,000 head, as compared to 12,000 head in 1948. Ranchers in general appear inclined to build their herds up again this fall. There was such a demand for stockers that light steers and light heifers outsold fat stock at the fall sale. Most of the heifers and at least half the cows offered were bid back by local cattlemen. "Apart from the fact that many ranches are somewhat understocked at the present time, the cattle industry is in very good condition." Heavy culling of low-grade cows has taken place through the past three years, and this, in conjunction with continued use of good pure-bred sires, will make a very definite improvement on the average quality of beef produced." Three large shipments of cattle were moved in September by Weiller & Williams to Montgomery, 111., from the Nicola Valley. Two of these were from the Douglas Lake Cattle Company, with one consisting of 628 head. The third, of over 500 head, was from the Nicola Stock Farms. A system of weekly auction sales held on Monday of each week was instituted by the British Columbia Livestock Co-operative Association at its yards in Vancouver, with the opening sale on October 2nd. Two fall sales of commercial cattle were again held in this region. The one at Williams Lake on October 12th, with 1,810 head entered, represented a reduction of 1,558 head from the total of the 1949 sales. Steers brought $19 to $25.50, with light feeders bringing a cent more per pound than the butcher stuff. The other was held at Okanagan Falls on September 13th, with 601 head. This total was short by 792 head of the 1949 sale; 219 head of steers averaged $27.07. The " she " stuff brought remarkably good prices. American buyers took a fair percentage of the offering. Three bull sales were held in the region—namely, the Provincial Bull Sale at Kamloops in March, and the other two followed the commercial sales of cattle at Williams Lake with the Cariboo Bull Sale, and at Okanagan Falls with an offering of four Hereford bulls. Two fat-stock sales were held in Kamloops during the year—namely, the Provincial Fat Stock Show and Sale held on March 7th, in conjunction with the Provincial Bull Sale, and the Christmas Fat Stock Show and Sale in November, featuring the Boys' and Girls' Beef Clubs. Full details are shown in the report of the Live Stock Commissioner. Disperal Sales.—Three ranch auction dispersal sales were held during the year in the Kamloops-Nicola district. Mrs. Blake Wilson, Ashcroft, disposed of 83 head of mostly registered Herefords of comprest breeding, introduced from top American herds. R. McGregor dispersed almost all of his registered herd, retaining only a few head; one cow brought $1,200. C. McGregor, at the same time, disposed of 110 head of well-bred commercial cattle. Prices paid for replacement cattle at this sale ran in line with the heavy demand. One group of thirteen well-bred heifer calves brought $33.75. Cattle Improvement.—Four Hereford herds from this region were represented at the Royal Winter Fair—namely, Fred Dey, Westsyde; Earlscourt Farms, Lytton; D. C. BB 48 BRITISH COLUMBIA Wilson & Sons, Vinsulla; V. E. Ellison, Oyama. These herds faced strong competition from Alberta, but, nevertheless, made a splendid showing. Mr. Gray, District Agriculturist at Kamloops, reports that a new bull-loaning association was formed in the Vavenby-Birch Island area. The Federal Production Services supplied one-half of the bulls from purchases at the Kamloops Bull Sale. The Raft River Range will be used by this association. This is the third to serve the North Thompson Valley. The Sullivan Valley Stock Association again put its voluntary Bull-culling Committee into operation. The Cariboo Bull Sale results very clearly demonstrated that the buyers in that district are becoming more and more discriminating in their choice of bulls. Good replacement breeding cattle have not been difficult to place at considerably more money than the prevailing market prices. Nutrition.—The whole plane of nutrition of beef cattle is on a much higher level than formerly. Much progress in this respect has been made, especially in the Cariboo, where again large importations of grain and pellets were made to meet any winter emergencies. Hay-supplies were drawn to a dangerously low point by the prolonged cold period. This supplementary feeding has had the much desired effect of stepping up the calf-crops. More and more calf herds are being fed concentrate rations along with hay, with better results compared to those maintained on hay alone. General.—With a few exceptions, cattle, wherever well fed and managed, came through the winter in a healthy, strong condition. By midsummer the ranges of the Interior had received a bit of a set-back from drought after several seasons of above-normal precipitation. Till July the ranges on the lower levels were good and opened early. Those at higher levels, because of the cool spring, were not open to grazing until mid-June. Heavy October and November rains have built up a reserve of moisture to give plants a good start next spring. Sheep and Wool The sheep population of British Columbia during the year has not changed much, although wool shipments have been higher. Heavier fleeces generally were produced in the 1950 clip. The total clip for the Province was 237,480 pounds, as compared with 216,678 pounds for 1949, with about the same sheep population of 30,954 head. No large bands have been dispersed during the year. Greater interest in sheep production is indicated by the fact that determined efforts by band-owners to get additional breeding stock from Alberta were in vain. The price quoted for yearling white-faced ewes in Alberta, under limited supply, was $30 per head. In lieu of importations, sheepmen are keeping back a part of their ewe lambs for band replacement—something which they usually do not care to do. Lower ranges for fall use this year were dried out, making the finishing of light lambs more difficult and expensive. Much interest is being shown by the sheepmen of the Interior in employing the services of Basque shepherds. In the Cariboo District, expansion will depend on farm flocks being increased in size to a point where shepherding can be practised with some economy. Dairy Industry The three district offices of Kamloops, Salmon Arm, and Vernon report that dairying is expanding, although Mr. Caplette, at Vernon, points out that high meat prices and shortages of hay and pasture may have a tendency to reduce the dairy-cow population in the North Okanagan. The ready sale for fluid milk is stimulating considerable interest in both the Salmon Arm and Kamloops areas. During 1950 a movement was initiated to move dairy calves to the Interior from the Fraser Valley. These were from sires used in the artificial-insemination stations. Many DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, 1950 BB 49 of the difficulties were ironed out, and calves moved into the Kamloops, Salmon Arm, and Vernon districts. The following table outlines the numbers and breeds brought in. Holstein Ayrshire Jersey Guernsey Total Salmon Arm - 20 11 3 1 .... 19 17 11 25 53 Kamloops- - Vernon _ 54 17 Total -- | .... .... | .._ 1 I 1 124 There have been other importations of dairy cattle into the areas. Mr. Gray reports that the Dutch Dairies, supplying Kamloops with milk, keep 80 cows, mainly of Holstein breeding. The equipment used for this herd is fully modern, with milking-parlour and loafing-shed. In the future it is proposed to handle a 200-cow herd. C.T.A. work has been revived in Salmon Arm, with eleven herds on official test. The Kelowna dairymen are asking for a resumption of this service. Dr. Bankier and D. B. Young held a series of meetings in the Salmon Arm and North Okanagan area, discussing the possibilities of the establishment of artificial-insemination depots. Some progress has been made toward the possible introduction of this breeding project. Mr. Caplette states that approximately 200 heifer calves are being raised from the Kelowna Artificial Insemination Depot. Farmers are keenly interested in artificial insemination everywhere in this region. The outlook for higher dairy production is favourable. Swine and Poultry Increasing grain prices have had the effect of restricting hog production, even though returns have been maintained at a point high enough to provide a profitable margin. The North Okanagan still produces the large bulk of the hogs of this region. Higher grain- prices and the threat of Newcastle disease have kept the poultry industry from expanding. More interest, however, is being shown in the Grindrod and Enderby areas. Field Crops Hay Alfalfa-hay crops, because of the cool spring, were backward until the forepart of June, but recovered quickly by cutting-time. The second crop was quite normal, and in many favourable places a third crop was taken under good weather conditions. In the Salmon Arm and North Okanagan areas, where irrigation is not practised, the crops were light, and consequently very little hay was shipped out. The prices paid were $28 to $30 per ton, with advances as the supply diminished. Grain The grain-crops in the unirrigated sections ripened up rapidly, due to the sudden heat following a cool spring. Yields were generally lower. Potatoes The year was not favourable for potatoes. Drought affected the crops in both irrigated and dry-land areas. It was difficult to maintain an even supply of moisture under the hot temperatures. Frost affected some crops in the Cariboo, where late rains delayed harvesting. In the Southern Interior the flea-beetle caused damage to fields not dusted sufficiently. Husking-corn A total of 105 acres of husking-corn was grown this year in the Kamloops-Lillooet area, mostly of the Canbred 150 and 250. The heat and freedom from early frost made BB 50 BRITISH COLUMBIA the year an exceptionally favourable one. Late-maturing hybrids could have matured as indicated by the small trial-plots grown. Progress in establishing this plant as the main grain-crop has been slow, but some headway is being made. In the Okanagan, ensilage corn, where not irrigated, yielded poorly. Seeds The British Columbia Seeds Co-operative is now established at Kamloops, with a warehouse and office, and is equipped to handle forage-crop seeds. This move should stimulate the industry. Already some ranchers have threshed alfalfa seed for the first time, and are having the organization clean and handle the seed, with, in all, about 60 acres of alfalfa seed being harvested. Some sweet-clover stands were established this year for seed production in 1951, and a certain interest is shown in growing hairy vetch for seed. Pasture Irrigated Pasture for Beef.—Jointly, the Department and the Federal Range Experiment Station established a 50-acre demonstration area on the Nicola Stock Farm property for the purposes of demonstrating the advantage of finishing beef steers on irrigated pastures. The field was fertilized with 11-48-0 at the rate of 200 pounds to the acre at the time of seeding down to a mixture consisting of orchard-grass (5 pounds), brome- grass (5 pounds), alta fescue (2 pounds), Grimm's alfalfa (4 pounds), Ladino clover (1 pound), at 17 pounds per acre. A good catch was obtained, and it appears that the pasture will be producing to capacity by the summer of 1951. Mr. Gray established three plots, consisting of seven units, on the farms of L. Johnson, Heffley Creek; Pavilion Ranch; and D. Stelter, Chase. He reports a satisfactory catch, and some interesting information should be available next year. Mr. Muirhead, at Salmon Arm, reports that the orchardgrass-clover mixture pastures gave three weeks' longer grazing under droughty conditions than did the ordinary common type. Weeds Spraying of grain-fields with 2,4-D for the destruction of annual weeds has become common practice over the southern part of this region and has given good results. Some research into the destruction of diffuse knapweed (Centaurea diffusa) has been conducted by this Department under J. L. Gray, and by the Federal Range Experimental Station under T. Willis. A course of eight different treatments has been undertaken at Pritchard. Some conclusions should be established by 1951. The leafy-spurge infestation at Campbell Creek was treated with Atlacide at the rate of Wi to 2 pounds per square rod. The top growth has been killed, but it will not be known until next year how much of the root system has been destroyed. M. J. Walsh states that willow treated in 1949 with 2,4-D derivative of both sodium and ester gave very good kills where the whole leaf surface was covered. Aeroplane spraying would seem to be the answer to efficient application. Insects and Pests Grasshopper-con trol The whole of the range territory was comparatively free of hoppers during the year, although an outbreak was reported and controlled on Pavilion Mountain. The three control areas of this region finished up the year without any expenditures for control measures. Land-clearing In the Salmon Arm area a total of 145 acres was cleared at an average cost of $59.26 per acre. In the Vernon and Westbank communities 1,321 acres were cleared. The equipment was moved in the late fall from the Lumby area to Falkland. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, 1950 BB 51 General Several ranch properties have changed hands during the year. Considerable interest in British Columbia properties is being shown by American buyers. EAST AND WEST KOOTENAYS, GRAND FORKS, AND BOUNDARY DISTRICTS (Report of J. S. Allin, Supervising Agriculturist) Extension services in this region have been conducted by four District Agriculturists, with headquarters situated at Cranbrook, Creston, Nelson, and Grand Forks. Detailed reports on crop conditions, production, experimental work, and extension activities have been submitted by District Agriculturists J. W. Awmack, S. B. Peterson, H. R. Anderson, and J. F. Carmichael respectively. Statistical data on agricultural production included in the reports of the District Agriculturists are not repeated here in detail, since it will be included in the reports of other branches. Co-operative Effort District Agriculturists have worked closely with representatives of other branches, and we have been fortunate in having Federal Department of Agriculture services extended to a greater degree than previously in this region. In particular, the Experimental Farms Service, Lethbridge, and the Science Service, Lethbridge, have expanded to include that part of the region east of Kootenay Lake. In the whole region, extension workers and farmers alike have benefited by the assistance of Production Service—more specifically Seed Potato Inspection, Plant Products Division, and Livestock Division. In addition, the work of entomologists from Dominion laboratories at Victoria and Kamloops has been of direct benefit to producers during the past year, as has been the assistance given by the Supervisor of Illustration Stations, Agassiz, in laying down experimental plots in the West Boundary District. This close working relationship between all agricultural services is appreciated and should continue to the advantage of the producer. Extension Programmes No two districts have exactly the same problems or needs, and their programmes must vary accordingly. Early in the year the District Agriculturists met to draft their programme of work in the light of past experience, current information, and problems or needs of the farm. They were assisted in this programme planning by the Director of Agricultural Development and Extension and the Field Crops Commissioner. Some problems are common to all districts, and the planning included such long- range programmes as improving soil-fertility, breeding better live stock, better live-stock management, improving pastures, etc. Much of the extension work is done on an individual level, and the extent to which individual services have been rendered is indicated by the following record: Mail, 5,781; publications, 498; office visitors, 1,633; farm visits, 1,833. Dairying Milk production remains in a constant state of change. A short period of surplus existed during the spring and early summer. However, serious shortages occurred early in the year and still remain. This scarcity is due to a number of factors, including poor pastures, poor management, lack of feed, etc. The region as a whole is not self-sufficient in this commodity. Fluid-milk shipments have been made into the region from three points in Alberta and from the Okanagan. Certain localities produce more than enough for local needs; others are in a state of famine. Earlier in the year it was evident that BB 52 BRITISH COLUMBIA milk-producers were not paying sufficient attention to management methods, and the value of pastures and other live-stock feeds was not being fully realized by the farmer. Extension efforts in all districts therefore were necessarily directed at these problems. Assistance was given in marketing. Courses and tours were conducted, and individual help given to improve methods of milk production. Meetings were held with producers to discuss problems of clean-milk production. Dairy producers were assisted with their breeding programmes. Good-quality female stock was added to herds or replaced poorer-grade animals. District Agriculturists assisted in the distribution of well-bred sires. Junior Clubs in areas where they are operating have been a factor in the progress which has been made in improving the general quality of dairy production. In every district definite results have been achieved in improving quality production. Special efforts were made in such localities as Creston, Fruitvale-Salmo, Arrow Lakes, and Grand Forks, in each of which dairying is a major farm enterprise. An example of the progress which has been made in dairy production as a result of extension efforts is contained in the report of District Agriculturist S. B. Peterson at Creston, which indicates:— (a) During the past two years nearly 50 head of good stock has been brought into the district, which, together with natural increases, brings the total to 80 head. (b) During the same period twenty milk-houses have been constructed and an equal number have been improved. Two years ago only two milk- houses were in evidence. (c) A fair competitive price for quality production has been achieved, and prices between districts have levelled off. (d) Bacterial content and, more important, the presence of coliaerogenes in milk samples have shown marked improvement. This progress has been a result of supervision by the District Agriculturist of milk-production methods on an individual and group level. Beef Cattle Beef production is a major item in farm production in the East Kootenay District and in the Boundary District. In these areas, range is available for summer grazing and farm crops are mainly devoted to feed production for maintenance of the live stock. To assist producers with improvement of better-quality stock, J. W. Awmack, District Agriculturist in the East Kootenay District, is directly connected with the management of several organizations, such as bull-control areas and grazing associations. Through these organized groups we attempt to improve the quality of bulls and maintain a satisfactory bull-cow ratio on the range for breeding purposes. This latter factor, together with other management practices, is designed to improve the quality and the percentage calf-crop. As a result of these extension efforts, definite progress has been made in improving the type of beef animal and herd-management practices. To assist with the live-stock improvement programmes, we have been supported by the Livestock Division, Federal Department of Agriculture, which has, through its Bull Loaning Policy, made available to these organizations for the past five years good-quality sires. Three bull-control areas operate under Provincial regulations and four grazing associations have been formed to take advantage of the Bull Loaning Policy supervised by the Livestock Division, Federal Department of Agriculture, Production Service. In these areas, approximately forty bulls are used on the range, about half being supplied by the Federal Department of Agriculture. The beef-cattle auction sale at Elko is another activity supported by the District Agriculturist and other officials of the Extension Branch. Such a sale not only provides DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, 1950 BB 53 a market outlet, but tends to raise the general level of beef prices throughout the district, providing a standard of prices obtained by competitive buying. The sale is managed by the Waldo Stock-breeders' Association, and this year grossed over $100,000 for 558 head of cattle. District Agriculturists have assisted with the purchase and distribution of good sires for live-stock associations and for individual ranchers. As in the case of dairy cattle, we have given assistance, when possible, in selecting good-quality female stock to add to existing herds, both commercial and pure-bred, and to replace inferior-quality stock culled and marketed during the year. Increasing emphasis needs to be placed on a programme to encourage:— (1) Retention of the best young females in a herd to be used for breeding stock. (2) Disposal of older, poorer-quality stock. (3) Better winter-feeding practices. Programmes and problems of animal-parasite control have been dealt with by District Agriculturists, including warble-fly and liver-fluke. Control of the latter still remains to be undertaken by the responsible authorities. Hogs The level of hog production has remained fairly constant, with a slight upward trend. Quality of hogs being produced has improved as a result of importations, arranged by District Agriculturists, of good-type hogs, both sires and gilts, followed up by progeny distribution to areas where better breeding stock is required and requested by producers. Soils and Fertilizers District Agriculturists have continued to encourage farmers to make use of the soil-testing services of this Department. On the basis of these soil tests and data supplied by experimental work planned and conducted with the assistance of the Field Crops Branch and Experimental Stations, the District Agriculturists have made fertilizer recommendations, or have advised the use of other soil amendments or practices, emphasizing observations of crop responses to various treatments. Farmers of this region have used more commercial fertilizers than ever before. During the past year approximately 1,058 tons of fertilizer were sold in the four districts combined. District Agriculturists have likewise been concerned with improving the texture and fertility of the soil. A study of crop production on the reclamation area at Creston and immediately adjacent land in Idaho over a period of about fifteen years reveals that average yields have gradually decreased from 36 bushels to the acre to 26 bushels to the acre. A similar picture can be painted of declining production in parts of the West Boundary and East Kootenay Districts. For the most part, therefore, extension efforts throughout the region have been directed toward encouraging the farmer to conserve and improve soil-fertility. Several approaches have been used, and advice is constantly being given on methods of soil-building, such as proper crop-rotation, special seed crops, animal- pasture units, and use of suitable machinery for incorporating organic matter supplemented by commercial fertilizers. The results of this programme of soil-improvement are shown by changes in farming practices and yields as observed by S. B. Peterson, District Agriculturist at Creston. (a) Incorporation of organic matter plus fertilizer applications plus planned crop sequence produces results where the yield is 8 to 10 bushels per acre in excess of the over-all average. BB 54 BRITISH COLUMBIA (b) A 300-acre field of Kharkov under conscientious soil-conservation management and planning yielded 50 bushels to the acre; a 200-acre field of Kharkov under converse conditions yielded 18 bushels to the acre. (c) Forty acres have been sown to small-seed production, such as orchard- grass, timothy, Ladino clover, and brome-grass. (d) Twenty-five acres have been seeded to alfalfa for hay production. (e) There is a marked tendency to avoid stubble-burning. Each District Agriculturist during the past year has conducted planned fertilizer tests. These are designed to provide the extension worker with information on the optimum kinds and amounts of fertilizers which provide the most economical crop response, and also with demonstration material which can be used locally in conjunction with his extension programme of soil-fertility. Detailed reports of experimental work conducted by each District Agriculturist have been compiled and will, no doubt, be included in the report of the Field Crops Branch. Field Crops •Right along with the programmes of better soil-management goes the work to improve hay, pastures, and other field crops. Each District Agriculturist has therefore developed plans for testing, on co-operating farms, hay and pasture mixtures, cereal varieties, etc., in order to have information on which he can base his recommendations. In the East Kootenay J. W. Awmack, District Agriculturist, with the co-operation of the Field Crops Branch, tested six varieties of spring wheat at two stations and four varieties of oats at two stations. J. F. Carmichael, District Agricuiturist, serving the Boundary area, with the assistance of the Field Crops Branch, tested seven varieties of spring wheat and four varieties of oats at two stations. The Supervisor of Illustration Stations, Agassiz Experimental Farm, and Mr. Carmichael have laid down tests in the Rock Creek-Bridesville area to include cereals (forty varieties), flax (three varieties), grasses (seven varieties), legumes (eight varieties), corn (one variety), and fertilizers. For Creston and West Kootenay the District Agriculturists, S. B. Peterson and H. R. Anderson, have attempted to emphasize the value of good permanent pastures, quality-hay production, and greater use of silage. As a result of the efforts of those officials, farmers have had excellent success with silage production (grass, legume, and cereal), and the use of this product has increased many times. Mr. Peterson reports further that his programme for improving hay and pasture crops, together with soil-improvement work, has achieved the following results:— (1) Cattle numbers in the district have increased considerably, primarily for dairying purposes, resulting in home consumption of the hay and manure return to the land. (2) A few pastures of limited size have been sown, using brome-grasses, blue- grasses, timothy, and other plants suitable to the area. Crested wheat- grass has been incorporated in a few instances during the year, and will evidence results during the coming season. (3) Nearly 100 acres of new seeding incorporated brome-grass as a portion of the mix, as advised by the district office. (4) Experimental work indicates that with the use of ammonium phosphate we can expect an increase of 1,000 pounds per acre of hay, resulting in an over-all district increase of 900 tons. Tours, farm visits, news-letters, bulletins, field-days, short courses, and group meetings have all been used to present this information to the farmer. Investigations have been carried out and encouragement has been given by District Agriculturists on seed production of legumes and grasses. Factors influencing seed-set DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, 1950 BB 55 have been studied. Recommendations have been made to seed-growers whose seed crops were being affected by diseases and pests. Yields of potatoes have been increased by improving management practices, fertilizer applications, and as a result of using good seed. Because of the high quality of seed- potatoes from this region, thirty-one car-loads of seed were exported to the State of Washington during the past year. The establishment of seed-potato control zones has been a factor in maintaining and improving the quality of seed-potatoes. An area of 246 acres out of 293 acres was planted in tuber units in the Grand Forks Seed-potato Control Zone. Work is now proceeding to establish seed-potato control zones in the East Kootenay District. Approximately five seed-potato growers have taken advantage of the new arrangements whereby assistance is given growers to send seed samples to Oceanside, Calif., for testing. Weed-control demonstratitons were made by the District Agriculturist in the East Kootenay District, using 2,4-D and 2,4,5-T with good results. Weed-control in peas and cereals is extensively used at Creston, and a survey conducted by the District Agriculturist at that point revealed the following:— (a) Approximately 6,000 acres of cereals were treated with 2,4-D. (b) Pea-growers used Sinox for weed-control in 600 acres of peas. (c) In co-operation with a local farmer an application of 8 ounces per acre of ester, 2,4-D was made on a 100-acre field, with excellent results. Burdock and red-root pigweed were effectively controlled. Generally, however, the weed problem is becoming more serious. Weeds that are new to the region are appearing, and a more intensive weed-control programme seems advisable. Junior Clubs Sixteen Junior Clubs operated in the region during the past year, including projects in potatoes, sewing, tractor maintenance, beef, dairy, and poultry. Since the success of Junior Club work depends on local leadership, a short course or conference for club leaders was arranged. Attendance was not large, but it served a very useful purpose, and the success can only be measured by improvements in the clubs themselves. Club leaders have requested a similar conference for next year. Land-clearing Operations under the " Farmers' Land-clearing Assistance Act" were handled locally by the District Agriculturists. Clearing was performed in two districts during the past year—Nakusp and Lardeau—with total work amounting to $15,323 for 308.5 acres on sixty-three farms. Average cost per acre was approximately $45. General Conditions Spring was later than usual and farm operations were delayed by at least two weeks. The usual spring rains did not occur until late June and July. In some districts, lack of rain during the growing season seriously reduced yields of all crops and particularly hay, pasture, and cereals. While most areas report adequate feed-supplies, farmers of the West Kootenay will have little, if any, surplus. Haying and harvesting of other crops was generally completed by the end of September. Unusually fine weather, with absence of frost, prevailed, thus assisting ripening. Constant rain during October established near records and caused difficulty in potato-harvesting, which, in some cases, was not completed until November. In summary, farmers have experienced satisfactory returns during the year. General improvement has been noted in methods of production, which is reflected in improved conditions on the farm and in the home. In an attempt to maintain uniform production during the growing season, and also to utilize land to best possible advantage, many (PROVINCIAL LIBRARY VICTORIA, B. C- BB 56 BRITISH COLUMBIA farmers are concerned with installing irrigation systems and converting from furrow to sprinklers. Producers are paying more attention to crop sequences, soil-fertility, pastures and pasture-management, live-stock improvement, and to the advice of extension officials. AGRICULTURAL ENGINEERING DIVISION (George L. Calver, Extension Agricultural Engineer) The purpose of this Division is to assist District Agriculturists with problems of an agricultural engineering nature and to assist farmers generally with farm machinery, farm structures, soil and water, and, to some extent, rural electrification problems. Circulars and Bulletins The primary purpose of circulars mimeographed during the past year has been to reduce the number of letters required when one specific problem seems to be of interest to a fairly large group. The circulars and numbers printed during the past year are as follows:—Drainage, 250 copies; Silo Types and Silage Machinery, 250 copies; Loafing Barns and Milking Parlours (reprint), 650 copies; Trench Silos (reprint), 300 copies. Some of the problems on which circular material should be printed are as follows: Water-ram installation; sandpoint wells; deep freezer for the home—the revision and improvement of some of the material already on hand. The revised edition of the land-clearing bulletin prepared by J. E. Beamish has been printed, and a large number of copies have been distributed. During the year, inquiries have been answered dealing with house plans, barns and silos, other farm structures, farm machinery, drainage and irrigation, water-supply, refrigeration, and many miscellaneous subjects. Plans The satisfactory operation of any farm requires that suitable buildings be provided for all farm enterprises. One of the best methods of assisting the farmer in the construction of a building that will conform to the requirements of the particular operation for which it was intended, and also to any local regulations, is to supply him with reasonable plans which he need not follow to the letter, but which will clarify in his mind the type of building suitable for his purpose and also clear up some of the difficulties which he is likely to encounter in construction. Plans were prepared by this Division during the past year for sav/n Gothic rafter, bent Gothic rafter, turkey sun-porch, range waterer, and range feeder. This latter plan was incorporated in the Poultry Division's latest bulletin on turkey-raising. Also, plans were prepared for community halls and a small general- purpose barn. This Division should take a very active part in the development of an over-all plan service for the Province in order that suitable material can be on hand to generally improve our farm structures. Field-days During the past year this Division, in co-operation with the Agricultural Engineering Department at the University of British Columbia, arranged and conducted farm- machinery field-days to assist farmers in obtaining more satisfactory service from their equipment, both in better operation and through longer life. This past year, field-days were extended to take in some work on drainage, irrigation, and farm structures. They were arranged by District Agriculturists through farmer groups. A total of forty-nine field-days was held. Professor Young conducted twenty-five field-days, Professor Coulthard four field-days, and W. Cleave, laboratory technician, one field-day. Professor Leroux assisted in conducting a farm-structures field-day at Duncan. Twenty were handled by myself. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, 1950 BB 57 Attendance ran from a high of four hundred to a low of six persons attending, with an average figure of approximately fifty. A farm-machinery field-day appears to be a most satisfactory method of extension, since it presents an opportunity to prove the points which the demonstrator is trying to make, and anything which a person is shown and can take part in is more likely to remain with him than a mere fact given from a platform. Farm Structures Farm-structure work ties in very closely with a plan service, and if the latter were satisfactory, it would greatly reduce the work required on individual farms. During the past year, assistance was given with approximately ten structures, including barns, potato storage, manure-pits, and water-storage tanks. In all of these cases, some written material was given to the farmer, either in the form of a plan or a rough sketch, as well as one or more visits to the farm in order to assist with the layout and design of the structure. Advice has been given during the course of farm visits arounds the Province on many other problems. Soil and Water Assistance was given in connection with drainage, irrigation, and water storage. Drainage During the past year, at the request of the District Agriculturist, assistance has been given on twenty-one farms. In most of these cases it has been necessary to make a survey and later draw up a plan of the area to be drained and of the drainage structures which should be used. A number of requests remain to be dealt with as soon as circumstances permit. Irrigation It is apparent that the farmers of British Columbia are becoming much more interested in the application of additional water through furrow and sprinkler irrigation. Many of the firms which are supplying irrigation equipment are greatly improving their sales services, but in many cases the farmers appreciate an unbiased opinion as to the amount of equipment which will be required, as well as information on the most satisfactory system and layout. Assistance with sprinkler irrigation problems was given to five farmers in the Vancouver Island area, five in the Kootenay area, and three in Central British Columbia. Water Storage With the greater interest in irrigation, water storage presents new problems. Assistance has been given in approximately six cases of this nature, and it is evident it will also be necessary to increase this service. The storage of water for domestic use has also received some attention during the past year. Other Projects The agricultural engineering booth, in connection with the planned-farming display in the Fraser Valley, stressed irrigation and drainage and pointed out the other phases of information which could be obtained from this Division. A complete survey was made of the pre-settlement clearing project sponsored by the Department of Lands and Forests, at Prince George, and a map drawn up to show 2-inch contours. The location of a water-holding dugout was determined, and some data obtained on probable draining of one area. Plans were prepared for construction of a small earth dam to form a water-supply for stock. Another survey was made in the Lily Lake area, near Fort Fraser, to determine the amount of earth which would have to be moved in order to provide an improved channel for the Tahultzu Creek. A slight lowering of the lake, together with faster spring run-off, BB 58 BRITISH COLUMBIA would greatly lengthen the haying season for farmers affected and increase the acreage available for profitable farm production. This project has definite merit. Meetings Talks were presented at several short courses held throughout the Province, and two radio addresses were given through the co-operation of Tom Leach of the C.B.C. farm broadcast. These talks dealt with barns, milking-parlours, silos, drainage, irrigation, and farm machinery. JUNIOR CLUB DIVISION (Miss Echo Lidster, Supervisor) Following are the figures indicating membership in the junior clubs in British Columbia for 1949 and 1950:— Projects Clubs Members 1949 1950 1949 1950 Alfalfa 3 14 22 50 9 6 25 36 16 1 3 21 16 49 16 20 1 2 16 34 16 2 1 30 162 303 530 69 74 241 335 145 10 22 Beef - _ 239 Clothing ■ 205 Dairy Calf. .. ._ 647 130 275 9 17 Potato - - _ 165 284 137 32 Tractor _ _. 8 Totals 183 197 1.909 1 7 170 The Lamb Project was revived again at Lavington and Barriere. The Clothing Clubs have shown a decrease from twenty-two to sixteen this year because of the difficulty of obtaining leaders in four cases, and in lack of interest to complete membership in the other two instances. The Notch Hill Clothing Club members made and donated a pure-wool quilt to the Children's Hospital in Vancouver. The first Clothing Club Achievement Day was held at Salmon Arm on October 14th, when club members were hosts to their mothers at a tea and social afternoon. Miss Elizabeth Per.ny, teacher of home economics at Salmon Arm High School, was the judge of the girls' work. The Vernon Honey Bee Club, organized by Leo Fuhr, is the first venture of its kind in this Province for Boys' and Girls' Clubs. The first Tractor Club in this Province was formed in September at Newgate, under the leadership of Stan Wilkinson. Advisory Committee In September an Advisory Committee on Junior Club Work was formed, with the Supervisor of Boys' and Girls' Clubs as chairman. Other members of the committee were J. S. Allin, Supervising Agriculturist, Creston; S. G. Preston, Supervising Agriculturist, Prince George; J. L. Gray, District Agriculturist, Kamloops; George Cruickshank, Assistant District Agriculturist, Abbotsford; R. L. Wilkinson, District Agriculturist, Courtenay. The duties of this committee shall be to assist in designing the club programme in British Columbia, and to make suggestions for revision and improvement as the need arises. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, 1950 BB 59 BRITISH COLUMBIA POULTRY-JUDGING TEAM Allan Eustis (left) and Eric Powell (right), Burnaby Poultry Club. Coach, George Bancroft. :S111II BRITISH COLUMBIA CLOTHING TEAM Mae and Rae Untershultz, twin sisters, Salmon Arm Clothing Club. Coach, Mrs. Gladys Caldwell. BB 60 BRITISH COLUMBIA Provincial Elimination Contests District examinations were revived this year. These were held at Chilliwack for the Abbotsford, Chilliwack, Langley, and Mission Dairy Clubs; at Armstrong for North Okanagan clubs; at Kamloops for the Kamloops area; and at Quesnel for the Cariboo clubs. The Provincial elimination contests were held at the Pacific National Exhibition in Vancouver, with the following results:— Beef.—1, Narcosli—Tom Windt and Pat Webster; 2, Barriere—Bruno Schilling and Alan Schmidt; 3, Pineview—Keith Johnson and Betty Anne Johnson; 4, Armstrong—Jack Parkinson and Bobby Wood. Clothing.—1, Salmon Arm—Mae Untershultz and Rae Untershultz; 2, Quesnel—Doreen Trueman and Denise Emmelkamp. Dairy.—1, Armstrong—Pat Thompson and Bernice Heighton; 2, Matsqui— Alex Gergely and Frank Keis; 3, Cobble Hill—Marie Cullen and Carolyn Pearson; 4, Salmon Arm—Brian Veale and Earl Stewart; 5, Chilliwack—Don Northgraves and Robin Lister; 6, Langley—Jean Forrest and Don Urquhart. Potato.—1, Surrey—Bob Bose and Sargit Singh; 2, Newgate—Brader Charles- worth and Ernie Strauss. Poultry.—1, Burnaby—Eric Powell and Allan Eustis; 2, Armstrong—Bonnie Cavers and Gordon Moore. Swine.—1, Armstrong—Dennis Taylor and John McCallan; 2, Quesnel— Ray Susag and Jack Dobb; 3, Chilliwack—Jack Pickup and Doug Bathgate. Special Prizes and Trophies The Crystal Dairy Limited (Vancouver) Scholarship was won this year by Lance Richardson, Surrey. He is attending the University of British Columbia, being enrolled in the Occupational Agriculture Course. There were no applicants for the Sperry Phillips Memorial Scholarship this year. The Board of Trade at Fruitvale donated a pure-bred heifer Ayrshire calf to the club member coming first in the club project for the year 1950. M. Riedemann, of Alkali Lake, donated a steer to Martha Twan, owner of the championship calf shown in the Junior Club section at Williams Lake Show and Sale in October, 1950. Travels for 1950 J. D. Moore, Public Relations Officer for the Canadian Council on Boys' and Girls' Club Work, spent one week in British Columbia. Needs in the Club Movement There is a great need to secure additional club leaders. There is also a great need for more training of the club leaders already serving. There is a need, which could be brought out in training programmes, to convey to leaders and parents alike the real objective in club work. Too many people fail to realize that it is the individual club member, not the individual project which is important. There is a need to develop a programme which will inspire older club members to remain in club work for longer periods. This year there is a slight increase in the average age of club members. It is now 14.5 years for 1950. George Cruickshank, Assistant District Agriculturist, stationed at Abbotsford, has been almost entirely engaged during the year with Junior Club work in the Fraser Valley, and reports:— DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, 1950 BB 61 " Junior Farmers' Activities.—The Agassiz area continued to expand its club work, which had been discontinued during the flood of 1948. The Agassiz Grade Club continued as from last year, and, in addition, the Agassiz Jersey Calf Club reorganized under the direction of Frank Appel. " The Abbotsford area continued along the same lines as in 1949, but there was an increase in membership; five clubs showed some yearlings and some members also showed 2-year-olds. The Abbotsford Poultry Club, the only one in this area, was unable to exhibit because of Newcastle disease. " The Chilliwack clubs continued successfully, with the membership slightly increased over that of last year. Quite a few boys and girls showed yearlings, and along with the group classes—both calf and yearling—this helped to round out the show into an excellent junior farmers' display. The Swine Club had a successful year. " The Langley area had a good year; the junior farmers' show was a success due to the interest of the boys and girls and the efforts of the organizers. Although this show was not the largest in the valley, it was one of the best of the junior farmers' displays this year. " The Surrey area had a good turnout, with members of the Jersey and Guernsey Clubs showing some yearlings. The Potato Club had a successful year, with two members, Robert Bose and Sargit Singh, winning the elimination contest at the Pacific National Exhibition, and proceeding to represent British Columbia at National Club Week in Toronto, where they won the Canadian championship. Sid Gray, of Milner, and Doug Bose, the club organizer, coached them, with assistance from H. S. McLeod and his staff. " Following is a table of numbers of clubs and members enrolled during the past four years in the Fraser Valley and a table showing the total number of club members and inspections made by members of the staff in 1950:— Name of Club Clubs 1947 1948 1949 1950 Members 1947 1948 1949 1950 Dairy Calf Dairy Heifer. Swine Poultry Potato 36 7 4 16 5 37 7 5 10 4 39 13 4 7 4 I 312 76 38 164 62 278 24 35 93 54 352 60 42 88 36 I 350 79 27 70 43 Number of clubs 66 Number of members 499 Number of inspections 959 " Field-days.—One major field-day was held this year. It was held at the Colony Farm on June 29th, 1950, with twenty-seven clubs represented and 190 members participating. " Chilliwack continued its programme of holding four field-days in the area, with each club taking a turn at being host for the day. " Other areas held field-days throughout the summer. The M.S.A. district held four, which all clubs attended. The Langley area held meetings for all clubs every Monday evening, starting in June. The Surrey area also held a few meetings which all clubs could attend. They varied their programmes in this district by holding meetings on farms where other classes of live stock were kept, such as beef, sheep, and swine. " The Swine Club held its annual field-day at the Chilliwack Fair Grounds in conjunction with the British Columbia Swine-breeders' annual field-day. BB 62 BRITISH COLUMBIA "Fall Fairs.—The Fraser Valley was very fortunate in that it had ideal weather conditions for the annual fall fairs. All of the junior-farmer shows were at least as good as those of last year, and in many cases somewhat improved. BRITISH COLUMBIA BEEF-JUDGING TEAM Miss Pat Webster and Tom Windt, Narcosli Beef Club. Coach, Bill Webster, Sr. " The Agassiz and Surrey areas have room for improvement in the condition in which the calves are shown. The other areas showed their calves in a condition that would be a credit to senior showmen." .■" ^ :;■-- DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, 1950 BB 63 "Pacific National Exhibition.—The junior farmers' show at the Pacific National Exhibition went on this year to greater success than in 1949. Practically all clubs attended this year, to make it the largest show on record. Four hundred and twenty-five members were enrolled at the Pacific National Exhibition. As in the past, the boys and girls worked hard, yet enjoyed themselves. Living accommodations and eating facilities were excellent, and numerous opportunities for entertainment were arranged. BRITISH COLUMBIA DAIRY-JUDGING TEAM Miss Pat Thompson (right) and Miss Bernice Heighten (left), Armstrong Jersey Calf Club. Organizer, Tom Fowler, centre. "The winners of some of the competitions at the Pacific National Exhibition are listed below:— Pym Trophy—Yvonne (Bonnie) Cavers, Armstrong. Individual Live-stock Judging—Yvonne (Bonnie) Cavers, Armstrong. Individual Poultry Judging—Allan Eustis, Burnaby. Individual Swine Judging—Pat McClughan, Langley. Individual Beef Judging—Doug Ormrod, Langley. Individual Dairy Judging—Marjorie McLellan, Langley. Individual Horses Judging—Yvonne (Bonnie) Cavers, Armstrong. Individual Sheep Judging—Carl Wuyzke, Lumby. B.C. Stock Breeders' Challenge Trophy and Gold Medals—Ray Susag, Jack Dobb, and Pat Webster, Quesnel. Silver Medals—Pat Thompson, " Skip " McCallan, and Dennis Taylor, Armstrong. Bronze Medals—Elaine Phillips, Jean Forrest, and Don Urquhart, Otter Jersey Calf Club. Stall Competition (Dairy)—Chilliwack Jersey Calf Club. Interclub Competition—Ayrshire Trophy, Mission Ayrshire Calf Club; Guernsey Silver Cup, Mount Lehman Guernsey Calf Club; Frasea Farms Shield, Richmond Holstein Calf "A" Club; Jersey Farms Shield, Delta Purebred BB 64 BRITISH COLUMBIA Jersey Calf Club; Pacific National Exhibition Trophy, Langley Swine Club; Brackman-Ker Milling Company Silver Trophy, Richmond Potato Club. " The expanding junior clubs' show at the Pacific National Exhibition necessitated a change in the manner in which Provincial elimination contests were handled. Two district elimination-days were held this year in the Fraser Valley, with the first one being held at Chilliwack to select the dairy teams for the Chilliwack, Mission, and New Westminster districts. These contests were run on the same basis as the Provincial elimination contest held at the Pacific National Exhibition. The following Dairy Calf Club teams won the right to represent their districts in the Provincial contests: New Westminster—Don Urquhart and Jean Forrest (Otter Jersey); Mission—Frank Keis and Alex Gergely (Matsqui Guernsey); Chilliwack—Robin Lister and Don North- graves (Chilliwack Jersey). The following teams won the right to represent their districts: New Westminster—Bob Bose and Sargit Singh (Surrey Potato Club); New Westminster—Eric Powell and Allan Eustis (Burnaby Poultry Club). "A Junior Farmers' International Day was held at the Pacific National Exhibition on Thursday, August 24th. A large number of 4-H (seventy-five members) and Future Farmers of America (200 members) boys and girls from the State of Washington were entertained by members of the Junior Farmers' Committee of the Pacific National Exhibition and by club members. Judging classes were also provided for the visitors for their own competitions. "Annual Meeting of Organizers.—On April 27th, 1950, a meeting of the Fraser Valley junior club leaders was held in the Anglican Hall in Abbotsford. Reports were given by all the club leaders in attendance. Rules and regulations were discussed, and certain changes were suggested, these to come into effect in 1951. " Club Calves Sired by Artificial Insemination.—A survey showed that 22 per cent of the calves in Calf Clubs in the Fraser Valley were sired by bulls used at the insemination centres at Milner and Chilliwack. " National Contests.—The following junior judging teams represented the Province at the National contests held in conjunction with the Royal Winter Fair at Toronto in November. They were accompanied by S. G. Preston, Supervising Agriculturist, Prince George. Beef Team (Alexandria Beef Calf Club): Miss Pat Webster, Narcosli Creek; Tom Windt, Alexandria. Clothing Project (Salmon Arm Clothing Club): Misses Rae and Mae Untershultz, R.R. 3, Salmon Arm. Dairy Team (Armstrong Dairy Calf Club): Miss Bernice Heighton, Armstrong; Miss Pat Thompson, Armstrong. Potato Team (Surrey Potato Club): Sargit Singh, R.R. 2, Cloverdale; Robert Bose, Surrey Centre. Poultry Team (Burnaby Poultry Club): Allan Eustis, 4206 Rumble Street, Burnaby; Eric Powell, 4425 Woodland Street, Burnaby. Swine Team (Armstrong Swine Club): "Skip" McCallan, Armstrong; Dermis Taylor, Armstrong. " The Potato Team again brought the National championship for potato judging back to British Columbia. The Narcosli Beef Team and the Burnaby Poultry Team placed fourth. Fifth and sixth places respectively were won by the Dairy and Swine Teams from Armstrong. The Clothing Club Team from Salmon Arm placed seventh. This is the first occasion on which British Columbia has been represented at Toronto by a team from this particular project. " It is interesting to note that Eric Powell, of the Burnaby Poultry Team, was selected to introduce John Fisher, internationally known C.B.C. reporter, when he addressed a banquet attended by those associated with the National contests. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, 1950 BB 65 BRITISH COLUMBIA POTATO-JUDGING TEAM Bob Bose and Sargit Singh, Surrey Potato Club. Club leader, Doug Bose; special coach, Syd Gray. BRITISH COLUMBIA SWINE-JUDGING TEAM John (Skip) McCallan (left) and Dennis Taylor (right), Armstrong Swine Club. Club leader, Lou Field (centre). BB 66 BRITISH COLUMBIA " On two occasions Sargit Singh, of the Surrey Potato Club, expressed the thanks of the young people for honours conferred upon them." J. D. Hazlette, District Agriculturist at Duncan, makes the following report regarding junior clubs:— " Three new Dairy Calf Clubs were organized in the district this year—namely, the Duncan Dairy Calf Club, under Mrs. I. N. Windeyer; the Cowichan Jersey Calf Club, under Mrs. H. Standen; and the Saanich Holstein Calf Club, under Alex Hall. Club Members Saanich Jersey Calf Club (A. Hall, organizer) 7 Saanich Holstein Calf Club (A. Hall, organizer) 14 Cobble Hill Registered Jersey Calf Club (E. Hamilton, organizer) 9 Cobble Hill Registered Jersey Yearling Club (E. Hamilton, organizer) 7 Cobble Hill Grade Calf Club (R. B. Moulton, organizer) 6 Cobble Hill Swine Club (T. Standring, organizer) 4 Cowichan Jersey Calf Club (Mrs. H. Standen, organizer) 9 Duncan Dairy Calf Club (Mrs. I. N. Windeyer, organizer) 18 Ladysmith Ayrshire Calf Club (Rev. C. McDiarmid, organizer) 7 Ladysmith Jersey-Holstein Grade Club (Rev. C. McDiarmid, organizer) .. .-._::■ 8 " Eighteen regular meetings were attended. Four special meetings were held for the team competing in eliminations at Vancouver. Members of this team were Marie Cullen, Carolyn Pearson, and Annabelle Loveseth." The report received from A. J. Allan, District Agriculturist at Mission, states:— " Junior club inspections and other work for the Mission and Maple Ridge districts have been done through this office during the year. The following is a list of the clubs of the district:— __ , __ .... . _ Members Beginning Members Completing Club Year's Work Year's Work Mission Ayrshire Calf Club " A " 8 7 Mission Ayrshire Calf Club " B " 10 9 Mission Ayrshire Yearling Club 14 8 Mission Jersey Calf Club 13 11 Mission Jersey Yearling Club 7 5 Mission Holstein Calf Club 7 7 Mission Swine Club 12 9 Mission Potato Club 13 13 Mission Poultry Club No. 1 10 9 Mission Poultry Club No. 2 11 9 Mission Poultry Club No. 3 10 8 Maple Ridge Jersey Calf Club 13 12 Maple Ridge Swine Club 7 6 Totals of thirteen clubs 135 113 " Two inspections were done on all these clubs, except the Poultry Clubs, on which only one inspection was possible because of Newcastle disease. A total of 200 individual inspections were made, involving thirteen clubs and 113 members. In connection with junior club work, fifteen evening meetings were attended, also seven afternoon field-days and three fall fairs." The following is the report of R. S. Berry, District Agriculturist at Chilliwack, on club work in his area:— " Junior club work in the Chilliwack area progressed quite favourably this year. Besides the regular breeders' junior club field-days, regular Monday night judging meet- DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, 1950 BB 67 ings were held and were attended by a large percentage of the club enrolment, look for junior clubs is quite good, and more members are expected next year, concerning Chilliwack clubs are listed below:— Club Enrolled Ayrshire " A " 9 Ayrshire " B " 9 The out- Statistics Ayrshire Yearling 6 Guernsey " A " 7 Guernsey " B " 8 Guernsey " C " 8 Guernsey Yearling . 7 Holstein L 18 Jersey " A " 8 Jersey " B " 10 Jersey " C " 10 Jersey Yearling 9 Swine 8 Completed 7 . 7 6 7 8 8 7 7 8 10 10 9 6 Field-days May 6th, 1950—Holstein 71 May 27th, 1950—Jersey 77 August 5th, 1950'—Ayrshire 54 August 12th, 1950—Guernsey _ 51 Total 253 " Turnout of adults: 25 to 30 at each meeting." J. F. Caplette, Assistant District Agriculturist at Vernon, has submitted this report on club work in his area:— " Despite the large membership in the area, the over-all quality of club work has improved, as indicated by increased attendance at meetings, field-days, and fairs. " Two Provincial championships were won by Armstrong teams, in addition to other trophies, discussed later. " The following table shows a slight increase in membership, which can be almost wholly attributed to the two new Beef Clubs started in Lumby. These have been very active and receive very enthusiastic support from the district. Club 1949 1950 Clubs Membership Clubs Membership 4 3 2 10 .... 43 41 24 .6 64 ...... 8 4 4 8 3 1 68 35 Beef - 40 76 Potato _ 43 Sheep ,,. 9 Totals 27 258 28 271 "Field-days.—At the beginning of the year it was decided that the Kamloops, Salmon Arm, and Vernon offices hold joint field-days for club members. These were initiated for two purposes—to have a large number of members together so that outside judges could be brought in to instruct the boys and girls, and to remove the necessity of having competitions for each club individually. BB 68 BRITISH COLUMBIA " The first field-day was held at Armstrong, where approximately 250 boys and girls took part in various competitions. The second was held at Tranquille. Organizers were most enthusiastic that these two functions were highly successful. "Senior Clubs.—With teams entering Provincial eliminations from Swine, Beef, Dairy, and Poultry Clubs in the Armstrong area, the writer planned joint meetings of all participants, starting in April and continuing twice monthly until July. Approximately sixteen senior members were involved in this plan. Films on various topics were shown, and each club project discussed with the whole group. In this way the number of separate meetings was reduced, and the boys and girls became much more adept in public speaking. It also gave members a chance to learn about other projects, which will be of use to them later. The scheme was successful to a degree and will be utilized again this coming year. "Organizers' Club Council.—The Council of Armstrong Organizers again functioned very well. The Okanagan-Main Line organizers' meeting held in Armstrong in March was of definite value. " Feeding Reports.—The writer devised a Beef Club feeding report form in answer to a request from the British Columbia Beef Cattle Breeders' Association. This was mimeographed and sent to Beef Club members throughout the Province. " To supplement this, a table was devised for estimating the weights of beef cattle by measurement. This table was tried at the Kamloops Bull Sale and proved successful for cattle in the 800-1,100-pound group. With additional data now available, it is hoped that this table can be further developed. "Pacific National Exhibition.—Four teams from Armstrong entered the competitions for Provincial championships. In addition, three members of the Lumby Beef Club were selected to enter the British Columbia Stock Breeders' Trophy competition. Their expenses were paid by the Lumby Board of Trade. " Of the teams entering in the Toronto competition, " Skip " McCallan and Dennis Taylor won the swine competition; Bernice Heighton and Pat Thompson won the dairy competition; Bonnie Cavers and Gordon Moore came second in the poultry competition; and Jack Parkinson and Bob Wood came fifth in the beef competition. " Bonnie Cavers won the Pym Trophy, with Gordon Moore a close second. In the individual competitions, Bonnie Cavers won the horse judging, and Carl Wutzke of Lumby won the sheep judging. " In the British Columbia Stock Breeders' Trophy, the Armstrong team placed second and the Lumby team ninth." The report of J. L. Gray, District Agriculturist at Kamloops, on junior club work in that area is as follows :•— " Progress of the club movement has been slow, with a decline of interest showing in the beef projects. New clubs include a Beef Club at Merritt and Garden Clubs at Westwold and Knutsford. Club membership is down slightly from 1949. " During the year two successful Main Line-Okanagan field-days were held—one at Armstrong and one at Tranquille. " Five Beef Club field-days were held in the district, with the locale at various purebred ranches. " Seven club members travelled to the Pacific National Exhibition and took part in competitions. The beef team of Allan Schmidt and Bruno Schilling placed second in the Provincial eliminations. " C. M. Williams, Assistant District Agriculturist, carried out field inspections for all clubs. This year, members are being marked on the following points: Recordkeeping, organizer's rating, judging, inspection of project, and, in the case of Beef Clubs, showmanship. " Mr. Williams and the writer attended a total of fifty-four club meetings within the period of this report. Approximately 190 hours were spent on the meetings and twenty-one days on club inspections. ' DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, 1950 BB 69 "A junior club column, begun in April, is written weekly for the Kamloops Sentinel by the writer. " Outlined below is a summary of clubs in the district:— Type Number Name Membership Beef 7 1 3 1 1 11 16 Vinsulla 20 15 9 17 6 Potato 10 Barriere 10 39 10 Barriere _ 7 8 " Total clubs, 13; total membership, 168." The following report on junior club work was submitted by G. A. Muirhead, District Agriculturist at Salmon Arm:— " During the past year there were seven Boys' and Girls' Clubs in operation. They were as follows: Salmon Arm Purebred Jersey Club, White Creek Valley Grade Calf Club, Canoe Poultry Club, Salmon Arm West Poultry Club, Silver Creek Poultry Club, Deep Creek Poultry Club, and Salmon Arm Swine Club. Total membership was forty- six. During the summer period a number of meetings and judging classes were held with the various clubs. A Dairy Judging Team was sent from the Purebred Jersey Club to compete in the competitions at the Pacific National Exhibition." The following is from the report of M. J. Walsh, District Agriculturist at Williams Lake:— " Junior club activity in the district this year consisted of two clubs—namely, St. Joseph's Mission Beef Club and the Sacred Heart Potato Club at Alexis Creek. Both these clubs are composed of Indian children. " Fifteen members of St. Joseph's Mission fed calves for the Williams Lake Fall Sale, exhibiting this year a better-finished lot of animals than has been the case in previous seasons. They are handicapped, however, by their absence during the summer holidays from the school. Average price received this fall was about $31 per hundredweight. " The Anahim Mission Potato Club is by and large under the direction of the Sisters of that institution. They have done a very creditable job with the material available. The Potato Club exhibited at this year's Vancouver Potato Show and placed second in its class." A. R. Tarves, District Agriculturist at Quesnel, gives the following information on club work in that district:— " Fifteen junior clubs, with a membership totaling 134 club members, were organized during the past twelve months. There were twenty-three club members less than last year, one club dropped out, and a new club was formed. A Dairy Calf Club was organized, with a membership of nine. " Following is an outline of various clubs, their membership, and their respective organizers:— Club Membership Narcosli Beef (T. Windt, organizer) 7 Quesnel Dairy (H. Moffat, organizer) 9 North Quesnel Swine (F. Bartels, organizer) __.. 11 Bouchie Lake Swine (P. Newcombe, organizer) 7 Dragon Lake Swine (A. Pett, organizer) 7 BB 70 BRITISH COLUMBIA Alexandria Potato (G. Windt, organizer) 9 West Quesnel Potato (J. A. D. Anderson, organizer) 9 Bouchie Lake Potato (A. Carnegie, organizer) 12 Baker Creek Poultry (Mrs. J. Higdon, organizer) 8 Bouchie Lake Poultry (Mrs. P. Newcombe, organizer) 8 Landsdown Sewing (Mrs. H. Moffat, organizer) 8 Quesnel Sewing (Mrs. Crossfield, organizer) 11 Bouchie Lake Sewing (Mrs. Halliday, organizer) 10 Dragon Lake Sewing (Mrs. J. Sales, organizer) 7 Quesnel Garden (Mrs. N. Palmer, organizer) 11 " Monthly meetings were held during the summer, and some clubs will continue to meet throughout the winter. Each meeting agenda covered a particular topic related to the club project. In addition, each meeting included public speaking, debating, and a short social period. "A final elimination contest for the J. L. Gray Public Speaking Trophy was held at the banquet for the North Cariboo Growers' Co-operative Association's annual meeting on February 25th. Miss Pat Webster, recipient of the trophy, presented an outstanding address entitled " My Project and Its Future." Miss Shirley Beath and Jack Dobb were the respective runners-up. The three speeches were recorded and later broadcast over both CKPG and the C.B.C. " The Junior Club Advisory Council was reorganized somewhat this year in regard to policy and in relationship to the Fair Board. As a result, the junior club programme has benefited materially, especially the Girls' Sewing Clubs. Members of the Council have taken over much of the organizing work connected with the annual field-day. " On July 7th a Junior Club Leaders' Convention and banquet was held in the Quesnel Junior-Senior High School, with an attendance of ninety-five. " Members of the Narcosli Beef Club completed their year's project by selling their calves at the Williams Lake Cattle Sale. Martha Twan's steer placed grand champion both in the open class and in the boys' and girls' competition. " Three judging teams represented the North Cariboo at the Provincial elimination contests held at the Pacific National Exhibition in August. The beef team, comprised of Pat Webster and Tom Windt, who won the Provincial beef eliminations, represented the Province at the Toronto Royal Winter Fair, where they placed fourth in the National contest. Jack Dobb and Raymond Susag placed second in the Provincial elimination, while Doreen Trueman and Denise Emmelkamp placed second in the home economics eliminations." Junior club activities in the Prince George district were reported by G. W. Hayes, District Agriculturist:— " In Prince George the Tabor Creek and Pineview Beef Club held regular meetings during the year and were quite active, as was the case with the Salmon Valley Poultry Club. These three clubs have excellent leaders, who are as follows: Salmon Valley Poultry Club, C. Campbell; Tabor Creek Beef Club, W. Leidl; and Pineview Beef Club, J. Aitcheson. " Betty Ann Johnson and Keith Johnson represented the Prince George area in the Junior Beef Club eliminations held at the Pacific National Exhibition. They placed third in the contest and are to be congratulated on a fine showing, having been in club work only a short time. "All clubs exhibited their projects at the fall fair and made a very commendable showing." J. F. Carmichael, District Agriculturist at Grand Forks, reports as follows:— " Two Poultry Clubs were active at Grand Forks this year, and also a new seven- member Potato Club. Beef Calf Clubs at Rock Creek and Bridesville operated again DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, 1950 BB 71 and enjoyed a very successful year financially. Calves were shown and auctioned at Okanagan Falls Stock Sale on September 13th, bringing an average of 34 cents a pound, which was 10 cents higher than last year. These Calf Clubs made the show at the Rock Creek Fair on September 7th and 8th. "A newly organized Junior Farmers' Fair Committee at Grand Forks sponsored a fair for the Poultry and Potato Clubs on November 10th, making arrangements for additional educational displays of fruit and vegetables showing grades and varieties. This fair was very successful, except that only a few adults turned out to see it. "Both Calf Clubs have already been reorganized for the 1951 project and most calves have been obtained and are starting on feed." The following report from H. R. Anderson, District Agriculturist at Nelson, is of definite interest:— " The Fruitvale Calf Club was very active again this year, with twenty-nine members completing their projects. The club is divided into four sections—Ayrshire, Holstein, Jersey, and Beef. Special prizes of two registered Ayrshire heifer calves, imported from the Fraser Valley, were presented to the two top members. A well-known Ayrshire breeder has donated a registered Ayrshire bull calf to the club, and it will be used in the dairy-herd improvement programme which the club is carrying out. " During the past year a Beef Calf Club was organized at Arrow Park, with thirteen members enrolled and nine completing their projects. The Arrow Park Agricultural Society donated $100 toward the purchase of a registered Shorthorn heifer calf, which was presented to the member with the highest aggregate mark. Results obtained through working with this club have been most gratifying and indicate that one of the most effective ways of reviving interest in farming and improving the present farming practices will be through junior clubs." From Creston, S. B. Peterson, District Agriculturist, reports as follows:— " Junior Farmers' club activities were more successful during the year. The majority of the members satisfactorily completed projects in calves and potatoes. Meetings were held regularly during the year, with five inspection tours of projects. Two field-days were organized in conjunction with tours, which stimulated interest. The outlook for the commencement of the third year is most favourable." The report received from R. L. Wilkinson, District Agriculturist at Courtenay, is as follows:— " There were seven Boys' and Girls' Clubs organized within the district this year. Their names and membership are as follows:— Club Membership Alberni District Calf Club 10 Comox Red, White, and Black Club 8 Comox Valley Grade Calf Club 6 Comox Valley Grade Jersey Calf Club 7 Denman Island Calf Club 9 Powell River Barred Rock Club 5 Powell River New Hampshire Club 8 "All of the above clubs are particularly active groups, which have displayed keen competition at their respective achievement-days. " Three members chosen by elimination from the Comox Valley clubs attended the Pacific National Exhibition to represent their district in the judging competitions. As a team they scored in fourth place." LAND-CLEARING DIVISION During the past year, land-clearing equipment owned by the Department operated to advantage under the terms of the " Farmers' Land-clearing Assistance Act." BB 72 BRITISH COLUMBIA Experience gained since the policy was initiated indicated that crawler tractors of less than 75 horse-power were not generally satisfactory for the clearing of land; accordingly, all the 60-horsepower machines were disposed of and two additional more powerful crawlers were acquired. Large-scale operations in the West Kootenay and Arrow Lakes districts were concluded in June. One machine operating there was sold to two former employees and the other two were moved to Central British Columbia. It had been hoped that sufficient interest would have been shown in the Grand Forks general district to warrant moving the equipment there, but sufficient applications were not forthcoming. Most of our tractors were headquartered at Westbank during the winter of 1949-50, as, in normal weather conditions, clearing of the V.L.A. project there could have been completed before spring. Extreme cold and heavy snowfall made this impossible, operations being tied up till late March. All equipment there was thoroughly overhauled in the interval. The V.L.A. clearing was finished in May, after which the various outfits were again dispersed. Three machines returned to Vancouver Island, three were sent to Pemberton, three to Prince George, three to the Salmon Arm-Eagle Valley area, and, as already indicated, the larger machines from the Arrow Lakes moved to Prince George in June. Work at Pemberton was curtailed by flood conditions. Two of the crawlers used there were later moved to Powell River and the third to Prince George. For the first time in four years fine working conditions were experienced in the latter district, with the result that a great deal of good clearing was accomplished, not only in the immediate vicinity of Prince George, but west to Endako. During the 1950 season, work was carried out in the following districts: East Arrow Park, West Arrow Park, Nakusp, Brouse, Westbank, Kelowna, Vernon, Malakwa, Cambie, Solsqua, Sicamous, Salmon Arm, Silver Creek, Enderby, Lumby, Sugar Lake, Cherryville, Shuswap Falls, Mable Lake, Falkland, Pemberton, Lang Bay, Westview, Powell River, Parksville, Qualicum, Royston, Happy Valley, Cumberland, Courtenay, Strathnaver, Hixon Creek, Canyon Creek, Woodpecker, Stone Creek, Pineview, Salmon Valley, Cranbrook Ridge, Forman, Beaverley, Isle Pierre, Endako, north side of Fraser Lake, Nethi, Stellako, Fraser Lake, Fort Fraser, Engen, and Vanderhoof. In all, approximately 4,100 acres were cleared this year by fourteen machines, which is very little short of the acreage cleared by nineteen machines in 1949. While weather conditions were of definite help, a higher degree of efficiency was achieved in our operations. During the fall months one tractor was used to operate the Nordheimer breaking- plough at Prince George, with excellent results. Approximately 410 acres of new land were broken, at an average cost of $13.60 per acre. In addition to clearing and breaking, our equipment has undertaken a great deal of other work for farmers. This can consist of repiling partially burned windrows on land previously cleared and piled, excavation of basements for farm homes or buildings, levelling fields, ditching for irrigation or drainage, farm road-building, removing obstructions in streams, creeks, and rivers, building dykes, excavating dugouts for water storage, building dams for the same purpose. All of these jobs are of definite importance to farmers who have no alternative source of equipment. The extent of this particular phase of activity may be gauged from the fact that in Central British Columbia this year receipts for those miscellaneous operations amounted to two-fifths of those from straight land-clearing. This information is given to show that the figures for acreage cleared by no means indicate the full extent of the valuable work being performed by our equipment. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, 1950 BB 73 The total acreage cleared since the inception of the programme in 1946 is approaching 25,000 acres, with almost another 1,000 acres of breaking by special plough. Work has been carried out for 2,430 farmers to a total value in excess of $800,000. In 1951, operations will continue on North Vancouver Island, Prince George area, Francois Lake, and in the North Okanagan, Shuswap, and Kamloops regions. The outfit which operated at Powell River is now housed at Quesnel, where work will commence next spring. Farmers' interest in the clearing programme is being maintained at a high level. There is widespread approval of the policy and a definite indication that sufficient work will be forthcoming to justify operations for the next few years. Early in 1951 J. E. Beamish, Assistant Director of Land-clearing, resigned to return to the staff of P.F.R.A. in Regina. W. G. Reed, Mechanical Superintendent, was required to assume responsibilities other than those which his position would ordinarily require, and these he has discharged with commendable efficiency. Harry Barber, accountant in charge of the office in Vancouver, and his clerical staff have again maintained excellent and complete records of the year's operations. FEDERAL-PROVINCIAL FARM-LABOUR PROGRAMME FOR BRITISH COLUMBIA, 1950 The 1950 Federal-Provincial Farm-Labour Programme for British Columbia followed very closely the pattern established in 1943 and succeeding years. Farm-labour requirements were largely seasonal. While considerable help was supplied to dairy farmers, cattle-ranchers, and mixed-farmers, the producers of small fruits in the Fraser Valley and on Vancouver Island and the owners of tree-fruit orchards in the Okanagan Valley and in the Kootenays caused most concern. The situation which developed following the extremely cold winter in the Okanagan made it difficult to estimate the demand that would arise for orchard-labour. It was felt generally, however, that tree-fruits would require very little thinning, and consequently that very few workers would be needed in the early part of the season. Skeleton staffs only would be required in the fruit-packing houses and canneries. Based on this premise, those concerned felt that it should be possible to recruit sufficient workers from the Interior of the Province to make it .unnecessary to move workers from the Prairie Provinces to British Columbia for small-fruit harvesting in the Fraser Valley. Although the situation was tense on more than one occasion, we were fortunate in being able to meet all requirements without calling for an interprovincial movement. A lighter crop on Vancouver Island than in 1949 caused little concern, and adequate help was available. In the Fraser Valley, however, only very close and consistent co-operation between the National Employment Service and Placement Officers of the Farm Labour Service made it possible to meet the situation, which changed from day to day. Weather conditions varied to an extent that seriously affected the picture. Placement Officers in the Okanagan Valley gave very valuable assistance in recruiting workers, who were moved by special buses to the Fraser Valley. Most of those workers were of excellent calibre, and there is a feeling that this intraprovincial movement can be explored further. The final strawberry-crop was much heavier than had been anticipated earlier, but we are satisfied that little, if any, loss of crop was experienced by any grower through lack of help. It was evident that those whose accommodation and working conditions were on a par with present-day requirements had little, if any, difficulty in securing sufficient help and maintaining adequate crews until the end of the season. BB 74 BRITISH COLUMBIA As the season advanced, it became evident that apple-orchards in the Southern Okanagan would likely yield very much heavier than had been anticipated. Many requests were received for thinners. A heavier cherry-crop materialized in the South Okanagan. To meet those developments, it was necessary to use extremely good judgment and to enlist the co-operation of local residents and school-children to a greater extent than on any previous occasion. A general impression circulated that there would be no fruit-crop in the Okanagan in 1950. As a result, not only were the hundreds of people who normally move each year from other parts of British Columbia and other Provinces to the Okanagan deterred from doing so, but a great many local persons who depend upon the fruit industry for summer and autumn employment were discouraged and sought work elsewhere. It became evident early in August that some drastic measures must be taken, not only within the Province, but on the Prairies, to re-establish confidence in the Okanagan fruit-crop as a source of employment. This had to be done and the ordinary seasonable flow of transient labour had to be encouraged without in any way drawing much needed labour from other agricultural operations elsewhere. The Farm Labour Committee arranged for a meeting of its Placement Officers, Department of Agriculture officials, and the president of the British Columbia Fruit Growers' Association at Penticton on August 16th. At that time, apple-crop prospects were thoroughly reviewed, decisions taken on the methods necessary to obtain the help that would be required, and agreement reached on the manner in which publicity would be effected. We are indebted to the Canadian Press and to other news agencies, radio stations, and newspapers for the very wide coverage that was given to statements released by the British Columbia Farm Labour Committee. Within a few days excellent results were evident. A strong continuing movement of workers began to flow into the Okanagan. It was necessary from time to time to revise original estimates of apple yields, and these were increased materially. From the middle of August until the end of October, the Farm Labour Service experienced what was probably the most difficult season since its inception. Only by continuous advertising, by exploring every possible source of labour, and by the initiative and determination of our Placement Officers was it possible to meet the situation that developed. Our position was complicated by the strong demand for, and the shortage of, able- bodied men in other sources of employment. Road-construction, building-construction, logging camps, sawmills, hydro-construction—all of these were short of men. An effort by fruit-growers earlier in the season to establish a schedule of wages lower than that of 1949 had added materially to our difficulties. This schedule was abandoned, and in the final analysis it is evident that higher wages were paid in the orchards this year than in any previous season. Credit must be given to local Placement Officers and to officials of the National Employment Service for their untiring efforts. From the Regional Superintendent down, each official and local manager concerned spared no effort. Mr. Horrobin, Regional Employment Officer, arranged that a thorough canvass be made of the hop-pickers in the Chilliwack, Sardis, and Agassiz districts. While the actual organized movement from that particular source was less than had been hoped, it is evident that a very large number of workers moved of their own volition and by their own transportation to the Okanagan, materially helping to relieve a most serious situation. Local managers at Chilliwack, Penticton, Kelowna, Vernon, and Kamloops co-operated fully. As in the Fraser Valley, it was again evident that those growers who had good accommodation, and who were prepared to pay top wages, had least difficulty. During the past seven years there has been a marked improvement in the accommodation provided for orchard-workers in the Okanagan and for berry-pickers in the DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, 1950 BB 75 Fraser Valley. In order, however, to attract and to retain the best class of worker, there must be still further improvement. Our Placement Officer at Penticton has drawn this very forcibly to the attention of his growers, and the Farm Labour Committee proposes to further publicize this most important feature during the winter months. Much can be done between now and spring to improve existing cabins, to erect new ones, and to plan for better conditions generally. Placements of temporary or seasonal workers showed a slight decline. Placements of permanent farm and ranch workers were also a little lower than in 1949. In the Fraser Valley this is attributed in part to the number of Dutch workers who have been established on many of our dairy-farms and have remained in their jobs, giving very satisfactory service. There has been the usual seasonal demand for men for haying on Interior ranches. In the Fraser Valley there was a reasonably strong demand for able-bodied men to fill silos, for pea-threshing, for haying, and for grain and potato harvesting. Mechanization of many farm operations, and this includes the wider use of the pick-up hay-baler and the grain-harvesting combine, reduces materially the number of men required for seasonal operations. A reasonable return for farm products and an equally reasonable price for new machinery would still further influence the picture. Wages for casual labour have been at a new high. Eight dollars a day and board was being paid in more than one district of the Province this year for haying crews. At other points, $1.05 per hour and one meal was being paid. The number of displaced persons or families moving to farms in British Columbia this past year was not great. Generally, this type of labour has not given too much satisfaction, although there are outstanding exceptions. The very keen demand for workers in other industries at high rates of pay and short hours of work give those associated with farm-labour requirements the gravest possible concern. The continuation of the present unfavourable relationship in income and hours of work will further tend to move away from the farm a large percentage of the best available sources, not only of labour, but of potential farm-owners. Your Director wishes to express again sincere appreciation of the very valuable support given to him by the Minister of Agriculture, the Deputy Minister of Agriculture, by other officials of the Department, by the Regional Superintendent of the Unemployment Insurance Commission, the Regional Employment Officer, and local managers. A most happy relationship has again existed with Dr. MacNamara, W. W. Dawson, and other representatives of the Department of Labour in Ottawa. CONCLUSION This Branch, established in 1947, is still, in comparison with other branches of the Department, in a very early stage of development. Much remains to be done before the original objective of a competently staffed, thoroughly integrated extension service can be achieved. Mistakes have been made. Some earlier conclusions and ideas have had to be discarded. Circumstances unforeseen and beyond our control have delayed progress. Much has, however, been achieved. The pattern is becoming visible. The structure is taking shape. Farmers and ranchers generally are appreciating to a greater extent the services that are available and the assistance that can be obtained from or through the District Agriculturist. In areas of the Province other than those given over almost entirely to horticultural crops, the District Agriculturist and the Supervising Agriculturist are, or should be, the key men where agricultural matters are concerned. In order that there may be the closest possible co-ordination of effort, all activities of other branches of this Department or of any other department—Federal or Provincial—must be channelled through the district offices of this Branch. This will avoid over- BB 76 BRITISH COLUMBIA lapping and diverse approaches to the same or similar problems and ensure teamwork which will be to the credit of all concerned. The services of subject-matter specialists in production, in science, and in marketing are essential to the district man in carrying out his duties effectively. Whether specialists are available within the Branch or from other agencies, they must work with him, or through him, and not independently, to achieve the best results. In many parts of the Province the lucrative price for logs and lumber has drawn many men from the farms to woods and mills. While most are still operating their land holdings, they are doing so in a manner that is far from satisfactory—more or less from year to year—and not planning ahead with a definite long-term plan of development. While this is regrettable, most men concerned are earning money that will enable them to make more rapid progress in the future in land-clearing, in building, and in the purchase of improved stock and equipment. The influx of new settlers to the Peace River Block, to Central British Columbia, and to many other parts of the Province places new and heavier responsibilities on this Branch. The industrial expansion now evident and contemplated should accelerate new settlement and greater development of present holdings, particularly in the North Cariboo and Central British Columbia. This potential expansion will require bold and comprehensive Departmental policies and programmes designed for practical application to the areas concerned. I wish to express my keen appreciation of the excellent work carried out by the field staff and by the clerical staff of all divisions throughout the year. REPORT OF SOIL CLASSIFICATION BRANCH C. C. Kelley, B.S.A., Soil Surveyor During the winter the office work of processing the field activities of the previous summer and fall was undertaken. A number of drainage problems in local orchards and farms were solved, and many soil and water samples were tested. Detailed and reconnaissance soil-survey maps were drafted, and reports were prepared. In contrast with the field work of recent years, there was a drop in the demand for soil-surveys of irrigation proposals and more time was spent on reconnaissance surveys. Aside from drainage and irrigation problems, the only small job undertaken was a detailed soil-survey of the Blueberry Creek Irrigation District, located between Castlegar and Trail, and production of a Reclamation Committee report covering this area. Reclamation Committee reports dealing with the Cuisson Creek and Salmon Arm irrigation proposals were also produced. Work on the proposed Soil Conservation Act was continued. A preliminary study of ground-water conditions in the Peace River Block was undertaken by the Department of Mines in co-operation with this Branch. Three major field surveys were carried on in 1950. A soil-survey of the southern part of Vancouver Island, including adjacent islands and several areas on the west coast, was completed, and surveys of the East Kootenay District and the Peace River Block were continued. The Vancouver Island soil-survey was undertaken as a joint operation of the northern and southern field parties. In 1950 the southern field party consisted of J. S. D. Smith, with the student help of J. D. Lindsay and A. L. Van Ryswyk. R. G. Garry remained in charge of the Kelowna office during the summer, his duties being land drainage, irrigation, and soil problems. During shortage of help in the fall, Mr. Garry assisted with the East Kootenay soil-survey. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, 1950 BB 77 The northern field party, under the supervision of L. Farstad, Senior Pedologist, Dominion Experimental Farms Service, consisted of T. M. Lord, J. H. Day, and S. Vernon, Dominion Department of Agriculture, and J. A. Green and G. Dargie, student assistants, Provincial Department of Agriculture. J. H. Day and J. A. Green spent the field season completing the Vancouver Island survey. Dr. C. A. Rowles, Associate Professor of Soils, University of British Columbia, gave advisory assistance on Vancouver Island and in the Peace River District. LAND DRAINAGE AND IRRIGATION A service for the solution of problems met with in the drainage of irrigated and other lands has been established by the Soil Survey Branch, present operations being limited to the Okanagan and South Thompson Valleys. Land drainage is a form of reclamation devoted to the increase of production on lands already farmed. Experience has shown that attempts by the farmer to drain land without competent advice are seldom successful, and much of the capital expended for this purpose has been lost. With this in mind, a technique for dealing with drainage problems has been developed over the past sixteen years, and in 1950 the amount of advisory drainage work was increased. During the year complete plans were provided for drainage systems on 291 acres. About 28 acres of orchard, 190 acres of mixed-farming land, and 62 acres of vegetable land were drained in the Vernon, Kelowna, and Keremeos localities. Preliminary investigation was carried out on 141 additional acres of irrigated land. Detailed work will be completed on these projects as the farmers are prepared to install drains. During the summer, data was gathered in co-operation with the Summerland Experimental Station to determine actual water requirements of mature orchards on the several soil types under sprinkler irrigation. This information is being compiled to assist growers in planning sprinkler systems and to improve water distribution by present sprinkler irrigation. General information was distributed as to the kinds of sprinkler equipment available, the laying-out of new systems, the setting-up of screening devices for irrigation-water, lateral layouts, and maintenance. Numerous water samples were tested for content of alkali salts. BLUEBERRY CREEK IRRIGATION DISTRICT Detailed classification of the Blueberry Creek Irrigation District was carried out in April. The survey was in co-operation with the Water Rights Branch and the local district, the purpose being to determine the irrigable acreage and the best use of the land. The mapped area, covering a total of 284 acres, is located about 5 miles south of Castlegar or 15 miles north of Trail on the main highway. It is served by the Canadian Pacific Railway, which maintains a siding called Blueberry. It is featured by two of a number of glacial outwash terraces which fan from Blueberry Creek canyon and cut across terraced deposits of the Columbia River. The outwash terraces are bordered on the north-west by higher ones, on the east by the Columbia River, and on the south-west by the deeply cut channel of the creek. The highest elevation, situated near the canyon-mouth, is about 1,700 feet above sea-level. The lowest elevation, at high water on the Columbia River, is about 1,250 feet above the sea. The bench surfaces are gently undulating, with a general slope toward the main valley, the margin of the most easterly and lower bench being about 250 feet above the Columbia River, or 1,450 feet elevation. The lower bench occupies about two-thirds of the map-area. BB 78 BRITISH COLUMBIA There is no local meteorological station. Comparable points are Warfield, 1,982 feet elevation, and Columbia Gardens, 1,350 feet elevation. May 1st to September 30th rainfall at these stations is 7.93 and 7.84 inches, annual precipitation being 26.15 and 23.83 inches, annual mean temperature 48° F. and 45° F., and frost-free period 186 and 141 days. June is the month of highest rainfall, and prevailing wind is southerly. The climate is summer-dry. The original vegetation of Douglas fir, Ponderosa pine, Western larch, Western red cedar, white pine, lodgepole pine, birch, willow, and aspen has been destroyed. Present vegetation consists of snow-bush, wild filbert, willow, birch, and scattered patches of conifers. Soils The Blueberry Creek benches were probably formed by torrential melt-water from a retreating up-stream glacier. A broad channel was carved through previous sandy deposits of the Columbia River, and the channel was floored with coarse material. This flooring consists of 10 to 15 feet of granitic and gneissic boulders, stones, gravel, and coarse sand, which overlies the fine sandy Columbia River material. The Columbia River sands outcrop near the margins of the stony outwash, and during deglaciation the sands were blown back over the creek rubble to form a coating of loess. The irrigable soils consist of soils derived from a loess coating at least 18 inches thick over the outwash stones and gravel described above, and soils derived from the thick Columbia River sands. The soils belong to the Brown Podsolic Zone, and the acreage and classes are as follows:— Acres Blueberry Creek glacial outwash capped with loess— Stony fine sandy loam 50.9 Loamy sand 5.0 Columbia River deposits— Fine sandy loam 19.3 Loamy sand 8.4 Total irrigable area 83.6 Reaction in the soil profile ranges from pH 4.5 at the surface to pH 6.7 at depth. The strongly acid condition near the surface is due chiefly to the granitic, comparatively lime-free parent material from which the soils are derived. Lime application is required for general agriculture. Land Utilization Excepting school property and road allowances, all the land is privately owned. There are nineteen owner-occupiers and two absentee land-owners. The Canadian Pacific Railway and West Kootenay Power and Light Company have rights-of-way across the area. Only two land-owners depend on their land for a living. About 50 acres are under some form of agricultural use, including gardens, orchards, strawberries, raspberries, and poultry. The chief crops are potatoes, vegetables, and small fruits. The orchards are old, neglected, and unproductive. This is a residential area for Trail Smelter employees, and it should not be regarded primarily as an agricultural community. Irrigation and domestic water for small holdings would be desirable, the carrying capacity of the system being 8 acre-inches per month. A soil map, scale 200 feet to an inch, called " Soil Map of the Blueberry Creek Irrigation District," was prepared and distributed to co-operating agencies. The mapped area was examined by the Reclamation. Committee, whose recommendations appear in Reclamation Committee Brief No. 9, May 20th, 1950. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, 1950 BB 79 PROPOSED SOIL-CONSERVATION ACT In 1949 some 500 circulars were distributed to farm organizations and Government departments inviting evidence of soil-erosion and suggestions as to methods of control. The returns were helpful and unanimous in support of a Soil-conservation Act. In the fall and winter of that year a proposed Act was drafted. This is based on the following principles:— It is proposed that the State has an interest in preserving the soil resources for its own benefit and the benefit of succeeding generations, and should share the cost of such conservation up to the value of its interest. The interest of the State would in part be served by providing leadership and education for the purpose of persuading private land-owners to voluntarily take better care of their lands. The Act should apply to the privately owned part of the Province. It should be financed as part of the cost of the Department of Agriculture, with annual financial assistance from the Dominion Department of Agriculture. Some of the most intensively populated agricultural communities should be organized into self-governing soil-conservation districts, which would have no power to tax. These soil-conservation districts would lay out their own-soil conservation programmes annually, with an estimate of annual cost, and submit them to the Department of Agriculture for approval. Funds may be provided to carry out such parts of these programmes as require expense and are approved. Districts would have the power to co-operate with land-owners, and power to establish by-laws by popular vote. In the spring of 1950 the proposed Soil-conservation Act, including an explanation of the several sections, was mimeographed. Approximately 1,000 copies of this material were distributed to farm organizations, farm papers, Government officials, and organizations and individuals having an interest in soil-conservation. Free criticism of the material was asked, and suggestions for improvement were requested. The chief product of this distribution indicates support in principle by the farming population, which appears to be ready and willing to receive well-considered and workable soil-conservation legislation. Not a single objection was received from any organization or individual. Editorial criticism was confined to minor details. With a favourable public reaction established, the work remaining to be done is largely technical and legal. GROUND-WATER STUDIES IN THE PEACE RIVER BLOCK In the early part of the season a co-operative arrangement was made with the British Columbia Department of Mines in regard to a preliminary study of ground-water conditions in the Peace River Block. The work was undertaken in August by Dr. W. H. Mathews, Department of Mines, who reports some areas favourable and others unfavourable for the finding of well-water at shallow depths. Preliminary conclusions regarding availability of ground-water at depths less than 100 feet were produced on a map. The map shows ground-water to be available in about one-third of the Peace River Block, chiefly in the comparatively undeveloped western part. In another third of the area, information is presently inadequate for any conclusion, and in the remainder of the Block the conditions are relatively unfavourable. Unfortunately, the unfavourable area contains a considerable part of the better farming lands. The preliminary study indicates the possibility of separating areas favourable for domestic wells from areas where well-drilling should not be encouraged. It is hoped that this work can be continued to the stage where settlers can be given advice as to the method they should use to obtain a water-supply in different parts of the district. BB 80 BRITISH COLUMBIA VANCOUVER ISLAND AND ADJACENT ISLANDS Following a survey in 1936 and 1937 to obtain an inventory of the forest resources of the Esquimalt and Nanaimo Railway land grant, the Forest Service recommended a soil-survey of the southern part of Vancouver Island. The objective of the soil-survey would be to separate non-arable lands suitable for forestry from lands having agricultural value. The purpose was to start a tree-planting programme to stock the non-arable Crown lands. A soil-survey to serve this requirement began in 1940 under the direction of R. H. Spilsbury, Forest Economic Branch, and L. Farstad, Dominion Experimental Farms Service. Since the objective was limited, the work was not done in sufficient detail for publication of a soil-survey report. The areas of interest to the Forest Service were studied and adjacent islands were not included. In order to fill the requirements of publication, it was decided to go over the area again in the spring of 1950 and to include the islands near Vancouver Island in the map-area. For this purpose the northern and southern field parties joined forces and carried out the field work necessary to meet the requirements of a detailed reconnaissance survey. The field work began on May 15th and was continued until July 1st. By this time the map-area had been completed up Vancouver Island to Parksville, including most of the islands in the Strait of Georgia. On July 1st the operation split up, and the field parties left Vancouver Island to carry out commitments in the Peace River and East Kootenay Districts. One soil surveyor and student assistant remained on Vancouver Island to continue and complete the map-area northward to Sayward—a job that continued until October. Since Mr. Farstad was associated with the original survey, he directed the survey of 1950, and will be responsible for the preparation of the soil maps and report. The intention is to prepare the maps and report during the present winter, and have the material ready for publication as a soil-survey bulletin by the spring of 1951. The mapped area consists of the potentially arable fringe of Vancouver Island from Jordan River to Victoria, and from Victoria to Sayward. The valley of the San Juan River near Port Renfrew and the Alberni locality are included. Islands mapped in the Strait of Georgia consist of James, Sidney, Piers, Portland, Coal, Saltspring, Galiano, Mayne, North and South Pender, Prevost, Morseby, Saturna, Samuel, Thetis, Kuper, Gabriola, Valdes, Newcastle, Hornby, Denman, and Quadra. A rough estimate of total acreage in this map-area, including islands, amounts to about 760,000 acres. UPPER KOOTENAY RIVER VALLEY A detailed reconnaissance soil-survey of the Rocky Mountain Trench in the area between Canal Flats and Montana was completed in 1949. The map-area amounts to about 497,000 acres, of which about 249,500 acres are potentially irrigable. The field work was completed before a new base map became available, hence preparation for publication was delayed. The chief office task of the present winter will be to prepare a soil map and report of the above area for publication. The published report will be called " Soil-survey of the Upper Kootenay River Valley." The immediate purpose of this survey is to estimate the acreage of potentially irrigable land in the area, and how much water this land would use when fully developed for agriculture. This information is required by the Water Resources Division, Department of Resources and Development, as part of the data dealing with the use of Columbia River water. In order to ensure that the duty of water estimate will be as reliable as possible, it has been proposed that two irrigation stations of about 10 acres each should be established DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, 1950 BB 81 on representative soil types. These stations would be managed by the Dominion Experimental Station, Lethbridge, Alta., which operates in this area, and in addition to duty of water experiments, the maximum yields and fertilizer practice would be determined. During the summer, representatives from this Department and the Experimental Station, Lethbridge, selected sites for the two proposed irrigation stations, which may be established in 1951. UPPER COLUMBIA RIVER VALLEY The soil-survey of the Upper Columbia River Valley is designed to classify the lands in the Rocky Mountain Trench from Canal Flats northward as far as there are lands of agricultural value. The northern limit of the survey will probably be in the neighbourhood of Beavermouth, some 21 miles north of Golden. The general soil-survey of the Rocky Mountain Trench is therefore divided into northern and southern map-areas, the division being at Canal Flats. The division is based on the amount of map paper at a suitable scale that can be stored in the back of a soil-survey bulletin. The Upper Columbia Valley survey, so named because of its location in the headwaters of the Columbia River, was started in July at Canal Flats, after spring work on Vancouver Island, and carried northward to a point about 6 miles north of Edgewater. The total area classified in 1950 amounts to about 157,000 acres. There are about 143,500 acres of well-drained soils, of which some 73,000 acres are potentially irrigable and 70,500 acres are non-arable. Lands subject to flood between Columbia and Windermere Lakes cover about 3,540 acres, including ponds, and between Lake Windermere and Luxor the swamp lands cover 10,200 acres, including ponds. The most important bodies of water are Columbia and Windermere Lakes, which cover about 6,200 and 4,500 acres respectively, these acreages not being included in the area of surveyed lands. The distribution of glacial deposits in the Rocky Mountain Trench changes to the north of Canal Flats, due chiefly to a change in the structure of the mountain systems bordering the great depression. The Stanford Range of the Rockies starts at Canal Flats and continues northward as an unbroken ridge to Sinclair Pass, where it merges with the slightly more broken Beaverfoot Range. The Kootenay River valley occupies the eastern side of these ranges, thus producing a high ridge offering little opportunity for the accumulation of glacier ice. By contrast, the Purcell Mountains, lying opposite, contribute long, deeply cut valleys ideal for the production of large tributary glaciers. Therefore, the Wycliffe till-plain is on the west side of the trench in this area. On the east side there are a few scattered morainal remnants high on the mountain-sides, but colluvial fans are a prominent feature at the toe of the mountain-slopes. Columbia Lake is bordered on both sides by stratified white silts, from which Mayook series is derived. The till, fans, and stratified silts are highly calcareous. The abrupt faces of the stratified silts along the sides of Columbia Lake, which continue northward to Edgewater, give the impression that the valley-bottom, now swamped and occupied by lakes, was a broad river-channel at an early stage of deglacia- tion. It seems likely that the Kootenay River may have flowed northward in a broad, meandering course before the fan, now called Canal Flats, dammed the Kootenay River and turned it southward. Thus Columbia Lake is a shallow pond in an old river-bottom, made possible by the dams at Canal Flats and Dutch Creek. Windermere Lake is a similar formation, lying between the Dutch Creek fan outwash and the fan to Toby Creek. The swamped river-flats to the north of Windermere Lake have the appearance of a river-valley whose flood-plains have been covered over and otherwise modified by the more recent fan deposits of tributaries. BB 82 BRITISH COLUMBIA The Wycliffe and Elko soils, common in the southern part of the trench, continue northward. The calcareous Wycliffe till is still the main soil type, but the shallow Elko soils, and the glacial river-channels in which they are formed, become less important. In place of the Elko soils is a similar and deeper soil type derived from large outwash fans. Since streams are associated with the fan formations, the new soil type is the most extensively irrigated and cultivated, particularly around Windermere Lake and in the vicinity of Edgewater. The Mayook soils, derived from calcareous stratified silts, are fairly extensive around Windermere Lake and northward, in some places being rather severely eroded. There is little agricultural development in the Mayook soils, but they would respond to irrigation. Northward from Canal Flats, several familiar species of plants such as antelope-bush, Ponderosa pine, and larch gradually disappear, and slow-growing fir becomes dominant. After removal of the larger trees the forest is being developed for Christmas-tree production. Progressively northward the growth is increased by greater precipitation, and spruce begins to appear at the lower elevations in the vicinity of Edgewater. Density of forest-growth is slowly increased to a maximum in the vicinity of the Boat Encampment, where the Columbia River turns south around the northern margin of the Selkirk Mountams. The area surveyed in 1950 contains more irrigated and cultivated acreage than any other part of the Rocky Mountain Trench. In the locality between Canal Flats and Luxor, a few miles north of Edgewater, there are about 2,500 acres irrigated and under some form of cultivation. About 1,200 acres, formerly irrigated, are no longer in use. About 300 acres of the ground-water soils in the valley-bottom are used for the production of swamp-hay. During the past few years a more or less continuous decline of the local agriculture has been arrested. This is due chiefly to a better market for beef and seed- potatoes. As in many pioneer communities, most of the settlers derive a part of their income from outside employment. One of the chief problems in this area is to determine the future use of the swamped valley-bottom from Columbia Lake to Windermere Lake and from Windermere Lake to Golden. It could be used, as at present, chiefly as a sanctuary for water-fowl, or reclaimed for agriculture, or used as a storage-reservoir. The Columbia River in this area has an average fall of about 1 foot per mile, the decrease of elevation being reduced by stream meanders. The result consists of a system of low levees supporting deciduous forest, sloping on each side of the river to sedge meadows and lily ponds, the latter filling a substantial part of the area. Here and there the forested fans of tributaries invade the flats, acting as low dams and helping to keep the areas between them swamped and ponded. Tn 1951 a committee of agricultural experts will be brought together for the purpose of defining the value of the flats for agriculture, as opposed to other possible uses. PROGRESS REPORT OF SOIL-SURVEY OPERATIONS IN THE PEACE RIVER BLOCK, 1950 The soil-survey in the Peace River Block, as in previous years, was conducted on a co-operative basis by the Field Husbandry Division of the Experimental Farms Service and the Provincial Department of Agriculture. Field work began July 15th on a modest scale and continued until September 15th, at which time the majority of the personnel returned to the University to continue their studies. During the short interval allotted to this northern project the systematic soil-survey was continued. In addition, exploratory traverses into the North-eastern Peace River Block were also undertaken. The soil-survey was confied to the area north of the Peace River, bordered on the east by the British Columbia-Alberta Boundary and on the west by the Beatton River. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, 1950 BB 83 The objective of this survey is, first, to obtain basic information on the nature of the soil resources, their distribution, and information on some of the problems likely to be encountered. The second, research in order that problems of utilization may be met. In our northern areas, and particularly in the Peace River Block, we are lacking in basic information obtained through soil-surveys. To date soil-surveys have been busily engaged studying settled areas and therefore have obtained little basic information in the lands beyond settlement. During the short time allotted to the work in the Peace River Block this past summer, the major efforts were directed to surveying along the fringe of settlement north of Clayhurst. Some 100,000 acres were covered, which includes several townships beyond the fringe of settlement. The systematic survey was under the direction of T. M. Lord, B.S.A. The soils mapped were very similar to others mapped and described in previous Annual Reports and were therefore readily classified as members of the Degraded Black and Grey Wooded Zonal Great Soil Groups. In addition to the regular mapping programme, a traverse into the North-eastern Peace River Block was undertaken. The route taken was from Rose Prairie eastward through Townships 86 and 87 in Ranges 15 and 16. At various points short side traverses were made to examine soil and geological features. G. Dargie, Provincial Department of Agriculture, and K. Haugan, of the Department of Veterans' Affairs, were members of the party. The forest-cover over the majority of the area is about 75 per cent to 12-inch aspen and willow, with the remainder heavy stands of conifers. Grass vegetation is generally sparse throughout, except in areas adjacent to the major streams. Much of the topsoil has been burned off by recurrent forest fires. No water was observed in the area, except that carried in the permanent streams. The only road in the area is the abandoned Bynes Creek Cut-off, now a pack-trail. Before this area can be effectively settled, some satisfactory solution to the water problem must be found. As there are no available lakes, and there is little run-off, it may become necessary to construct dugouts or drill to horizons where water may be encountered. The purpose of this traverse was mainly to investigate how best to survey this large area containing upwards to a million acres. As yet, no very satisfactory solution has been developed, due mainly to the lack of water and density of cover. The country was very interesting in places, but from the standpoint of agriculture much of the land was disappointing. The traverse only covered a fraction of the area, but many poorly drained acres were covered. Much of the land adjacent to the Doig River is sandy, and in the north-east sections of the Block the soil is highly leached, strongly acid in reaction, and inclined to be stony. The first need toward utilization of the soil resources in this area is investigational work, and we are woefully lacking in basic information obtainable through surveys. Fortunately, the area has good air-photo coverage. Through careful photo interpretation, supplemented by frequent traverses, it is anticipated a great deal of valuable basic information can be gathered in a short time. BB 84 BRITISH COLUMBIA REPORT OF FIELD CROPS BRANCH Norman F. Putnam, M.Sc, Field Crops Commissioner GENERAL Unfavourable weather conditions prevailing throughout most of the Province this past season were responsible for general decline in crop production. Most areas reported record low temperatures last winter, with a cold, late spring which delayed spring seeding operations and spring pasture-growth. General conditions of drought followed, which further aggravated the situation. Early fall frosts in the major grain-growing area of the Peace River Block seriously affected quality and yields. Most districts experienced ideal harvesting weather. FIELD-CROP PRODUCTION Cereals The severe winter, with an attendant cold, late spring, delayed seeding operations on Vancouver Island and in the Lower Fraser Valley a week to ten days. This was followed by a dry, warm summer, and cereal production on the Island particularly suffered. Oats is the main crop in the area, and average yields on the Island would be about 65 bushels per acre. Approximately 15,000 acres were seeded in the Fraser Valley, with an average yield of about 90 bushels per acre. Some winter-injury was reported in fall-seeded grains in the Duncan area, particularly where the seeding was done after the middle of October. There was a fairly heavy infestation of aphides on oats in the Fraser Valley and some injury was reported, up to as high as 25 per cent. Under the dry summer conditions, little lodging was noted and good-quality oats were harvested. In the Kamloops area a cold, late spring delayed seeding two weeks, and the dry conditions following during summer reduced yields seriously, with spring wheat averaging only 15 bushels per acre. Fall wheat, which is of less importance in that area, outyielded spring seedings. Throughout the North Okanagan-Main Line, including the grain-growing area around Armstrong, spring-seeded cereals showed severe injury from summer drought. Winter wheat came through in better condition, with average yields of about 25 bushels per acre. Total production is down about 10 per cent. There was some evidence of loose smut on fall wheat in the Armstrong area again this year, and Ridit, which is commonly grown as a resistant variety, has now been found susceptible to a new strain of " dwarf " bunt. In the Boundary District, yields were about the same as last year, with little change in the seeded acreage. Most of the area is in spring-wheat production, but there is some fall wheat as well, which outyielded spring varieties. Average yields for the district are: Wheat, 15 bushels per acre; barley, 25 bushels per acre; and oats, 35 bushels per acre. In the West Kootenay, cereal crops were poor, with average yields of oats reporting at 40 bushels, and spring wheat 15 bushels per acre . Yields in the West Kootenay were again low, and the following was given as a brief summary from the District Agriculturist's report:— Dry Land Irrigated Spring Wheat Fall Wheat Rye Wheat Oats Barley Average yield (bushels per acre) 10 1,500 15,000 7 350 1,050 8 200 1,600 40 500 20,000 60 300 18,000 70 50 Total (bushels) 3,500 DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, 1950 BB 85 The main cereal-growing area of the Kootenays is on the reclaimed area of the Creston Flats, where about 17,000 acres are in production. There was a general decline in cereal production this year both in average yields and total production. The District Agriculturist reports that wheat production will be down 60,000 bushels this year. There has been an increase in the acreage seeded to oats and barley this year. Average yields and production are as follows:— Average Yield per Acre Total (Bushels) (Bushels) Wheat (spring and fall) 25 250,000 Oats 55 128,140 Barley 40 14,400 Grain is not an important crop in the Cariboo District, but farmers are generally increasing acreages, particularly of coarse grains, to supplement winter feeding. Unfavourable weather conditions during the past season reduced yields considerably, though a long, open fall made for good harvest conditions. In the Central Interior along the C.N.R.-Prince Rupert line, the area around McBride and Prince George, although starting off with a late spring, had a good growing season, and good yields of wheat, oats, and barley are reported. At Vanderhoof, fall wheat was not as adversely affected by dry summer as the spring-seeded cereals. There was some report of snow-mould injury on the fall wheat at Vanderhoof. Farther west through the Lakes District and the Bulkley Valley, grain suffered most seriously, with average yields very low. Throughout this area the earlier varieties of spring grains, such as Ajax oats, Olli barley, and the new Saunders wheat, are becoming more popular for the short growing season in the area. Ridit and Dawson's Golden Chaff wheats are the most popular fall varieties. Estimated total yields for the Central Interior as reported are: Wheat (spring and fall), 68,900 bushels; oats, 330,000 bushels; and barley, 54,000 bushels. In general, quality of all grains is good. The Peace River area experienced one of its worst seasons on record, with the area on the south side of the river probably being affected more adversely. Average yields, as reported by the District Agriculturists, are given as follows;.— North Side Bushels per Acre Wheat 8 Oats 16 Barley 6 Flax 6 Wheat. South Side Bushels per Acre 5 Oats 12 Barley 7 Flax __._ 8 ' Total production for the whole Block, as reported: Wheat, 480,000 bushels; oats, 600,000 bushels; barley, 79,500 bushels; and flax, 14,000 bushels. The total yield of wheat and coarse grains is only about one-quarter of last year's record production. Quality of all grains is extremely low, and many farmers will not have seed. Hay and Pasture Pastures on Vancouver Island were late in starting growth, and the early drought which followed dried up pasture fields earlier than usual, resulting in a very short pasture season. Yields of hay were also down somewhat, but quality was generally good. Somewhat better conditions were experienced in the Fraser Valley, and although pastures were late starting, they held up fairly well into July. First-cut crops of hay came on well and yielded satisfactorily, but second cut was poor. Some high-quality hay went into storage for the winter, and in most instances farmers will have sufficient for their needs under average conditions. The extremely dry weather conditions seriously affected pastures and hay-crops from Kamloops through Salmon Arm, Armstrong, and North Okanagan-Main Line district. First-cut alfalfa-hay was light, and only in rare instances BB 86 BRITISH COLUMBIA was the second crop harvested. Range pastures also suffered from the hot, dry summer, and overgrazing of these areas is becoming a serious problem. It was noted in the Salmon Arm area that stands of good pastures of orchard-grass and wild white clover maintained more satisfactory growth in spite of the dry season. In the Cariboo, ranges remained generally good and there was a fair quantity of good-quality hay, particularly from the upland meadows. Alfalfa-crops were favourable, and there will be plenty of feed providing there is an average winter. There is enough hay throughout the Central Interior for local needs and for a small export, which generally goes into the logging camps. Pastures suffered severely, particularly in the Lakes District and the Bulkley Valley, and in this area, too, yields of timothy were very low. Pasture and range lands in the East Kootenay suffered seriously from drought. In the Camp Lister area a heavy cut of first-crop alfalfa was taken off, but the second crop was disappointing, although there will be some exportable surplus in the area. Silage and Roots Production of silage crops fills an important place in the crop-rotation of the dairy- farm. The main silage production is in the dairying areas of Vancouver Island, Fraser Valley, and the North Okanagan. The most important silage crop is probably P.O.V. mixture, particularly on Vancouver Island and the Lower Mainland. Silage corn is also grown extensively and ensiled. There is an increasing interest in the use of grass and legume mixtures, particularly on Vancouver Island and the North Okanagan, being utilized as silage. Under unfavourable weather conditions, grasses and legumes which cannot be matured for hay can be saved in the silo. Production of field roots as a supplementary feed plays a minor role. Shortage of labour and high cost of labour has generally been responsible for the decrease in field roots. Forage-crop Seed Production Production of field-root and forage-crop seeds continues to hold a prominent place in the agricultural economy of the Province. Acreages for alfalfa-seed production were increased this year. Preliminary reports indicated a reduced yield due to frost damage in the Peace River area. However, the extent of this damage was not as great as at first anticipated, and yields will be slightly higher than in 1949. Because of a poor hay year in the North Okanagan, many alfalfa-fields around Armstrong were left for seed, and about 50,000 pounds of seed were harvested. Double-cut red-clover yields are reduced considerably this year. Alsike yields have been spotty, but the total production of seed will be well above 1949. A late spring followed by a dry summer is responsible for light yields of timothy in the North Central Interior, but since a larger acreage was left for seed, production is up. Timothy-alsike and alsike-timothy production is also considerably higher this year. In the Fraser Valley the production of white clover (Ladino) seed continues to increase. The following table gives indication of the seed production as estimated for 1950, as compared to the actual production in 1949:— Estimated Production, 1949 Production, 1950 (Lb.) (Lb.) Alfalfa 220,000 400,000 Red clover 663,000 363,000 Alsike 146,000 248,000 Timothy-alsike and alsike-timothy 150,000 255,000 Sweet clover 309,000 294,000 White clover (Ladino) 6,500 10,000 Timothy .250,000 294,000 Brome 150,000 137,600 Creeping red fescue 200,000 123,000 DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, 1950 BB 87 Estimated Production, 1949 Production, 1950 (Lb.) (Lb.) Crested wheat-grass 4,000 20,750 Reed canary-grass 1,500 5,000 Orchard-grass 1,000 2,000 Perennial rye 1,500 2,000 Vetch 75,500 14,000 Buckwheat 20,000 8,000 Field corn (open-pollinated) 2,000 Field corn (hybrid) 16,020 6,000 Field peas 250,000 300,000 Fibre flax 8,640 1,500 Mangels 47,700 15,000 Sugar-beets 402,759 650,000 Potatoes Generally throughout the main potato-growing areas in British Columbia good crops were harvested this year, total production being only slightly lower than in 1949. In the Quesnel area a heavy frost at the end of September penetrated the ground and froze a considerable amount of potatoes which had not been dug. Potato prices took a sharp drop this season, and the growers are receiving about $15 less per ton. The favourable season has been conducive to the production of stock of good quality. There was little report of blight this year. Growers on the Coast and Vancouver Island have a well-planned spray programme for control of this disease, as well as insect-control. Damage from flea-beetle was not severe in the Fraser Valley. In the Kamloops area there was some damage from this insect where control measures were inadequate. Production of certified seed-potatoes is becoming increasingly important. Seven seed-control areas are now set up under the Act, and the high quality of British Columbia seed is finding a steady market in the United States. There were approximately 2,500 acres of foundation and certified seed in British Columbia last year. As a service to the seed-growers, this year the Department is supervising the Ocean- side test-plots and eighty-seven samples were planted, representing sixty-six growers. The following is a list of the main varieties and acreages as supplied by the Dominion Seed Potato Certification Service:— Variety Acreage Variety Acreage Canus __■_ 7.85 Irish Cobbler 5.22 Chippewa 21.75 Katahdin 38.75 Columbia Russet __. 69.25 Netted Gem 1,650.98 Early Epicure 140.46 Sebago 5.00 Early Rose 24.30 Warba 118.20 Great Scot 16.15 White Rose 234.21 Green Mountain 127.36 The main areas of production are also given with approximate acreages inspected in 1950: Vancouver Island, 175 acres; Lower Mainland, 681 acres; Pemberton, 156 acres; Okanagan, 341 acres; Cariboo, 543 acres; Central Interior, 55 acres; Boundary, 247 acres; East and West Kootenays, 205 acres. Peas Peas for the frozen-food trade continue to be a popular cash crop on farms in the Victoria District, where they are frozen locally. Approximately 250 acres were seeded this past year, but, due to the dry season, yields were down, averaging only 1,500 pounds of clean shelled peas per acre. There was an increase in the acreage of canning-peas in the Fraser Valley this year, with approximately 2,900 acres seeded, with average yields BB 88 BRITISH COLUMBIA of approximately 2,000 pounds per acre of excellent quality. There is also an increased acreage in peas for the freezing trade. The pea-crop makes an excellent cash crop in the dairy-farm rotation, and the vine gives high-quality silage for winter feed. Acreage of dried peas in the North Okanagan and Creston areas is down slightly this year, with lighter average yields. No peas were grown in the Peace River area this year. Threshermen's Returns Appendix No. 1 tabulates the kind and amount of grain threshed in respective districts, as submitted to the district agricultural officials. FIELD-CROP DEMONSTRATION WORK Soil-treatment Trials In co-operation with the District Agriculturists, several fertilizer demonstrations and trials were laid down in different areas of the Province. Subsoiling demonstrations were initiated on Vancouver Island, and a sawdust-mulch trial was begun in the North Okanagan. Two demonstrations with fertilizer were carried out by J. D. Hazlette. Due to a very dry season, the response from fertilizer was not as good as expected. One demonstration showed a definite difference in yield and colour from a 16-20-0 fertilizer applied at three different rates. R. L. Wilkinson reports on three demonstrations on established hay-pasture fields in the Courtenay and Alberni districts located on Delta silt loam, Merville loam, and Cowichan clay loam. First-year results indicated that no response was obtained from the use of potash. The demonstrations aroused a great deal of curiosity and prompted much discussion. E. C. Hughes, co-operating with A. J. Allan, laid down a demonstration-plot in the Pitt Meadows district. No yield data were obtained. J. F. Carmichael reports that the fertilizer trials on potatoes were continued this year, but yield results have not been obtained. From results obtained in 1949, indications still confirmed the need for a complete fertilizer, such as 6-30-15, which is the recommendation for this area. Mr. Carmichael is continuing these tests and will try out the use of more nitrogen with the 6-30-15 type of fertilizer. H. R. Anderson reports no visible or measurable response from fertilizers on hay and pasture lands in the Fruitvale, Nakusp, and Edgewood districts. Lack of response is attributed to a very dry season, but further observations will be made on these plots in the coming year. Two fertilizer analyses were also tried on potatoes in the Fruitvale area, and preliminary results indicate less phosphate in the ratio might give a better balance of nutrients. J. W. Awmack continued the fertilizer test-plots on potatoes in the Windermere district. Reporting on these tests, Mr. Awmack states:— " The test laid out on clay loam with a high organic-matter content showed that additions of potash would give increased yields. However, in some cases the increased potash caused a poor-type potato not suited to the grading for seed-classes. " The soil on Farm No. 2 was exceedingly low in organic matter and had not been in crop for a number of years. The general trend indicates the best response from 6-30-15 applied at 1,200 pounds per acre, and when increased, this amount cannot be used to advantage by the plant. This test also shows that the addition of potash without a corresponding increase of phosphorus under these soil conditions is not effective." In the Creston district the fertilizer plots on alfalfa were continued this year, but the report on yield data is not yet completed. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, 1950 BB 89 M. J. Walsh reports on tests using 11-48-0 and 16-20-0 on corn and cereal crops. The corn tests were a failure due to inclement weather, and data have not been completed for cereal-crops. On a fertilizer test-plot on pasture in the Horsefly district the fertilizer has given a definite response for the three years following application. G. W. Hayes reports on demonstration-plots with 16-20-0, gypsum and manure treated, with stable phos being compared. 16-20-0 tripled hay yields, manure and stable phos doubled the yield, and gypsum gave no increase. A demonstration-plot using 16-0-0, 16-20-0, and 16-20-10 was put down in the Grassy Plains area. No yield data were obtained, but the plots did attract a great deal of attention from the farmers in the area. High freight costs discourage the use of fertilizers in this area, but fertilizer sales are on the increase. K. R. Jameson reported the use of light applications of fertilizers applied on grain gave increased vigour and growth early in the year, which proved sufficient to keep the crop growing through the summer dry period when unfertilized crops were at a standstill. R. W. Brown reports fertilized plots were at least a week advanced in maturity, and yield and quality were slightly superior in favour of the fertilized plots. Trials on alfalfa showed a significant difference only in the spring, and Mr. Brown notes that fall fertilization appears to advance the crop materially. G. A. Muirhead reports as follows on demonstration-plots using shavings and various fertilizers:— " This year one set of demonstration-plots was laid out on the farm of R. I. McPhee, of Balmoral. These were plots using shavings and various fertilizers in combination to determine their value in opening up heavy clay soils so as to provide a greater amount of organic material, and thus give a higher moisture-holding capacity. As the summer was very dry, the breakdown of these shavings was only very slight. We are trying to determine what expenditure can be made on hauling shavings or sawdust and still show economic increases." On a pasture established in 1947 in the Victoria area, clippings were taken by N. F. Putnam and C. H. Nelson. The pasture was fertilized in the spring of 1950 with 10-20-10 at 300 pounds per acre and ammonium sulphate at 200 pounds. Though there was a slight increase in yield from the complete fertilizer, it was insufficient to warrant the increased expenditure. With the fertilizer demonstration-plots placed in the various districts, the purpose has been to show: (1) The increase in yield obtained through the use of fertilizer on crops; (2) the increase in yield obtained through the use of the fertilizer recommended for the crop and the district. The farmers of the district have shown their interest in these demonstration-plots, and much discussion has been aroused. There has been very little evidence to indicate there is a need for a change of recommendations for fertilizers in those areas where the plots have been used. This year, under supervision of the Field Crops Branch, subsoiling demonstrations were carried out in the Duncan area. A standard subsoiler was used in the spring on Cowichan clay, with part of the field being crossed. This machine went to a depth of approximately 15 inches. First observations on results are promising. In the fall a Killefer road-ripping machine was obtained on loan from the Department of Public Works, and, using one blade, a demonstration was made in the Duncan area, again on Cowichan clay, where trouble had been encountered with excess water lying on the land. This machine went down to about an average depth of 22 inches. Again first indications are promising. These fields will be kept under observation and reported on for the next three years. BB 90 BRITISH COLUMBIA Pasture and Forage-crop Trials The Field Crops Branch has continued to stress the importance of well-established and well-managed hay and pastures for efficient farm production. There has, during the past year, been an increased interest in the production of some of the newer forage-crop seeds. During the past year this Branch has co-operated with resident District Agriculturists in setting out further pasture demonstration-plots as a means of demonstrating to farmers what can be accomplished. On Vancouver Island single stands of alta fescue, subterranean clover, and birds- foot trefoil, as well as a mixture of alta fescue and birdsfoot trefoil, were established on dry upland soils in the Courtenay area. A mixture of alfalfa and orchard-grass seeded on dry upland soil in 1949 showed good response this year and gave increased yield over an adjacent native sward A pasture demonstration seeded down in the Alberni district three years ago was under continued observation this year and showed improved yield. A pasture demonstration trial in the Victoria area seeded down in 1947 has continued to show marked improvement over most of the common pastures in the area, and this year gave at least two weeks' earlier spring growth. In the Kamloops area an irrigated pasture for beef production was set out in the Nicola area on the Nicola Lake Stock Farm. This mixture includes orchard-grass, brome-grass, alta fescue, Grimm alfalfa, and Ladino clover. The trial is in conjunction with the District Agriculturist and the Range Experimental Station, and will be used to determine the carrying capacity for beef cattle. At present no information is available, except the original seeding has made a good start. In addition, we have co-operated with the District Agriculturist at Kamloops in setting out seven different pasture mixtures, including grasses and legumes at three stations to test the response of varying mixtures to the area. Although no new trials have been laid down in the Salmon Arm area, Mr. Muirhead, the District Agriculturist at that point, has previous plots under observation and reports as follows:— " In all cases the volume of pasture in plots was considerably greater than on other mixtures. It was encouraging to note that under the extremely dry weather conditions the orchardgrass-wild white clover mixture pastured considerably longer. In the plots the pasture season extended at least three weeks longer." Hybrid-corn variety trials both as a silage crop and for grain were continued throughout the North Okanagan, Kamloops, Salmon Arm, Armstrong, and Vernon areas in co-operation with the District Agriculturists. In co-operation with Mr. Walsh, District Agriculturist, Williams Lake, several grass mixtures were tested for hay and pasture under dry-land conditions. In addition, cereal trials were included this year, including Thatcher, Saunders, and Red Bobs wheats, and Olli barley. These are all early varieties which should be more suited to that district. Cereal variety trials were also conducted in the Bridesville area in co-operation with Mr. Carmichael, and in the East Kootenay in co-operation with Mr. Awmack. These latter trials included Garnet, Red Bobs, Thatcher, Saunders, Marquis, and Regent wheats, and Ajax, Eagle, Larain, and Victory oats. Plots were harvested, but no yield data are available at this time. In addition, this Branch co-operated with R. M. Hall and Mr. Carmichael in conducting rod-row trials of wheat, oats, barley, and flax, and several grasses and clovers in the Bridesville area. In addition, small samples of intermediate wheat-grass, crested wheat-grass, brome-grass, and sainfoin were supplied to Mr. Carmichael and Mr. Awmack to test on dry-land ranges. These were only sown this year, and reports will be available in subsequent years. With a view to promoting a diversified type of farming in the Creston area, consideration is being given to production of forage-crop seeds, and this year 10-acre blocks, each of Ladino clover, red clover, orchard-grass, and timothy, were seeded out in cooperation with Mr. Peterson, and next year these will be harvested for seed, and records will be available. To date all varieties have made good growth. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, 1950 BB 91 To get further information on suitability of potato varieties to the various regions in the Province, trials were instigated through this Branch and with the co-operation of the Potato Committee of the Agronomists' Association. The trials included fourteen varieties, conducted at five stations in the Province, including the Fraser Valley, McBride, Houston, Kispiox Valley, and Peace River. Seasonal observations were made by District Potato Inspectors of the Dominion Inspection Service and resident District Agriculturists, and yields and quality were taken and are being analysed through the co-operation of Dr. T. Anstey at Agassiz. With the general increased interest in seed production, attempts are being made to evaluate some strains or varieties of grasses and legumes for seed production, and this year the Field Crops Branch, in co-operation with J. L. Webster, brought in for trial small plantings of Dollard red clover, Ranger alfalfa, and Hercules orchard-grass. These varieties will be continued under observation as to their seed-producing qualities. B.C. FIELD CROP UNION This union of British Columbia farmers has been in operation since 1933. Through the union, members may obtain one of the experimental lots of seed for trial under his local conditions. Certain changes were instituted this year to group the lists of tests according to broad general regions, and this year, for the first time, a grass-legume pasture mixture was included and proved very popular. Interest was also shown in the alfalfa trials and the Ladino clover. Membership in the union was maintained at 163 in 1950, approximately the same as 1947. Altogether, 146 tests, including ensilage corn, peas, clover, grasses, and grass- legume pasture mixture, were carried out, and were supplied in the following areas: Vancouver Island, 27; Lower Mainland, 4; North Okanagan, 21; Central Interior, 47; Boundary and Kootenays, 22; Peace River, 25. SEED IMPROVEMENT Again this year a supply of elite, registered, and certified stock seed of cereals has been made available to this office by the Agronomy Department, University of British Columbia, through co-operative arrangement between the University and the British Columbia Department of Agriculture. This seed is distributed to farmers throughout the Province at nominal costs. The following is a list of stock seed made available in 1950: Registered Victory oats, 1,600 pounds; Registered Olli barley, 400 pounds; Certified Ridit wheat, 275 pounds; Certified Storm rye, 700 pounds. PRODUCTION OF REGISTERED AND CERTIFIED SEED The production of registered and certified seed not only helps meet the export demand, but also provides a valuable source of pure-seed stock for commercial growers within the Province. The inspection and registration of cereal and forage crops is carried out by representatives of the Plant Products Division, Dominion Department of Agriculture, under the regulations of the " Seeds Act." The following table gives, in summary, the number of acres and estimated production of varieties inspected for certification in British Columbia during the past season:— BB 92 BRITISH COLUMBIA Total Acreage and Estimated Production of Cereal and Forage Crops Inspected for Registration and Certification in British Columbia Variety Total Acres Estimated Production for 1950 (Bushels) Montcalm 32.7 1,000 Newal 12.0 500 O.A.C. 21 15.5 600 Olli 29.0 12.0 620 Vantage 500 Oats— Ajax _ - 83.0 5,420 Beaver 58.5 2,450 Eagle 25.0 2,500 Exeter 2.0 70 Larain 28.0 1,120 Vanguard 20.5 900 Victory 798.5 39,000 Wheat— Dawson's Golden Chaff 5.0 3.0 200 Jones' Fife 110 Redman 22.0 1,000 Regent 76.0 900 Saunders 637.0 17,900 Thatcher 398.0 8,800 Kharkov 31.0 1,250 Flax—Redwing 200.0 2,910 Alfalfa- Grimm 4,794.0 Rhizoma __ 465.5 76.0 Brome Sweet clover— White Blossom 178.0 Arctic __ __ 12.0 Creeping red fescue Red clover—Altaswede 90.0 14.0 BEE-SURVEY In the interests of the forage-seed industry, particularly alfalfa-seed growing, H. A. McMahon, of the Dominion Entomological Laboratory, Saskatoon, Sask., was invited this year to include certain areas of British Columbia in his bee-survey, to determine the possibility of certain districts as potential alfalfa-seed growing areas as appraised by the wild-bee population, which are the natural pollinators of alfalfa. Mr. Nelson, Assistant Field Crops Commissioner, accompanied Mr. McMahon, and the following is a brief summary of his report:— " Co-operating with H. A. McMahon, a survey was commenced this year in an attempt to obtain information on the possibility of alfalfa-seed production in some areas of the Province. According to the work already under way in Saskatchewan and Alberta under the supervision of Mr. McMahon, the best pollinators of alfalfa are the leaf-cutter bees (Megachilidas). Where there is a large population of this type of bee, there is good reason to expect a high seed-set in alfalfa-fields, particularly if these fields are laid down in narrow strips. Certain of the Bombida? or bumble-bees will set seed, but they are, in general, slow trippers, and likelihood of the population being maintained from year to DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, 1950 BB 93 year is not as high as with the leaf-cutter. Starting in the Camp Lister area near Creston, the survey proceeded through Nelson, Nakusp, across the Monashee Pass to Vernon, and via Salmon Arm to Chase and Celista areas. The most promising of these areas in relation to leaf-cutter bee population was from the Adams River to the Scotch Creek Ferry and Celista area. This was the only area where any large concentration of leaf- cutter bees was evident. In the Enderby area there was evidence that the practice of leaving small fields of alfalfa would give a fairly high yield of seed. It was felt this seed-set was due to a heavy concentration of a species of bumble-bees which tripped alfalfa flowers." SOIL-ANALYSIS Up to the end of November, 1950, 1,206 samples had been analysed, which constitutes approximately the same number as analysed in 1949. About 30 per cent of these samples are forwarded to this office by city gardeners. When the analysis report is returned, general recommendations are made for the use of lime, fertilizer, organic matter, and cultural practices. The percentage of samples received from farmers, either directly or through the District Agriculturist, shows a slight increase over 1949. Results of these analyses are forwarded to the District Agriculturist in the district concerned, as it is felt the district men can make a direct contact with the farmer and assess his problem in the field and advise him what fertilizer to use, or what other practices he should follow. Soil- analysis is only an aid in making recommendations. The greatest benefit derived from the present method of analysis is from the interpretation of the pH reading and the rapid analyses for nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and calcium. Soil-reaction is determined by potentiometer; the available nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and calcium are determined by the Spurway method. The District Agriculturists in the Fraser Valley, co-operating with E. C. Hughes, continued the survey begun in 1949. Approximately 240 samples were obtained from the Fraser Valley and Pemberton districts this year. In obtaining these samples, all possible information as to fertilizing, manuring, cropping, and liming practices was secured. Whenever possible, this information was obtained over a period of four years. Mr. Hughes analysed these samples, and the results will be returned to the farmer by the District Agriculturist concerned, together with recommendations. The need for lime on Fraser Valley soils and the need for phosphorus continues to show up on many of these samples, although this fact is already recognized. With the continuation of this project for another two or three years, much valuable information as to soil-treatment with fertilizers and amendments should be obtained. WEED-CONTROL The use of the newer weed chemicals has continued to interest farmers in the general weed-control, and with the expanding information on the use of these materials, they are becoming increasingly important in controlling weeds both in cereal and horticultural crops. Two Weed Inspectors were appointed during the past season in the Peace River District—Robert Shearer for the south side and F. Mertens for the north side—working in co-operation with the District Agriculturists. In addition, J. R. Weldon, Hagensborg, was appointed part-time Weed Inspector in the Bella Coola area. Weed chemicals were supplied through this office to all resident District Agriculturists for demonstration and experimental work. The Department weed-sprayers located at Cranbrook, Armstrong, Vanderhoof, and Dawson Creek have been used extensively this year in demonstrating the use of chemicals in weed-control, and also have been used by the Department of Public Works and private farmers on weed-infested areas to good advantage. During the past year this Branch has continued certain dem- BB 94 BRITISH COLUMBIA onstration work on controlling weeds. The following is a brief summary of trials conducted through this Branch. Control of Hoary Cress Work was undertaken three years ago in the North Okanagan, using Atlacide and various formulas and rates of 2,4-D. Results from 2,4-D were encouraging, and after the three years' application some patches had been completely eradicated, while others are seriously reduced in stand. From the results obtained, farmers with infestations of this weed have practised spraying the growing cereal-crop to control hoary cress, with good results. Control of Leafy Spurge In trials conducted the past three years in the Okanagan, 2,4-D has given little permanent results on trials on this weed. This year we are attempting soil-sterilization with the use of borax as a permanent control measure. Control of Field Bindweed Trials with 2,4-D on field bindweed in the North Okanagan have been showing good results where fall cereals, as wheat or rye, are seeded at a heavy rate and then sprayed the following spring when the weed is coming into bud. The crop is harvested early and summer-fallowed the rest of the season. Control of Diffuse Knapweed Diffuse Knapweed is becoming a serious problem on range lands between Lytton and Chase and in the Boundary District. In co-operation with J. L. Gray, District Agriculturist, and the Dominion Range Experimental Station, Kamloops, trials were laid down this year using 2,4-D, 2,4,5-T, Atlacide, and T.C.A. From one year's reports, 2,4-D was giving promising results. The Range Experimental Station is also studying the habits and requirements of the plant. Control of Klamath Weed Klamath weed is common in our Coast regions on the Island and Lower Mainland, but does not constitute any problem on cultivated land in these areas. However, it was recently introduced into the range lands of the Boundary District centring arbund Grand Forks. In co-operation with the Forest Service we undertook trials last year using 2,4-D, 2,4,5-T, a mixture of the two, Atlacide, and borax. 2,4-D showed very promising, killing all top growth, and this year regrowth was nil or very sparse. This year the Forest Service undertook a full-scale programme to treat all known infestations in the area. Mr. Hughes, stationed in New Westminster, did considerable work on weed-control throughout the Fraser Valley this year, particularly on controlling tall buttercup in pastures and weed-control in oats and peas. The following is a brief summary of the results of his trials as reported:— "(1) Tall Buttercup (Ranunculus Acris).—Control trials in pastures using 2,4-D and 2,4,5-T alone and in combination were laid down at the following locations (in amount previously reported): (1) Charles Hallam farm, Chilliwack; (2) William Leighton farm, Haney; (3) Endersby Farm, Ladner Trunk Road, Ladner. " Results—indicate that 2,4,5-T is not as effective as 2,4-D at any equal concentration. Esters of 2,4-D do not seem outstandingly better than the amines. In these trials, 1 pound of 2,4-D acid equivalent, ester or amine, reduces the. buttercup stand aproximately 50 per cent; \V% pounds of 2,4-D acid equivalent reduces the stand approximately 80 per cent. Good spray coverage is essential. Severe knockdown of clovers occurs, however, but wild white or Dutch clover makes fair recovery later in the season. Flowering of all clovers is prevented. Red clover is most severely damaged. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, 1950 BB 95 "(2) 2,4-D on Oats.—Forty acres of oats standing 10 to 15 inches high, belonging to William Savage, Ladner, were sprayed with 7 ounces of acid equivalent 2,4-D amine, using a sprayer delivering approximately 6 gallons per acre at 40 pounds pressure. A comparative test of 1 acre using 7 ounces of acid equivalent 2,4-D ester was made with Herbate donated by C.I.L. Weeds present were wild turnip, wild radish, cat's-ear, red-root pigweed, smartweed, and Canada thistle. All weeds, with the exception of Canada thistle, suffered nearly 100 per cent kill. Amine seemed to curl the Canada thistle somewhat more than ester, but both retarded its growth considerably. A few of the most mature wild turnip and wild radish, though badly curled, managed to set seed. A very occasional head of oats was found damaged. "(3) 2,4-D on Sheep's-sorrell.—A pasture trial using 1 pound of acid equivalent amine, using a sprayer delivering 6 to 8 gallons per acre at 40 pounds pressure on fan-type nozzles, resulted in no observable control. The sheep's-sorrell was approaching maturity when sprayed. "(4) 2,4-D Dust on Sugar-beets.—When seed-set was fairly well advanced, spraying was carried out in Ladner by aeroplane application. Many weeds were controlled between the sugar-beet rows or set back and prevented from setting seed. "(5) 2,4-D on Corn.—Corn was sprayed at the farms of Mr. Kehleher and Mr. Cherry, Abbotsford, by customs sprayer when corn was approximately 15 inches high. Amounts are unknown, but good weed-control was observed. Unusually extensive growth of brace roots to finger-like size were especially noticeable. "(6) Aero Cyanamid (Special Grade) on Peas.—In co-operation with C.I.L. and The North American Cyanamid Company, which supplied the material, three plots of special-grade aero cyanamid were laid down at 300 pounds per acre at the following places (a potato-dusting machine was used): (1) Barker's farm, Goudy Road, Ladner clay; (2) Reynold's farm, Benson Road, Ladner clay; (3) Reifel's farm, Westham Island, silt loam. " Possibly due to the facts that an extreme drought spell of six weeks occurred and that the weeds were too well established (post emergent treatment) little or no control was observed. "(7) Di Nitro Sprays on Peas.—The entire acreage under pea contract to Westminster Canners in Ladner was sprayed, using dinitros, mainly Sinox. Excellent results were obtained. Cost on the large-acreage scale was approximately $5 per acre, Stan Keith, Chilliwack, using Dow Selective at 1 gallon of Dow per 100 gallons of water at as low a pressure as possible, 32 to 35 pounds per square inch, obtained excellent results on weed-control. Approximate charge for custom work was $7 per acre. "(8) Soil Sterilants—(a) Polybor,—One plot sprayed at the rate of IVi pounds in 3 gallons of water per 100 square feet gave sterilization for two months. Grasses gradually returned following this period." On trips throughout the Province we are continually on the lookout for any new weed infestations. During the past year an outbreak of leafy spurge was located in the Narcosli district; also toad flax has been reported in the Merritt area and also in the Cobble Hill area. A thriving patch of Russian knapweed was found in a patch of alfalfa at Midway, and also one at Greenwood. A heavy infestation of leafy spurge was also noted for the first time in a grain-field in the Bridesville area. In addition, Mr. Hughes reports the following:— " Worthy of note are the distribution of wild radish and wild turnip in the Ladner area, buttercup throughout the Fraser Valley, toad flax in the Cloverdale and Cobble Hill areas, St. Johnswort in the Fraser Valley and Cobble Hill areas, white cockle and cseri near the Rosedale Ferry, water-hemlock in Matsqui, bladder-campion at Nanaimo, and Canada thistle (white- and blue-flowered varieties), especially on Vancouver Island-. Of special mention is the discovery and identification of Senecio Jacobeo in the area around Nanaimo. This weed is noted for its association with Pictou disease in cattle. BB 96 BRITISH COLUMBIA This survey also served to instigate a collection of weed specimens common to the Fraser Valley." Definite progress can be seen in the matter of the farmers' interest in weed-control, although I still think there is a long way to go. In the major grain-growing areas of the Peace River, Creston Flats, and Armstrong districts, many are now using the newer chemicals to control weeds. Approximately 80 per cent of the grain-fields on the Creston Flats were sprayed this year. In the Fraser Valley and Creston Flats a large acreage of peas was sprayed with selective sprays, and next year it is expected 90 per cent of the acreage in the Fraser Valley will be treated. A large acreage of carrots in now being weeded with the lighter oil solvents each year, and this year a fairly large proportion of the onion-seed crop in the Vernon district was treated with aero cynate for weed-control, with good results. FERTILIZER AND AGRICULTURAL POISONS BOARD Meetings of the above Board were attended during the year. At the request of the trade, the Board considered new fertilizer mixes for 1950-51 in May, and the recommendations were forwarded to the Minister of Agriculture, as follows: 0-12-20; 2-15-15; 2-16-6; 4-10-10; 6-8-6 (organic); 6-30-15; 8-10-5; 10-20-10. It will be noted that 8-35-6, 17-6-6, and 2-12-10, previously on the list, have been deleted, and 14-7-10 for sugar-beets is considered as a special mix for sugar-beets. AGRICULTURAL LIME During the past year the use of agricultural lime as represented by sales has again increased considerably over the previous record of 1949. There has been a constant increase in the use of agricultural lime for soil-amendment purposes, particularly in the Fraser Valley, over the past number of years, and we are now reaching closer toward our goal of 50,000 tons a year, which is felt should be used in the area. During the past year a slight revision was made in subsidy payments by the Federal- Provincial Governments. In the past both a producer and consumer subsidy was paid. This year the producer subsidy was discontinued and only one subsidy was paid directly to the consumer. The consumer subsidy was increased from $1.50 to a maximum of $2 per ton, and the Dominion Government pays 60 per cent and the Provincial Government 40 per cent. Because of the differentiation in quality of lime coming from various quarries, certain adjustments are made in the amount of subsidy paid to the consumer, depending on the quality of lime as determined by official test. The following table indicates the general increase in the sales of lime during the past five years. The figures for 1946-49 are based on producer subsidy paid and the figure for 1950 is based on consumer subsidy payments:— Tons January 1st to December 31st, 1946 5,636 January 1st to December 31st, 1947 13,104 January 1st to December 31st, 1948 14,555 January 1st to December 31st, 1949 20,752 January 1st to December 31st, 1950 22,012 SEEDING OF LOGGED-OFF AND BURNED-OVER LANDS No report is available this year on the seeding of logged-off lands on the Northwest Logging Company Road No. 155, nor in the Campbell River district, nor in the Hanning Lake district, as these areas were not visited this year. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, 1950 BB 97 GRAIN SCREENINGS This is a by-product originating in the recleaning process of wheat at the grain- elevators. It is delivered from the cleaners in various separations and graded accordingly. A pamphlet (Bulletin No. 4) issued by the Board of Grain Commissioners of Canada provides for five grades of screenings, which are identified as follows: Oat screenings, No. 1 feed screenings, No. 2 feed screenings, uncleaned screenings, and refuse screenings, each being graded according to official standards. Up to November 25th ten permits have been issued for the removal of refuse and uncleaned screenings from elevators by dealers or grain merchants. Special mention of two of these permits should be made. One was issued to a dealer for experimental use in the production of cake feeds for export. The other was issued to another dealer working in co-operation with University of British Columbia to determine the nutritive value of these screenings. Both permits involved the use of relatively small amounts of refuse screenings. With regard to feeder's permits—that is, those permits issued for the feeding of refuse and uncleaned screenings in enclosed pens—twenty-seven such permits were issued. Care is taken to impress on the feeder the necessity in preventing the spread of v/eeds not only by careless handling of refuse, but by also using the manure in areas where weed-spread is not likely to occur (that is, city gardens, etc.) and by the proper rotting of these manures before their use. Of these permits, two were issued in the Kamloops area, one in the Kelowna area, two in the Nelson area, and the remainder were issued in the area around Vancouver and New Westminster. Of this total, one permit was cancelled in the Nelson area when subsequent examination showed a possible threat of weed distribution as determined by H. R. Anderson, District Agriculturist at Nelson. According to the " Noxious Weeds Act " and regulations thereunder for the Province of British Columbia, a permit is not required for oat screenings and No. 1 and No. 2 feed screenings. In compliance with the British Columbia "Noxious Weeds Act" and regulations, thereunder, grain screenings which contain weed-seeds in excess of the percentage allowed by the "Canada Grain Act" of the Dominion, or the regulations made thereunder from; time to time for No. 2 feed screenings, shall not be removed from any grain-elevator, mill, or warehouse to any place within the Province, except only by virtue of permit duly signed by the Minister of Agriculture, or by a person authorized in writing by the Minister, and issued at the office of the Department of Agriculture, Court-house, New Westminster, B.C. Permits above referred to consist of two specific forms; that is, one permitting removal of low-grade screenings by a dealer or grain merchant, and one a feeder's permit which entitled the holder to remove low-grade screenings conditional to prescribed regulations. These permits are available only to certain areas, mainly within the boundaries of Greater Vancouver. Care is exercised in preventing the removal of low- grade screenings to farming districts where the high percentage of weed-seeds contained in such screenings may become a general menace through the introduction of many varieties of weeds. Managers' Reports Complying with section 4 of the Screenings Regulations under the " Noxious Weeds Act," managers' reports are submitted in duplicate each month by British Columbia grain elevators and dealers who handle grain screenings to the Minister of Agriculture through the office of the Department of Agriculture, Court-house, New Westminster, B.C. These reports show the movement of all grades of screenings, the name and address to whom delivered, date of delivery, quantity, grade, number of permit (if any), and whether for local use or export. The original copy of these reports is forwarded to the 4 BB 98 BRITISH COLUMBIA Field Crops Commissioner, Department of Agriculture, Victoria, B.C., and a copy kept on file at the Court-house office. Movement of Screenings Appendix No. 2 is a summary showing the total movement of all grades for each month and also the total of each grade of screenings for the period as covered by this Report both for local use and export. PRIZE-WINNERS AT THE CHICAGO INTERNATIONAL HAY AND GRAIN SHOW AND TORONTO ROYAL WINTER FAIR There were not as many entries at the Toronto Royal and Chicago International Hay and Grain Show this year as in the past but British Columbia exhibitors have done very well at these major shows. Mrs. A. Kelsey, now of Victoria, won the championship at Chicago with her sample of Reward wheat in the Hard Red Spring-wheat Class and also placed sixth at the Toronto Royal. J. P. Richter, Joe Vopicka, and H. F. Mills, all of Fort St. John, placed well up in this class at Toronto. Growers of forage-crop seeds again made a very good showing in the Red-clover Seed Class; second place was taken by K. Davis, of New Westminster. A. Weaver, New Westminster; F. Kuhn, Cloverdale; and H. Reynolds, Ladner, took fourth, fifth, and sixth places respectively. F. Choveaux, Okanagan Landing, placed fourth in the Alfalfa Class. A. Montgomery, Ladner, placed fourth in the Timothy Seed Class and J. Vopicka was eighth with his sample of flax. D. W. Johnson, Dawson Creek, took second place in the Red-fescue Class, both at Chicago and Toronto, while C. B. Tibbett, of Rolla, took third place at Chicago. D. R. Honeyman, New Westminster, placed second and A. R. Thompson, New Westminster, third in the Swede-turnip Seed. Class. In the Rose or Red Potato Variety Class, J. Decker, Pemberton, was first. Ross Brothers, Pemberton; R. H. Maddock, Steveston; and Vic. Guichon, Ladner, placed third, fourth, and fifth respectively in the Any Other Variety Class. In the Netted or Russet Class, fourth, fifth, and sixth places were taken by Miller & Sons, J. Decker, and Ross Brothers, all of Pemberton. Other growers in British Columbia who placed well up in the prize list were A. D. Heywood, Salmon Arm; J. H. Avent, Courtenay; G. A. Luyat, Kamloops; Fred Day, Kamloops; and Urban Guichon, Kamloops. REPORT OF APIARY BRANCH W. H. Turnbull, Senior Inspector The winter of 1949-50 was very severe, but due, no doubt, to the educational campaign carried on from this office in the past five or six years, practically all the bees that went into winter quarters were in excellent shape in the fall and well supplied with stores. Most bee-keepers tried to leave at least 50 pounds of honey for winter stores and building up in the spring. Those who did not leave sufficient natural stores supplemented the stores left with a heavy sugar syrup medicated with Sulfathiozole. This procedure put the bees in the best shape for winter. Practically all commercial bee-keepers are now wrapping each colony with several layers of paper and covering the whole with tar-paper firmly tacked or tied around. This method of wintering, being used more each year, shows the best results. More bee- DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, 1950 BB 99 keepers are using it every year. Some of the older bee-keepers who have Kootenay hive cases or cases of a comparable type are using them still, and, from reports coming to hand, the two methods of wintering in the southern parts of the Province are of equal value. The wrapping method, however, is cheaper from a standpoint of capital investment and labour. Many bee-keepers on the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island use only top packing to take care of the surplus moisture. The main point in wintering in our milder districts seems to be an abundant supply of good stores and adequate ventilation. Packing in Kootenay cases in the eastern and northern parts of the Province is still advised and carried out in those districts. Winter losses in the winter of 1949-50 were the lowest for many years. It is estimated by commercial bee-keepers that the loss from all causes was less than 6 per cent. Spring opened up well and bees were able to get a good supply of pollen and nectar from willows, dandelions, and maple, which assisted greatly in rapid building-up. Package bees were imported by many bee-keepers, and those that fed sugar syrup to supplement natural food had packages ready for the honey-flow by the middle of June. A steady flow of nectar started about June 12th and, with few exceptions, continued into August. Bee-keepers in all districts reported an excellent honey-crop, and commercial honey-producers all over British Columbia reported from 100 to 200 pounds average surplus. The grade of honey was high, very little grading under " white " in colour. The water content was low, many samples showing less than 14 per cent, and some of the best in the drier areas being less than 13 per cent. The Peace River District was not up to its usual standard in so far as yield was concerned, but bee-keepers there report a most satisfactory crop in spite of unusual weather conditions throughout the summer and some exceptionally early frosts. The quality of Peace River honey was up to its usual standard. The questionnaire sent out in 1949 on the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island was mailed to all bee-keepers in the rest of the Province this year, and returns showed 487 cancellations, while new registrations were 172, leaving a net loss in number of beekeepers of 315, with a net reduction in colonies of 3,566. This apparent loss, although shown this year, no doubt was due to many bee-keepers discontinuing the keeping of bees when sugar was taken off the ration list, and covers a period of at least four years. The average crop per colony is slightly under last year, being 81 pounds. Bee-keeping in the Province is now in a very healthy condition, and the number of commercial bee-keepers is increasing. Prices are keeping up well, and the demand for British Columbia honey is increasing rapidly. We do not produce more than 30 per cent of the honey consumed in the Province, and all our imports are from Alberta and Saskatchewan. FIELD WORK Following the plan adopted in 1948, we spent most of our time in visiting beekeepers and instructing them in the use of sulfathiozole as a preventive of American foul-brood. Very few cases of this disease were found, and, in so far as samples submitted to the office in Vernon for examination was concerned, only one case of American foul-brood was sent in. Most bee-keepers are now in a position to diagnose American foul-brood and have been instructed in the use of sulfathiozole as a preventive measure. The use of several bee-masters to look into local reports has helped to a great extent in keeping the bee-keeping public well informed on all matters in connection with bee-keeping problems. American foul-brood has ceased to be a real problem in British Columbia, but as sulfathiozole is not a cure, your inspection staff will have to keep busy on extension work and be ready to handle any isolated outbreaks reported. A thorough inspection was carried out in the district lying between Kamloops and Lytton. Every colony in the area was examined, and no disease was found in the district. BB 100 BRITISH COLUMBIA Some work was done in conjunction with the University of British Columbia in agricultural short courses at Cloverdale. The attendance was very poor and did not warrant the effort. Your Inspectors attended the Pacific National Exhibition and gave every assistance they could in promoting a good honey show. V. E. Thorgeirson attended all Fraser Valley fairs and judged the honey in each, while your Senior Inspector did the same work in the Interior and the Kootenays. This work needs to be carried on and extended, as the contacts made with bee-keepers under these conditions are of great value from an educational standpoint. SPRAY POISON Very little loss from spray poison was reported this year. " BEE-WISE " , The demand for this publication is increasing rapidly, and we have been able to use it for its primary purpose as a reminder to do a certain job at a certain time and to further use it as a medium to warn bee-keepers to look for various bee diseases and to use Sulfathiozole as a preventive for American foul-brood. Its use has materially reduced the demand for increased inspection. From 750 to 1,000 copies were issued each month from February to August; in all, eight editions were sent out. OFFICE WORK " Bee-Wise," as usual, takes a large part of the time in the office. Since May we have completed a survey of all bee-keepers in the Interior and mailed some 1,800 questionnaires. Upon the return of these we were able to compile a very complete list of active bee-keepers. A new card index was completed in which all bee-keepers were listed alphabetically and cross-indexed, under which all were listed under post-offices. Incoming letters were 1,342, while outgoing mail was made up of 8,865 pieces. Miss Joan Trehearne resigned in April, and her place was taken by Miss Sumi Hamaura. The office work has been handled in a very efficient manner. No new projects were started this year, but work was carried on throughout the year on a new film " The Beneficent Bee." This film will be ready for release early in 1951 and should go a long way toward acquainting the public with the value of honeybees in controlled pollination, as the theme is built around this very important part of the work of the honey-bee. BEE-MASTERS The new bee-masters qualified in 1950 were the following: H. C. Bacon, Victoria; Miss Ruby Bate; and Ivan Lewis, Nelson. Too much emphasis cannot be laid on the co-operation given by all members of the agricultural staff, more especially the horticulturists and A. J. Hourston, general assistant, whose work on the new film has been of real value. I would like to also mention the outstanding work of V. E. Thorgeirson as Inspector on the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island, as well as the work done by several active bee-masters in the past season. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, 1950 BB 101 REPORT OF HORTICULTURAL BRANCH Ben Hoy, B.S.A., Provincial Horticulturist CLIMATIC CONDITIONS The winter of 1949-50 was considered the coldest in fifty years. All of our main fruit-growing areas in the Interior suffered sub-zero temperatures during the month of January, ranging from a low of —37.4° F. at the North Kamloops meteorological office to —18° F. recorded at the Southern Okanagan Lands Project office at Oliver. The lowest temperature recorded at the Summerland Experimental Station was —22° F. Unofficial recordings varied according to location—elevation, distance from lake, and exposure—from —16° F. at Peachland to as low as —40° F. in some of the northern fruit-growing areas. The coldest day in the Interior was on January 24th. The minimum mean temperature for January in Kelowna was —4.29° F. and at Salmon Arm -13.45° F. Other sections of the Province recorded low temperatures for the same period. The area from Edgewood to Nakusp reported temperatures ranging from 35 to 40 degrees below zero, Nelson —20° F., Creston —20° F., and at Boswell on the main Kootenay Lake the highest minimum of —8° F. Reports from the Fraser Valley and Gulf Islands also indicated record low temperatures for the month of January. In Abbotsford district a low of —6° F. was recorded. The weather moderated in all areas about February 5th and normal temperatures prevailed for the balance of the month. Snowfall was heavier than normal in all sections of the Province and in Interior sections; though tree damage was heavy from top-killing, the snow covering gave adequate protection to the roots in most areas. In the Cawston and Osoyoos areas, owing to the wind, the snow drifted and left the ground exposed in many orchards. In these areas, losses from root-killing were heavy. Cool weather and higher precipitation than normal was experienced in the months of March and April and growth in all areas commenced later than in 1949. The comparison of blossom dates for the leading kinds of fruit for the past five years, as reported by J. A. Smith, District Horticulturist at Kelowna, gives a good indication of the lateness of the season:— 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 Apricots ' ....'. Cherries Apr. 16 Apr. 26 ADr. 29 May 7 Apr. 16 Apr. 22 Apr. 26 May 5 Apr. 22 May 5 May 10 May 20 Apr. 23 Apr. 29 May 4 May 8 May 2 May 13 May 17 May 22 Growing conditions throughout the summer in the irrigated districts were generally satisfactory. Crops in non-irrigated areas depending on a minimum of rainfall suffered from lack of moisture. This was particularly noticeable in small fruit, field, and vegetable crops. Apple-harvesting conditions were good at the start of the Mcintosh harvest, but before this crop was off, frequent showers and rains interfered with picking operations. This condition prevailed throughout the harvesting of Jonathan, Delicious, and later varieties. Hail was reported in Salmon Arm, Kelowna, Naramata, Penticton, and Cawston. I_n the Salmon Arm and Kelowna areas, damage was very slight. In the hailed area of BB 102 BRITISH COLUMBIA Naramata and Penticton, damage ranged from a few apples on the exposed side of the tree to almost complete loss. This was the third successive year that hail had damaged the crop in this area. However, this year's damage was considerably less than last year and most growers were covered with hail insurance. In the Cawston area practically all of the damage was confined to onion-seed crops and tomatoes. Onion-seed yields were reduced by almost 50 per cent and the tomato- crop set back ten days to two weeks. WINTER-INJURY In order to arrive at the number of trees damaged to the extent that they would need replacing, a questionnaire was sent to all registered growers in the Okanagan, Main Line, and Grand Forks areas. There were 3,300 forms sent out and 2,249 returned. The returns were compiled at the Kelowna horticultural branch office and are shown in the tables below. In Table No. 1 the number of trees killed is shown in various size groups ranging from under 2 inches in diameter to over 12 inches. Table No. 2 indicates the number of trees January 1st, 1950, and the number of trees reported killed in the various districts. Table No. 1.—Number of Trees Killed (2,249 Growers Reporting) Kind ol Tree Under 2 In. 2 to 5 In. 5 to 7 In. 7 to 12 In. Over 12 In. Total Percentage ol Total Killed 5,729 9,859 14,335 2,312 9,940 301 3,105 6,645 24,285 14,108 2,618 6,348 1,002 6,907 14,712 39,108 5,515 1,850 3,215 1,626 12,102 46,521 30,774 3,233 4,678 2,524 1,723 9,620 33,421 7,287 790 6,988 693 497 2,239 107,028 111,313 37,981 18,446 22,720 5,149 33,973 31.8 33.0 Apricots - Cherries 11.3 . 5.5 6.8 1.5 10.1 Totals - 45,581 61,913 78,128 99,073 51,915 336,610 100 0 Table No. 2.—Total Number of Trees and Number of Dead Trees District Total Orchard as at Jan. 1, 1950 Total Dead Trees Number Orchards Reported Average Percentage Loss per Orchard Lytton-Chase Salmon Arm-Sorrento . Armstrong _ Vernon — Oyama, Winfleld, and Okanagan Centre . Kelowna Westbank Peachland Summerland Penticton Naramata _ Kaleden Keremeos and Cawston Oliver-Osoyoos Grand Forks _ Totals 45,435 80,405 7,871 212,750 117,832 354,977 79,890 45,885 150,726 89,007 36.190 27,231 81,465 339,434 14,939 24,629 24,956 2,919 53,619 16,144 50,536 12,368 8,423 13,739 5,915 2,665 3,235 19,112 94,826 3,524 1,684,037 336,610 91 160 22 252 175 395 78 68 243 139 60 32 108 398 28 54.0 31.0 36.9 25.2 13.7 14.2 15.5 18.3 9.1 6.7 7.3 11.9 23.5 27.9 23.6 2,249 19.9 It will be noted, of the losses reported, that 54 per cent of the trees were killed in the area from Lytton to Chase and 6.7 per cent in the Penticton area. In areas south of Kelowna nearly all the losses are in peaches, apricots, and cherries. In Kelowna and north, stone-fruits of all kinds were severely damaged, as well as winter varieties of apples—Stayman, Winesap, Jonathan, Delicious, Yellow Newtown, etc. Mcintosh came DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, 1950 BB 103 through with few exceptions in all but the Kamloops area, where a large percentage of the heavy-producing trees were killed. A similar survey was made in the Arrow Lakes and Creston areas. Five hundred and sevety-three forms were sent out and 101 growers reported. The tables below indicate the number of trees in the orchards reporting as at January 1st, 1950, and the number of trees killed. It will be noted that less than 20 per cent of the growers reported and that total damage in these two areas was not nearly so extensive as in the Okanagan, Main Line, and Grand Forks areas. Record of Winter-killed Trees for Kootenay and Arrow Lakes (Sixty Growers Reporting) Kind of Tree Number of Trees Under 2 In. 2 to 5 In. 5 to 7 In. 7 to 12 In. Over 12 In. Total Apples .... Pears Plums Prunes.... Peaches ... Apricots. Cherries . 52 30 13 2 58 30 38 164 26 43 30 6 7 6 118 19 52 92 18 53 2 49 26 274 4 112 Totals. 223 253 238 514 131 181 61 86 10 397 105 519 1,359 Total dead trees, 1,359; total trees in orchards, 12,531; 10.8 per cent killed. Record of Winter-killed Trees for Creston (Forty-one Growers Reporting) 21 4 38 14 87 9 80 11 7 59 63 9 19 4 19 1 24 9 27 31 35 3 5 61 1 21 5 11 15 41 15 85 Pears 134 48 Pnitww 22 Peaches Apricots —- 223 87 Cherries 159 173 238 103 157 87 758 Total dead trees, 758; total trees in orchards, 20,951; 3.6 per cent killed. HORTICULTURAL CROPS Tree and Small Fruits Owing to the severe damage and losses of fruit-trees of all kinds, it was predicted early in the year that all tree-fruit crops would be very light, but as the season advanced and trees came into bloom, it was evident that production would be heavier than anticipated. With favourable growing weather throughout the tree-fruit area, freedom from disease and insect pests, these areas produced a crop of apples that is at the present time estimated larger than in 1949. Had there been no winter-killing, an all-time record crop would have been harvested. Due to winter-killing of buds and injury of bearing wood in many districts, the Bartlett pear tonnage was very much reduced. Anjou and Flemish Beauty were not injured to the same degree and in many orchards produced a normal crop. The pear- crop over the Province was considerably lower than last year. Cherries.—The cherry-crop in the Okanagan was light. In the heavy-producing orchards around Kelowna and north it was practically nil. South of Kelowna in orchards where top-killing and bud injury was not so severe, a partial crop was harvested. The size and quality of the fruit was good. BB 104 BRITISH COLUMBIA Peaches and Apricots.—Throughout the Okanagan, winter-injury was severe and thousands of trees were heavily damaged, but injury being general in the trees that survived. The quantity of peaches and apricots harvested was very small. Prunes and Plums. — The prune-crop was considerably reduced from last year because of winter-injury. Plums suffered more than prunes. Old trees were more severely damaged than the younger more vigorous ones. The fruit harvested was of good quality and marketed at a satisfactory price. Just what effect the results of last winter will have on future crops is difficult to predict. Many old weak trees that had been winter-injured in previous cold winters, trees damaged by root-borers and other causes, were killed out, but many other trees were only partially damaged and will go on producing. It is probable that the killing of these weak trees will reduce tonnage for some years and that the general quality of the prune-crop will be improved. Small Fruits.—The production of small fruits in the Salmon Arm area was reduced owing to blossom damage in the spring and drought conditions previous to and during harvest. At Creston the strawberries yielded well, but the raspberry-crop was light. Though the spring was late in the Fraser Valley, good growing and harvesting weather followed, and crops of strawberries and raspberries were satisfactory. On Vancouver Island the tonnage of strawberries was somewhat reduced, but better prices prevailed than last year. Though winter-injured in some degree, the loganberry-crop was an improve-' ment over last year. Boysenberries and blackberries, because of winter damage, produced a light crop. The following table indicates the actual production of tree and small fruits in 1949 and the estimated production in 1950:— Kind Year Production Kind Year Production Apples Crab-apples. Pears Plums Prunes... Peaches. Apricots. Cherries .. 1949 1950 1949 1950 1949 1950 1949 1950 1949 1950 1949 1950 1949 1950 1949 1950 Boxes 8,632,576 8,728,000 85,703 162,500 641,417 427,100 Crates 203,215 128,500 1,174,285 688,500 1,933,339 203,300 453,332 51,800 551,552 227,900 Strawberries.... Raspberries .— Loganberries.. Blackberries... Red currants... Black currants Gooseberries.. Grapes 1949 1950 1949 | 1950 1949 1950 1949 1950 1949 1950 1949 1950 1949 1950 1949 1950 Crates 822,969 820,600 518,802 536,900 48,750 53,000 58,994 38,000 3,569 3,500 7,766 7,600 3,890 5,100 Lb. 2,224,494 1,539,000 Vegetables Increase in population in all parts of the Province is taking place. In many areas climatic factors are such that people living in less favourable climates are coming to British Columbia. Land in many of these favourable areas is not plentiful and values are increasing. Many of these new settlers wish to grow crops and are buying small holdings. This means that farms already too small are being cut up into smaller acreages. These small acreages are cropped intensively, many of them to one crop, and consequently yields grow smaller and of poor quality because of lack of rotations and adequate soil-maintenance programmes. Handling produce from these areas is a problem to the Marketing Boards. Improvement in soil-maintenance and opening up of new areas is perhaps the answer to the problem. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, 1950 BB 105 The production situation in the three main producing areas is outlined in the reports of the Supervising Horticulturists from Vancouver Island and the Fraser Valley, and the District Horticulturist in Kelowna. E. W. White, Vancouver Island:— " There was an excellent crop of Christinas cauliflower harvested in November and early December of 1949. However, harvesting was practically cut short on December 18th with a snowfall of 8 inches and 10 degrees of frost on December 19th. Continuing low temperatures in December and in January destroyed a large proportion of the early broccoli-crop. However, some plantings of April-May broccoli survived the winter and there was a fair cut. Prices were somewhat depressed on the Christmas cauliflower-crop. " Spring and summer vegetable-crops have been in good supply throughout the season. " There has been a relatively good crop of Christmas cauliflower cut during the present month. Very wet weather during the month has made harvesting difficult. If the weather gets back to normal and continues during December, January, and February, a good cut of spring broccoli should be available. Acreage is down from last year." G. E. W. Clarke, Fraser Valley:— " Vegetable production in the Fraser Valley is of major importance, as it represents approximately $5,000,000 to the growers. " In addition to the acreage required for supplying the fresh-vegetable trade, a considerable amount is contracted annually by the various canneries. Peas, beans, and corn are the principal crops grown on contract, with a few smaller contracts for such crops as spinach, beets, and carrots. " The frozen-vegetable pack is increasing in importance, and indications are that a wider range of vegetables will be required than has been handled in any quantity up to the present. " On account of the cold, wet spring, most growers were unable to commence field operations as early as usual. In some particularly favoured locations some early transplanting was done in March, but on most places transplanting and seeding were not done until well into April. " Early spinach appeared on the market in limited quantities after the first week in May, which is a month later than usual. Head lettuce became available about May 24th, and in an average season car-loadings can be expected about the middle of May. In June, supplies of vegetables became available in quantity, and throughout the year ample supplies of a seasonable range of vegetables have been maintained. Car-load shipments to Prairie markets have not been as large as is usual to expect. " Early potatoes, because of late planting, were not available until about June 20th, which meant a loss of nearly three weeks on the early markets. " Except for the late spring, the past season has been a fairly good year for most crops. Peas and beans have been of good quality, and this has also been an excellent year for corn." J. Smith, Okanagan:— " On the whole a good growing season was experienced by vegetable-growers. Brief comments on the various crops follow. " Tomatoes were of good quality throughout the season. Yields were good. Disease was absent owing to the dry season. Acreage was up slightly. " Fall-planted onions yielded a good crop of high-quality onions. " Spring-planted onions were checked in their growth during late April and May by cool winds, and the hot summer was considered responsible for small bulbs. Germination of the seed was good, and excellent control of maggots with the use of calomel was experienced. The DDT treatment of onion seed for maggot-control was also tried to BB 106 BRITISH COLUMBIA a limited extent and also gives promise of success. Acreage in onions was increased, and the crop exceeds last year's. " Silver-skins yielded a heavy crop of good quality. Acreage was increased. Calomel gave good control of maggots. " Early potatoes gave good crops on increased acreage. Late potatoes produced satisfactory yields. Control of flea-beetle was poor. " Cucumbers yielded well. The Marketer variety is replacing older varieties, largely because of its shipping qualities. "Asparagus produced a normal crop. " Cannery beans yielded well and were of good quality. No disease problems were encountered this year. " Beets were of good quality and the yield was good. The short-top strain of Detroit is winning favour." Estimated Acreage and Production of Vegetable-crops in British Columbia, Year 1950 (as at November 1st) The following table gives the estimated acreage and production for 1950:— Crop Planted Area Average Yield per Acre Total Production Asparagus Beans, green _ Beets Cabbage Carrots Cauliflower — Celery Corn Lettuce Onions Parsnips Peas, green.. Spinach Tomatoes, field. Turnips.— Acres 290 1,080 390 830 1,210 445 660 2,370 880 1,300 135 4,050 520 2,630 405 Lb. 2,480 7,820 11,460 10,940 13,870 6,610 8,330 7,000 12,200 15,800 14,030 2,540 5,830 14,480 16,470 Lb. 719,000 8,446,000 4,469,000 9,080,000 16,783,000 2,941,000 5,498,000 16,590,000 10,736,000 20,540,000 1,894,000 10,287,000 3,032,000 38,082,000 6,670,000 Flower and Bulb Production The situation regarding bulb and cut-flower production is summed up in the reports of the Supervising Horticulturists for Vancouver Island and the Fraser Valley, as follows:— E. W. White, Vancouver Island:— " Bulb Production.—The lateness of spring and the relative earliness of the Easter season (April 7th to 10th) resulted in a shortage of cut narcissus blooms for the pre- Easter week market. After the Easter season the demand for cut blooms fell off very rapidly. Mother's Day coming on May 14th, a week later than in 1949, gave the tulip- crop a week longer to develop and there was a good movement of cut tulip blooms. " There has been considerable discussion among bulb-growers in recent weeks as to the advisability of establishing a Marketing Board for the sale of spring-bulb cut blooms." G. E. W. Clarke, Fraser Valley:— "A great deal of educational work has been done among bulb-growers by this office in conjunction with the inspection services of the Dominion Department of Agriculture. This work has demonstrated that by following good cultural practices with careful handling and proper storage conditions, high-quality bulbs can be grown. " Bulb-growing will develop into a very important crop and can be remunerative. Growers are being encouraged to select varieties for type and freedom from disease and to establish foundation-stock blocks as a basis for commercial plantings. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, 1950 BB 107 " The British Columbia Bulb Growers' Federation is doing a great deal in bringing the growers together to discuss the many problems in production and handling. The annual field-day held in the Fraser Valley on June 10th was well attended and promoted favourable discussion. " The Dominion Department of Agriculture Plant Protection Service, Vancouver, is giving good assistance to the growers while making certification inspections of the bulb- crops. The reports as issued are important guides to the growers. This year, shipments of bulbs to points outside the Province were, for the most part, disappointing. This was due to an intensive sales campaign by Dutch growers. It is hoped that this situation will improve as buyers gain confidence in our bulbs." Estimated Value of Marketable Bulb Production in British Columbia in 1950 The following table gives an excellent idea of the value of bulb production in British Columbia:— Narcissus— 190 acres X 100,000=19,000,000 planted. Marketable output—15% =2,850,000 @ $30perM= $85,500 Tulips— 90 acres X 100,000=9,000,000 planted. Marketable output—25% =2,250,000 @ $25 per M= 56,250 Iris (bulbous)— 30 acres X 150,000=4,500,000 planted. Marketable output—30% = 1,350,000 @ $30 per M= 40,500 Gladiolus— 60 acres X 100,000=6,000,000 planted. Marketable output-30% =1,800,000 @ $20 per M= 36,000 Miscellaneous—44 acres X $1000= 44,000 Total (414 acres) $262,250 Blueberries and Cranberries The production of these two crops is reported on by G. E. W. Clarke, Supervising Horticulturist in the Fraser Valley, as follows:— " Blueberries.—The high-bush varieties of this fruit are being grown extensively on the peat areas of Lulu Island and Pitt Meadows. During the past few years, plantings have increased, and production, as these plantings come into bearing, is showing a marked increase. While a limited tonnage has been frozen or canned, the greater part of the crop, to date, has been handled on the local and Prairie fresh-fruit markets. " Production in many plantings was reduced to a marked degree as a result of winter- injury. Fresh-fruit shipments to the Prairies were curtailed for about ten days on account of the railroad strike in August. " Cranberries.—The growing of cranberries has been receiving considerable attention by a few growers on the peat areas of Lulu Island. Up to the present time, production has been limited, but this year, as more of the plantings are coming into production, it is expected that about 12,000 pounds will be offered on the local market. No arrangements have been made for the flooding, if necessary, of these plantings. " The main variety at present is the MacFarlane. Yields and quality of the crop would indicate that there is a possibility of further development. There are some insect and cultural problems that will require attention during the coming year." Tobacco G. E. W. Clarke, Supervising Horticulturist for the Fraser Valley, reports as follows on tobacco production:— BB 108 BRITISH COLUMBIA " This year the acreage of Virginia flue-cured tobacco was about 82 acres, which is nearly double that of last year. This crop is shipped to Eastern Canada by the Sumas Co-operative Tobacco Growers' Association, Abbotsford, for grading and marketing. " The weather was good at the time of transplanting, and while irrigation was necessary during the summer, the growth and development of the crops was good to excellent. Ideal conditions prevailed during the harvest, and about four car-loads, which is about 100,000 pounds of the cured leaf, will be shipped in December." Hops Hops are one of the important crops produced in this Province. At the present time the large producing areas are in the Fraser Valley and around Kamloops. Parties interested in hop production are looking for more land in areas where climatic factors are suitable for the production of this crop. The area devoted to hop-growing has increased from 925 acres in 1931 to 1,650 acres in 1950, and the annual value of the hop-crop is close to $1,500,000. G. R. Thorpe, District Horticulturist at Creston, reports that the Clements E. Horst Company has taken an option on 440 acres on reclaimed land at Creston for the purpose of experimenting with hop-growing. G. E. W. Clarke, Supervising Horticulturist in the Fraser Valley, and R. M. Wilson, District Horticulturist at Kamloops, report as follows on hop production in their respective districts:— G. E. W. Clarke, Fraser Valley:—- "There are over 1,500 acres in production in the Fraser Valley, representing an annual crop value of Over $ 1,000,000. The companies engaged in the growing of hops employ a large staff of full-time and seasonal labour. " Crop production has been fair to good this year, and excellent weather prevailed during the picking period. Hop-picking machines have been tried during the past few years and during the past season additional machines were operating. This equipment is reducing the time and cost in handling the fields." R. M. Wilson, Kamloops:— " Near Kamloops 68 acres of hops are grown on the Ord plantation and 80 acres are grown by Capilano Breweries Limited. Hop-fields were notably free of insect pests and other troubles and yields were satisfactory. Clear, warm days provided good harvesting weather. Machine-picking has practically replaced hand-picking methods in this area." Nut Production The production of nuts is a growing industry in the Fraser Valley. A recent survey indicates a substantial increase in acreage during the past four years, especially in filbert production. The following table indicates the acreage of filberts and the number of walnut-trees over the past twelve years, 1938-50:— District Filberts Walnuts 1938 1 1940 1944 1946 1950 1938 1940 1944 1946 1950 1 Ac. 25£ | 53|| Ac. 34 82 Ac. 28J 2848 Ac. 14J 5501 Ac. 321 510J 5431 Trees 132 114 Trees 202 84 Trees 180 371 Trees 232 2,593 Trees 376 2,000 Totals _ 79 | 1 116 313J 565 246 286 551 2,825 2,376 The following comments on the industry are taken from the report of G. E. W. Clarke, Supervising Horticulturist for the Fraser Valley:— " The British Columbia Nut Growers' Association was formed in 1947 and has been active in fostering the growing of filberts in particular. Meetings are held by this DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, 1950 BB 109, association during the year, and a field-day was held this year at Chilliwack on September 13th. " An insect and disease survey of the filbert plantings was made this year under the direction of H. F. Olds, Senior Inspector of the Dominion Department of Agriculture, Plant Protection Division, Vancouver, at the request of the above association. " While there are some large blocks of filberts in this district, there are numerous smaller plantings, and as these plantings are now coming into production, a marked increase in tonnage is to be expected in another year or two. " Several growers have spent considerable money on machinery and equipment for cleaning, drying, and grading. Some of this equipment is being made available for custom work, and by this means the growers hope to offer good, well-graded quality nuts to the Canadian markets. Prices for filberts during the war years were between 30 and 40 cents per pound. Recent prices have been about 20 cents per pound. "Walnuts, chestnuts, and hard-shelled almonds are being planted in some places, but plantings of these are limited, as on most places a few trees have been planted along fence-lines or driveways." Seed Production There was a heavy demand for seed of all kinds during the war and prices were; attractive, encouraging many growers to increase acreages or venture into a new industry. Since the war, owing to increased competition from seed imports, export trade restrictions,, and exchange barriers, the acreage in seed production has declined from 4,382,891 pounds in 1946 to an estimated total of 1,962,229 pounds in 1950. The seed work in the Province comes under the direction of J. L. Webster, of the Horticultural Branch. The following extracts are from Mr. Webster's report for the current year:— "Brief Discussion on Unfavourable Markets for Vegetable Seed.—One problem confronting seed-growers to-day is a very considerable surplus of onion seed. Approximately 70,000 pounds remain unsold at this date, with very little prospect of sale. " The over-all market situation for vegetable seed still remains unfavourable. The devaluation of British, Dutch, and other European currency, which results in a 20- to 30-per-cent monetary advantage for imported seeds from these countries, has had a serious effect on the price structure in this country. We have heard from other sources that onion seed has been quoted in Holland and in Great Britain as low as 40 cents per pound on the basis of our funds. This applies also to carrot and some other important seed items. The reason for the low price of vegetable seed in Europe is that both 1948 and 1949 were exceptionally good years in Europe from the standpoint of weather conditions. Seed yields were high and considerable surplus was built up on many varieties. Although some of the vegetable varieties are not used in this country or the United States, the whole picture on surplus has had a very depressing effect on our markets. " In the United States, continued high yields of most vegetable-seed crops has resulted in some surpluses which are being offered in Canada at low prices. Mechanization of agriculture in the United States and the growing of seed-crops on larger acreages enables these producers to make a small profit at prices at which it is difficult to compete. " The situation at this time seemed to be the exact reverse of that which prevailed during the war period, when there was a keen demand at good prices for almost all kinds and varieties of vegetable seed grown in this country. Also, although some restrictions with respect to dealing between Canadian and European firms have been removed, it is still impossible at this writing for British firms to obtain import permits necessary to purchase or contract for Canadian-grown seed. In other words, due to surpluses in Europe, exchange rates, and trade barriers, we are almost entirely confined to marketing our B.C.-grown vegetable seed on this continent. BB 110 BRITISH COLUMBIA " There are, however, several bright spots, the main one being the market for turnip seed. A demand has been built up for Canadian-grown registered Swede turnip in Eastern Canada, and, our cost of production being somewhat lower than that of the Maritimes, we are able to sell this item quite readily in Ontario, Quebec, and even in the Maritimes. Orders were received in 1949 for contracts up to 70,000 pounds of registered Swede seed. Unfortunately, owing to winter damage to over-wintering fields in the Fraser Valley, our firms were unable to deliver more than half this amount. Prospects for 1950 are better, as much of the new seedlings have been made on well-drained land. " Another opportunity which is being taken advantage of is the market for disease- free seed beans. Although the price for garden and canning seed-beans from the United States has declined somewhat owing to the stiffening of the Canadian dollar, the demand continues good with canners and large seed firms in Eastern Canada. Slightly over 300,000 pounds of seed-beans is expected this year, and it is hoped that this will remain or increase as permanent business. " It is very evident that if B.C. vegetable-seed growers are to continue in the business in a large way, they will have to be able to deliver good-quality seed at the prevailing low prices unless war or some other factor causes prices to rise. Cost of production is therefore one of our most important considerations, and further efforts must be made to persuade and assist growers to mechanize the production of as many seed-crops as possible and put into practice several of the new labour-saving techniques which apparently should result in lower production costs. "The following data show the 1948 and 1949 yields of vegetable seed, together with the recent November estimate for the current year (1950):— Kind 1948 1949 1950 (Estimated) Asparagus Beans- Broad Pole and dwarf- Beets Cabbage Carrots Cauliflower- Corn, sweet . Cucumber. Leek Lettuce Muskmelon . Onion Onion-sets — Parsnip Peas Pepper_ Pumpkin Radish Spinach Squash Swiss chard Tomato Turnip, Swede Vegetable marrow.. Watermelon Brussels sprouts Totals. Lb. 120 22,177 460,967 12,539 1,233 54,609 435 13,500 11,867 800 14,639 80 35,313 14,000 1,230 366,250 40 1,100 10,067 8,800 920 500 1,023 12,389 200 250 1,045,048 Lb. 60 14,526 327,474 15,500 1,939 48,873 826 17,534 16,105 660 22,800 50 61,574 21,000 2,950 1,210,185 36 2,175 16,850 7,218 2,243 1,619 41,922 450 48 1,834,617 Lb. 200 15,000 318,000 30,000 1,800 47,000 200 31,000 1,000 500 27,000 500 107,125 10,000 8,800 1,276,500 400 1,000 21,200 7,000 600 500 1,700 54,104 300 500 300 1,962,229 " Brief Notes on Flower-seed Production.—The following is the value of flower seed produced in 1948 and 1949, together with the November estimate of total values to be expected in 1950: 1948, $66,638; 1949, $64,500; 1950, $41,000. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, 1950 BB 111 "A further decline in the over-all production of flower seed was registered, as indicated above. This was chiefly because of competition from California and Holland. In California, mechanization in the growing and harvesting of flower seeds has lowered cost of production very materially. In Holland, family labour and generally lower wage- scales are making possible continued low production costs on several flower-seed items, the growing of which cannot be mechanized. In addition, Holland has at least 20 per cent advantage in exchange rates, as previously noted. " We regret to report that two well-known firms formerly dealing in flower seed have discontinued handling flower seed in volume. These are B.C. Seeds Limited, Kamloops, and W. H. MacFarlane & Company, Cordova Street, Vancouver. The reasons given for going out of flower seed are as outlined above. However, the well-known firm of George A. Robinson & Sons, Royal Oak, continues to operate and, in fact, appears to have increased its business, possibly in part because of other firms withdrawing from business, but also due to the high-quality product which they grow. This firm maintains an almost complete line of flower-seed kinds and varieties and has gained an enviable reputation with retail and wholesale firms throughout Canada and the United States. " With the completion of the irrigation project at Cawston in the Southern Similkameen, it is hoped that there will be some increase in the growing of half hardy and tender annuals in that area from direct seeding. This will depend on worth-while contracts being available and if keen and efficient growers can be found amongst the new veterans who have taken up this land. " Vancouver Island still remains the major area of flower-seed production, due largely to the operations of the firm of George A. Robinson & Sons." HORTICULTURAL SURVEYS AND FIELD INSPECTIONS Orchard Survey.—The field work of the seventh quinquennial orchard survey has been completed. Unfortunately, most of this work was done before the cold weather of last winter commenced. Owing to the number of trees killed by winter-injury, adjustments will have to be made in the number of trees in the various districts if the survey is to be of any real value. Many orchards have been rechecked, and as soon as this work is completed and the results compiled, a truer picture of the producing orchards can be given. Small-fruit Survey.—The 1950 small-fruit survey has been completed and the results compiled. This survey, generally made every two years, was omitted in 1948 because of floods in various parts of the Province. The following tabulated summary indicates the acreage in small fruits in the Province for the past thirty years:— Small-fruit and Rhubarb Acreage, 1920-50 Kind 1920 1922 1924 1926 1928 1930 1932 1,796 967 209 210 23 62 56 91 2,886 2,105 506 329 42 138 85 111 2,331 2,387 764 252 58 239 96 183 2,042 1,641 802 178 34 192 68 244 3,005 1,258 713 170 42 179 69 320 2,198 1,060 821 120 22 149 60 382 2,264 1,077 844 158 20 Loganberries - Blackberries ' - - 159 Gooseberries ... - 71 396 Blueberries Totals , ,.. 3,414 6,202 6,310 5,201 5,756 4,812 4,989 BB 112 BRITISH COLUMBIA Kind 1934 1936 1938 1940 1944 1946 1950 Strawberries. 2,944 1,371 697 156 36 272 112 571 . .. 3,312 1,438 628 140 42 326 112 685 3,338 1,424 648 133 36 255 57 572 3,292 1,194 703 74 24 248 53 395 1,570 1,520 467 85 12 189 26 141 2,833 2,058 393 56 18 132 12 112 3,170 1,261 417 Blackberries 46 9 84 Gooseberries _ 10 168 Blueberries 340 Totals .... 6,159 6,683 6,463 5,983 4,010 5,614 5,505 Nursery Inspection To comply with the "Plant Protection Act," 126 licences were issued to nurseries and nursery agents at a cost of $5 each. Inspection of all nurseries in the Province was carried out by the staff of this Branch, either at the time of digging or previous to shipping. The following table summarizes the work in 1950:— Nursery Inspection Report, 1950 Trees Number Inspected Number Passed Number Condemned 52,769 40,452 18,240 20,104 30,570 3,083 51,902 39,738 17,870 19,606 30,087 3,083 867 714 Plums and prunes - - 370 498 Arricots and peaches _ — _ 483 Totals... _ _ 165,218 162,286 2,932 Fifty-two inspections made; 1.8 per cent of stock condemned. FlRE-BLIGHT INSPECTION There was less fire-blight last summer than for many years. Though spraying during the blossom period is practised in some orchards in the Western States to control this disease, it has never come into general use. Dependency for control is chiefly by removing the infected parts of the tree and burning the diseased wood. The practice of painting the diseased areas on the larger wood with zinc chloride to retard the spread of the disease is increasing. The horticultural staff assists in the control of this disease by annual inspections, lectures at fruit-growers' meetings, and demonstrating treatments. The following table indicates the number of acres inspected in 1950:— Fire-blight Inspection, 1950 District Total Inspected Inspected and Passed Not Passed Ac. 819 19 6,200 6,500 20 330 40 10 500 45?4 196 3,000 Ac. 791 19 6,100 6,500 20 330 40 10 495 451/2 184 3,000 Ac. 28 100 5 Va 12 Totals _ 17,679% 17,534!/2 145% DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, 1950 BB 113 HORTICULTURAL DEMONSTRATION WORK Pruning Demonstrations Pruning demonstrations are held throughout the Province annually. Though these demonstrations have been held over a very long period of time, they continue to be well attended in the various districts. This is accounted for by orchards changing hands and new owners coming in, and also interest shown in this horticultural practice by many old-time orchardists. The following table indicates the districts, number of demonstrations held, and the attendance for 1950:— ... . , __ . _ Number of Number of District Demonstrations Pupils Vancouver Island 15 545 Lower Mainland 5 112 Okanagan 5 160 Kootenay , 8 61 Totals 33 878 Bridge-grafting Demonstrations Owing to the ravages of mice in the Okanagan during the fall of 1949, thousands of trees were girdled to the extent that recovery would be impossible unless remedial measures were taken. Bridge-grafting is the only remedy, so demonstrations in grafting methods were given throughout the Okanagan Valley by members of this Branch. The following table summarizes the number of demonstrations and attendance:— Number of Number of Place Demonstrations Pupils Vernon Area 4 175 Kelowna 15 373 . . West Summerland 9 210 Penticton • 10 204 Totals . 38 962 Rust-resisting Black Currants The testing of two varieties of black currants is being carried on in the Fraser Valley and on Vancouver Island. The two varieties discussed below have shown certain merits, but are susceptible to mildew and require suitable pollinators. The horticulturists from the Fraser Valley and Vancouver Island make the following observations on the progress with these rust-resistant black currants:— G. E. W. Clarke, Supervising Horticulturist, Fraser Valley:— " The two new rust-resistant black-currant varieties, Crusader and Coronet, were first tried out on a small scale several years ago. Following the 1948 floods, fairly extensive acreages of these two varieties were planted and 1951 should see the first commercial production from these plantings. " Although both Crusader and Coronet have made very vigorous growth and seem to be completely resistant to white-pine blister-rust, both varieties have been found to be consistently susceptible to attacks of mildew. It is now obvious that in growing these two varieties a spraying or dusting programme to control this disease will have to be included as standard practice for these varieties. " A very small amount of fruit has been picked from these two varieties, and the initial trial plantings have now been in place long enough to show that fruit-set where no other varieties are interplanted is poor. New varieties have been originated specifically for use as pollenizers for Crusader and Coronet, and plants of these varieties are to be obtained for trial in this district. BB 114 BRITISH COLUMBIA " Baldwin and Boskoop Giant are the two varieties which were most commonly grown in the district prior to the introduction of Crusader and Coronet, and both of these varieties produce fairly satisfactory crops. There seem to be differences in the productivity of various stocks of Baldwin and Boskoop however, so that planting material must be carefully selected." E. W. White, Supervising Horticulturist, Vancouver Island:— " These two new black currants were secured in 1945 from Dr. A. W. S. Hunter, Assistant in Fruit Breeding, Central Experimental Farm, Ottawa. These were bred for resistance to white-pine blister-rust. These varieties have proved their resistance to rust disease and were named last year. Ottawa No. 381 (0-381) was named ' Crusader ' and Ottawa No. 393 (0-393) was named 'Coronet.' " When originally grown by R. E. S. Stephens at Mountain Valley Farm, Duncan, both varieties proved resistant to the rust disease and were vigorous and productive. Mr. Stephens sold out his property at Duncan and established a new farm at Goldstream. Crusader and Coronet were planted, but have proved unproductive. At Duncan there was a considerable planting of Baldwin, and this variety must have acted as a pollenizer. Dr. A. W. S. Hunter found the same pollenizing trouble developed at Ottawa, and he now has a new variety, No. 0-396, which is an effective pollenizer for Crusader and Coronet, which he expects to have ready for release this year. It is hoped to secure a few plants for trial in this district." Strawberry Varieties G. E. W. Clarke, Supervising Horticulturist in the Fraser Valley, reports as follows on the relative productive value of strawberry varieties in the Fraser Valley:— " The British Sovereign is the principal variety recommended for the Lower Mainland. It has proven to be a good shipping, jam, freezing, and canning berry. In order to maintain healthy and highly productive plantings, the planting of other varieties of strawberries in new commercial acreages has been discouraged. " The Marshall variety is popular as a jam and freezing berry with the manufacturers. It is grown to a limited extent on Lulu Island, but because of the difficulty of obtaining certified healthy stock during the past few years, less acreage is being planted. This variety, while suitable as a local fresh-market berry, is not satisfactory for distant shipping. " The Pitt strawberry, a local seedling of only fair quality, was grown rather extensively on account of its resistance to red-stele. The planting of" disease-free British Sovereign plants and good cultural practices have reduced losses from red-stele; consequently, there has been a marked reduction in the plantings of this variety. " The Pathfinder is recommended in the earlier sections as an early variety for the fresh-fruit market. The present plantings of this variety are limited. This variety matures a week to ten days in advance of the British Sovereign. " The Temple variety, in addition to not proving resistant to Red-stele, is variable as to growth and development, depending on soil conditions, and so making it a variety somewhat difficult to grow satisfactorily in most parts of this district." Value of Certified Strawberry Plants The following comparison of the value of certified strawberry plants with local-grown plants is reported on by G. R. Thorpe at Creston, as follows:— " Diseases and insects were not a serious problem where adequate precautions were taken. In diseases the so-called ' root-rot' now appears to be winter-injury accompanied by the general ' running-out' of the plants used. Up to one year ago, the majority of the planting stock was taken from local plantations. One year ago several large growers imported certified stock from the Fraser Valley, and the first production year has proved their worth. In two separate instances two growers have ploughed under their local-grown stock after the first crop-year and are replanting with certified stock. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, 1950 BB 115 " One grower makes the following comparison: ' Local-grown stock produced two pickings and certified stock produced six pickings.' " It is evident from this practical experience that the certified strawberry stock has a definite place in the industry in the Creston Valley. " To strengthen this point, the grower fertilized heavily but failed to increase the production of the local-grown plants. Also, in a demonstration fertilizer plot, the trebling of fertilizer applications failed to increase the growth or yields of the local-grown plants. This suggests that these plants lack the necessary attributes to absorb plant nutrients, even though they are readily available." Hardy Seedling Apricots Hardier apricot varieties of good quality would benefit the fruit industry in the Interior of this Province. For this reason the District Horticulturists of this Branch are continually on the lookout for any desirable seedlings that show promise of withstanding lower winter temperatures than our present named varieties. R. M. Wilson, District Horticulturist at Kamloops, reports on seedling trees found at Savona and Ashcroft as follows:— " Last spring a number of apricot-trees blossomed abundantly in the home gardens of Ashcroft and Savona. Later on these and other trees at Tranquille and Spences Bridge were found to bear a crop of generally medium-quality fruit. The trees proved to be hardy seedlings, capable of bearing fruit when nearly all named varieties had been killed outright by the sub-zero temperatures of last winter. " Bud-wood taken from three of the more promising trees was given to the McPhee Nurseries at Westside, Kamloops, for propagation. On luly 25th, A. J. Mann, Summer- land Experimental Station, visited the area and took samples of fruit and sent bud-wood to the Manten Nurseries at White Rock for propagation. " The seedling apricots in some cases bore an abundance of fruit satisfactory for home use in northern areas. Some of the trees will be propagated on a limited scale for this purpose. " In addition, the trees have good possibilities in the field of fruit breeding." Hardy Intermediate Apple Stocks Owing to the very cold winter beginning last January, reports on the usefulness of hardy apple stocks are of particular interest. The reports of the District Horticulturists at Salmon Arm and Kamloops on the effectiveness of these stocks last winter follow:— M. P. D. Trumpour, Salmon Arm:— " Observations were again made on trial plantings of hardy intermediate apple stocks initiated by C. R. Barlow, former District Field Inspector at Salmon Arm, and A. J. Mann of the Experimental Station at Summerland. " The observations made this year have indicated two possible conclusions. One conclusion is that Delicious apple-trees top-worked on so-called hardy frames such as Hibernal, Charlamoff, etc., survived the extreme cold temperatures of last winter better than Delicious apple-trees on their own trunks. Unfortunately, the plantings are not old enough to determine whether the Delicious on the hardy frames would have survived the cold winter as well if they had been 20 or 25 years old. " The second possible conclusion is that the Hibernal Intermediate stock may not be as satisfactory as indicated in the Annual Report for 1949. In all the trial plantings the buds of the topping variety have been placed on the scaffold limbs some 30 to 36 inches from the trunk. There have been in the past year at least three instances of breakage of scaffold limbs, and this indicates that the buds should have been placed closer to the trunk. If such has to be done, it is felt that much of the benefit from the use of Hibernal as a framework for Delicious is lost. Because of this fault, it may be that Charlamoff would BB 116 BRITISH COLUMBIA be at least equal to Hibernal in all factors, and observations next year with this in view may provide a more definite conclusion." R. M. Wilson, Kamloops:— "A number of double-worked hardy apple and crab-apple trees were planted in the present Loerke orchard, Brocklehurst district, by the Summerland Experimental Station in 1939. The trees were later top-worked to the Red Delicious variety. The extreme cold of last winter served to place the trees under severe test for winter hardiness. " On April 27th, in co-operation with A. J. Mann, horticulturist of the Dominion Experimental Station, Summerland, the writer made checks for hardiness of trunks, main limbs, and scion growth. The trees were also examined for vigour during July and again later in September. " While some of the frameworks were superior from a hardiness standpoint, they fell down in other respects. For example, Robin displayed practically no damage to cambium tissue but made poor framework and scion union and dwarfed the tree size. Possibly the varieties of greatest merit are the Hibernal, Charlamoff, and Antonovka, so far as this plot indicates. However, development in the next few years should give a clearer picture. "Although Delicious scion growth was weak in all cases, it appeared to have a fair chance of survival, whereas Delicious trees on their own frameworks located in near-by orchards failed to recover and are now dead." Hybrid Onion and Hybrid Sweet-corn Seed J. L. Webster, horticulturist in charge of seed-production work in the Province, reports on the development of the production of hybrid onion and hybrid sweet corn in British Columbia as follows:— " Following our inspection trip to California in 1946 and our trip to the Snake River valley of Idaho in 1949, reports were submitted pointing out the necessity for more plant breeding and investigational work in the development of seed-growing in hybrid onion and hybrid sweet corn. " In the United States a tremendous effort in plant breeding is in evidence in hybrid onions, and for the past two years up to twelve varieties of hybrid-onion seed has been offered both in the United States and in Canada by American wholesale firms. As a result of communication with Dr. Henry A. Jones, of Beltsville, Md., we were successful in obtaining seed of thirteen in-bred parents necessary in the production of a number of varieties of hybrid-onion seed. This seed, after due consideration, was sent to Dr. C. A. Hornby at the Experimental Station, Summerland, which station has now commenced on a long-term project on the breeding and selection work necessary to develop Canadian strains of hybrid onions. It is believed that, in the commencement of this line of research at Summerland, a most important step has been taken in the interest of seed-growers in British Columbia. Very little work of this nature is being undertaken at Ottawa, and we know of no other station or institution in Canada which is engaged in hybrid-onion work. As American seed firms are now offering hybrid seed in volume, a great deal will depend on the skill and manner of supervision given this plant-breeding effort because, if not successful, our seed-growers in British Columbia may lose a good deal of their market to inroads of the superior hybrid seed which is now appearing on the market. "Hybrid sweet-corn is now becoming almost exclusively used by canners and market-gardeners, and it will only be a matter of a few years until almost all our original open-pollinated strains of sweet corn are discarded. Golden Bantam, because of its high quality, may continue in demand for a few years, but there are now many hybrid strains which are 30 per cent superior in yielding ability, have greater uniformity, and, in many cases, equal quality, which are gradually displacing the older varieties. " Efforts have been made from time to time to interest seed-growers and seed firms in the growing of hybrid sweet-corn seed in British Columbia. In 1944, in-bred material DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, 1950 BB 117 was brought in by our Provincial Department and, with the co-operation of a local wholesale firm, was placed with a grower with a view to producing a crop of hybrid seed. Unfortunately, the crop was destroyed by frost. We have continued our efforts to interest firms to continue the work without success until the present year. " The seed firms and growers in the Province are now very much interested in producing hybrid seed corn. Accordingly, seed of some eight in-bred strains was brought in by our Department from the Experimental Stations at Purdue and New Haven in the United States. This high-priced in-bred material was placed out with a number of seed- growers in the Province with a view to having it increased to sufficient quantity to make a start on producing hybrid seed of four or five important varieties. We expect, therefore, to be able to commence production of Spancross, Marcross, Carmelcross, and Golden Cross in 1951. If much production is contemplated, it will undoubtedly be necessary to have a corn drier located in a central part of the Southern Interior in order to handle this crop efficiently. " While we have reported that hybrid sweet-corn seed production is now only being commenced, it should be noted that hybrid field-corn seed has been produced in some volume for four years. The necessary crossing stocks to produce this hybrid field corn are being obtained from the Experimental Station at Ridgetown, Ont., by our Department each year." Sawdust Mulches The use of sawdust for mulching in those districts where a cheap supply of material is available is increasing in non-irrigated districts where rainfall is light. E. W. White, Supervising Horticulturist, makes the following observations on the benefits derived from the use of sawdust mulches on Vancouver Island:— " Continued interest is being shown in the use of mulching material. Sawdust is perhaps the most extensively used material at the present time, and sawdust-piles and sawdust-mulched areas are becoming quite a conspicuous feature of the landscape. " R. E. C. Stephens, who pioneered the use of sawdust on small-fruit plantings at his previous farm at Duncan, is now well established at his new farm on the Island Highway at Goldstream. All small-fruit plantings are being grown with sawdust mulch. It should be pointed out that large quantities of manure, seaweed, and commercial fertilizers are being used to keep up the fertility of the soil. Table corn is being grown quite extensively, but no sawdust is used on this crop as it keeps the soil too cool. The corn land is well manured, and strawberries are grown after the crop of corn. " Mr. Stephens is growing raspberries in a rather unorthodox manner. As soon as a sawdust-mulched strawberry planting is removed, young raspberry canes are set out in the fall without any tillage whatsoever. The canes make good growth the next season, and the following year the first and only crop of raspberries is harvested. Mr. Stephens believes that the very large berries grown on the young canes and sold to a select roadside- stand trade can be a profitable business. " T. M. Nixon, Elk Lake, has had three-quarters of an acre of loganberries under sawdust mulch since 1946, with good results. He is also using sawdust on his strawberry planting. " E. R. Hall, Assistant Superintendent, Experimental Station, Saanichton, has kindly supplied the following information: In May, 1945, the Experimental Station set up a sawdust-mulch experiment on loganberries on the farm of J. D. Halloway, Keating. The size of the plot was 27 by 264 feet, and 1,900 cubic feet of sawdust were used. The results have been quite outstanding, as shown in the following table:— BB 118 BRITISH COLUMBIA Cultivated Plot Sawdust-mulch Plot Plot Yield Estimated Yield per Acre Plot Yield Estimated Yield per Acre 1948 Lb. 794 760 638 Lb. 7,276 6,967 5,848 Lb. 1,080 1,305 878 Lb. 9,899 11,964 8,048 1949 .... 1950 "The lower yields in 1950 are attributed to the severe winter which injured the canes. Mr. Halloway has extended the sawdust mulch to a large area of his commercial planting. " The Experimental Station also has straw-mulch plots set up in a bearing Bartlett pear orchard and sawdust-mulch plots in a bearing sweet-cherry orchard. " D. E. Caudle, Royal Oak, has used shavings this fall to mulch a half-acre of black currants and gooseberries. Mr. Caudle also is a fairly large producer of turkeys, so that he has an abundant supply of manure to apply before the mulch is laid down. " P. G. Gubbels, Seven Oaks, has used sawdust quite extensively this fall on his bulb plantings, and it will be interesting to watch the results next spring and summer. His soil is a fairly heavy clay loam. " W. H. Warren, Parks Administrator for Victoria, has been using sawdust in the parks, particularly in plantings of shrubbery, to improve soil-moisture and control weeds. " H. English, Keating, has been developing a contour strip-farming project during the past three years. This programme is beginning to pay off in added humus content and the elimination of erosion to a large extent. Mr. English, of course, uses manure and commercial fertilizers to provide added organic matter and plant nutrients. " In general, it can be said that the use of sawdust is still in the experimental stage, but with so many growers experimenting with this material on so many different crops, it should be possible before very long to make some definite recommendations as to its use. It would appear that there is very little difference between the different types of sawdust, such as fir, spruce, hemlock, and alder. Sawdust from the softer woods decomposes more rapidly than sawdust from the harder woods. " Where it is necessary to pay for sawdust, growers must be able to secure it at a reasonable price. In many cases sawdust can be secured for hauling it away to keep mill yards clean." Fertilizers on Italian Prunes R. P. Murray, Supervising Horticulturist at Kelowna, reports on fertilizer plots set up to determine the value of fertilizing practices on Italian prunes as follows:— "A series of fertilizer plots was set up in the fall of 1949 to try to find out if the fertilizer recommendation for Italian prunes was the cause, or one of the causes, of the many small, poor-quality prunes being produced. These plots are situated at Keremeos, Penticton, and Naramata. For organic matter, manure at the rate of 10 tons per acre will be applied annually at approximately 6 tons per acre on the plots in the Barker and Orr orchards. Unfortunately, the plots at Keremeos were so badly winter-injured that they will have to be rearranged. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, 1950 " Harris Orchard, Penticton BB 119 Plot No. Fertilizer per Tree Yield Kind Amount 1 8 lb. 10 lb. 4 lb. 10 tons per ac. 10 lb. 1,178 lb. 2 16-20-0 _ _ 1,406 lb. 3 862 lb. 4 16-20-0 1,161 lb. Check 948 lb. " Five trees in each plot, planted 20 by 20. Trees are generally in a good thrifty condition, and the fruits were excellent in size and quality. " Orr Orchard, Naramata Plot No. Fertilizer per Tree Yield Kind Amount 1 6 lb. 8 lb. 10 lb. 10 lb. 4 lb. 6 lb. 1,295 lb. 2 861 lb. 3 ..... 4 . Ammonium sulphate 16-20-0 1,067 lb. 1,014 lb. 5 Potassium sulphate Ammonium sulphate 1,170 lb. Check - 978 lb. " Each plot consists of five trees, planted 20 by 20. All the trees are in a fair state of vigour, and the crop this year, though heavy, was not of particularly good size or quality. As will be noted, an extra plot is included in this test to check the effect of low and high applications of nitrogen." Chemical Thinning Many fruit-growers are spraying with chemicals to thin fruit in the spring as a general orchard practice. Results are variable in different orchards and from year to year. The Horticultural Branch is also interested, in that this method of thinning, when successful, greatly reduces the cost of producing fruit. Methods are sought after to produce more certain results than are obtained at present. Plots were sprayed by members of this Branch at Vernon, Kelowna, Naramata, and Summerland, but with the exception of those at Vernon, spray thinning on these plots did not show up to advantage this year. The following reports, extracted from the annual reports of R. P. Murray, District Horticulturist at Penticton, and W. T. Baverstock, District Horticulturist at Vernon, are good examples of the type of work carried on in spray thinning:— R. P. Murray, Penticton:— " Trials were again carried out in the Sammett orchard at Naramata. The varieties were chiefly Jonathan and Newtown, with a few trees of Rome Beauty and Delicious, but since there were not sufficient trees of the latter two varieties in the plots, no records were kept. Weather conditions and bloom-development were favourable at the time of application. The hand-spraying was very thorough, but the steam generator machine, equipped with a fan, did not reach high enough into the trees for proper coverage. As will be seen in the following table, there is no significant difference between the sprayed and the unsprayed trees at harvest time. BB 120 BRITISH COLUMBIA " Sammett Orchard, Naramata (Jonathan and Newton Varieties) Material Number of Trees in Plot Number of Boxes Counted Average Number of Apples per Box Method of Application Variety Sprayed Elgetol, 2 pt./lOO _ Parmone, 7 oz., plus 1 qt. diesel oil Parmone, 7 oz., plus 1 qt. summer oil Parmone, 6 oz. in 4% gal D.N. 289, l!/2 pt. in 5 gal. _.. D.N. No. 1,18 oz.; Monoethanolamine, W2 oz. in 5 gal. Check _ Parmone, 7 oz./lOO.. Elgetol, IV2 pt./100.. Elgetol, 2 pt./lOO Check.. 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 115 113 113 112 118 111 131 85 91 88 108 Gun-machine Gun-machine Gun-machine Bes-Kil ~ Bes-Kil Bes-Kil Gun-machine Gun-machine Gun-machine Jonathan. Jonathan. Jonathan. Jonathan. Jonathan. Jonathan. Jonathan. Newtown. Newtown. Newtown. Newtown. Date of application, May 18th and 19th, sing Elgetol, D.N. No. 1, and D.N. 289. 1950. The oils were emulsified with casein spreader. Parmone was applied June 2nd, " This is the second season a steam generator machine was used with no results, and it is planned to discontinue its use. "Although the plot hand-sprayed with Parmone ten days after petal-fall held a slight advantage over the other materials, it was in no way outstanding. Since there was an early and heavy natural drop, blossom spray thinning did not show up as favourably as in 1949." W. T. Baverstock, Vernon:— " During this past season this office carried out deblossom spray experiments in the Vernon area. The Department's conventional sprayer was used for this work. " Varieties selected for the test were Duchess, Wealthy, and Mcintosh, and material used was Elgetol, at the rates of Wi pints, 1% pints, and 2 pints for 100 gallons of water. " Duchess sprays were applied on May 23rd in the BX area. Wealthy and Mcintosh were sprayed on May 30th in the Lavington area. " Weather during the spray periods was mostly cloudy, with sunny spells and temperatures in the eighties. " The time set to commence spraying was just as the first petals fall when branches are lightly tapped. Fruit from above plots was checked for size at harvest, and apples per box counted and same recorded. " Thinning costs saved on these plots was considerable. On the Duchess plot the grower saved 50 per cent of the thinning costs, and on the Wealthy and Mcintosh plots very little hand-thinning was necessary. " Very few growers applied deblossom sprays this past season, the general belief being that blossom sprays should not be applied following a period of severe winter-injury. "Blossom Thinning-spray Plots, Vernon District Area Variety Date Applied Number of Trees Checked Average Number per Box .Material Used: Elgetol (Rate per 100 Gal.) BX BX Lavington.— Lavington .— Lavington Lavington Lavington.... Lavington.... Duchess... Duchess.... Wealthy... Wealthy... Wealthy... Mcintosh . Mcintosh . Mcintosh. May 23 May 23 May 30 May 30 May 30 May 30 May 30 May 30 90 111 109 112 149 112 120 158 2 pt. Check-plot. 2pt. 1% pt. Check-plot. 1%'pt. 1V4 pt. Check-plot.' DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, 1950 BB 121 FlRE-BLIGHT CONTROL WITH CHEMICAL SPRAYS Increasing interest is being shown in the use of chemical sprays for controlling fire- blight. This method of control is used in some areas in the Western States, but has never become common practice in the fruit areas of the Northwest. Blight was not very prevalent this year, and the results of the spray trials are not conclusive. Further trials will be needed to prove whether or not this method of control is effective under Okanagan conditions. The results of the following trials are indicative of the general control by this method in 1950:— D. A. Allan, District Horticulturist, Oliver:— " During the past season, fire-blight sprays of Bordeaux and zinc ethylene bisdithio- carbamate were tried, but neither material proved satisfactory this year. Both materials were put on by growers with advice from this office, and the results watched by this official. The applications were timed so the first application was made when 10 per cent of the blossoms were out and the second at 50 per cent open. It is felt that the 1950 season did not give the materials a fair trial, as the spread of the organism was not prevalent until the secondary blossoms appeared a month after the materials had been applied. Therefore, next year it is planned that some of the material will be used at the time of the primary blossom and some when the secondary blossoms appear." A. W. Watt, District Horticulturist, Summerland:— "McKenzie Orchard.—Equipment: Standard Hardie two-gun sprayer; 500 p.s.i.,, %4-inch disks. " Procedure: The sprays were applied May 14th when the bloom was from 5 per cent to 40 per cent out and were repeated May 17th when the bloom was 70 per cent to 90 per cent out, and repeated again May 23rd when a few laggard clusters were still opening out. Each plot contained from nine to twelve bearing Bartlett pear-treees in small blocks. Bloom on all trees was very light. The trees were sprayed thoroughly with a drenching spray, from 3 to 4 gallons being applied per tree. Plot treatments were as follows:— Plot No. 1: Copper sulphate, 22.5 ounces per 100 gallons (approximately 4.4 pounds/A); hydrated lime, 32.5 ounces per 100 gallons (approximately 6.5 pounds/A); twelve trees sprayed at approximately 3 gallons per tree rate. Plot No. 2: Ferbam, 2.5 pounds per 100 gallons (approximately 10.8 pounds/ A); nine trees sprayed in this plot at about four gallons per tree rate. Plot No. 3: DNC 17.5 per cent, 6 fluid ounces per 100 gallons (approximately 26 fluid ounces/A). Check (remainder of Bartlett block): Unsprayed. " Results: The grower, Allan McKenzie, kindly undertook to keep a record of the number of infections in each plot during the rest of the season. This was done regularly once a week and a record made of each infection as it was dealt with by Mr. McKenzie. The result was as follows:— Plot No. Treatment Number of Trees Total Infections Average Number of Infections per Tree 1 2 Bordeaux 12 9 9 248 5 26 4 246 0.42 2.89 3 DNC 0.44 4 Check 0.99 " Summary: This test showed that trees sprayed three times with weak concentrations of either Bordeaux or DNC had approximately half the number of infections as the unsprayed trees. However, trees sprayed with Ferbam had three times the number of BB 122 BRITISH COLUMBIA infections as the check trees and over six times as many as the Bordeaux- or DNC- sprayed trees. " There is at least one significant point which can be drawn from this experiment, and it is that Ferbam apparently increased the susceptibility of the trees to blight. This point was also borne out by the experiences of another Summerland grower, W. B. Powell, who found that the trees he sprayed with Ferbam in 1950 became severely infected with blight and were much more difficult to deal with than unsprayed trees." San Jose Scale Control San Jose scale is found in parts of the Okanagan and in the Kaslo district in the Kootenay. As many importing countries demand certificates indicating that fruit shipments are free from scale, the Plant Protection Service of the Dominion Department of Agriculture placed Inspectors on the fruit-graders to check all fruit from districts where scale is known to exist and fruit is exported. The cost of this work is met by the Dominion Department, with some financial assistance from the Provincial Department of Agriculture and B.C. Tree Fruits, Limited. This service has been responsible for the protection of export shipments and of assistance to the fieldmen of the Horticultural Branch in locating infested orchards. Owing to the combined efforts of the two Departments, the amount of scale-infested fruit, though greater this year than in 1949, has been materially reduced. The increase this year is due to growers, because of winter-injury to trees and the fear of oil sprays aggravating the damage, not applying dormant sprays as generally as in 1949. D. A. Allan, District Horticulturist at Oliver, reports on an experiment in scale- control at Oliver, as follows:— " Investigators: D. A. Allan in co-operation with Dr. J. Marshall and the staff of the Entomological Laboratory, Summerland. " Place and Date: McConnachie Lot, Osoyoos, March to September, 1950, on 13- year-old Italian prune-trees. " Materials: Lime-sulphur, dormant oil, sodium lauryl sulphate, Parathion supplied by Dr. Marshall. "Experimental Procedure: The trees are spaced 20 feet apart in the row, or 108 per acre. Plot No. Date of Appliation Materials and Procedure of Application 1 2 March 15 (dormant) (buds starting to swell) May 12 (summer) (last petals falling) Speed, 2 m.p.h.; lime-sulphur, 13 gal.; dormant oil 200-220 s.s.u., 6.5 gal.; sodium lauryl sulphate, 8 oz.; water, 80 gal.; applied 61 gal. to 80 trees, or 6.5 gal. of oil per acre. Speed, 1 m.p.h.; Parathion 15%, 2 lb.; water, 21 gal.; applied 17 gal. to 13 trees, or 17 lb. Parathion per acre. " Results (checked September 1st, 1950): Plot No. 1, 14.5 per cent scale infested; Plot No. 2, 2.6 per cent scale infested; check-plot, 9.2 per cent scale infested. " Comments on Results:— (1) The application of Parathion at petal-fall, as applied in 1950, apparently much superior to dormant. However, it will be noted that the check was better than the dormant plot, which might suggest that the Parathion plot originally might have been cleaner than the other plots. Comparison of 1949-50 Results Material Infested Fruit 1949 1950 (PerCent) (PerCent) Dormant oil-lime sulphur 0.3 15.5 Parathion 35.2 2.6 Check 21.8 9.2 DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, 1950 BB 123 (2) From the comparison it would appear that timing of the spray of Parathion was the limiting factor. However, the 1949 application was 6 pounds per acre, while the 1950 application was 17 pounds per acre. If amount of material was the most important factor, the dormant result should also follow the pattern of the summer plot, since the 1949 application was 3.5 gallons per acre, against the 1950 application of 6.5 gallons. (3) In order to properly assess the value of Parathion on San Jose scale, another experiment should be done. At this time there are too many factors which influenced the results." Willamette Mite Willamette mite was discovered in an orchard in Summerland in the fall of 1949. This summer it was reported in Kelowna, Summerland, Penticton, and Oliver. Parathion is the standard control for red-mite and Pacific mite, but this material did not give satisfactory control of Willamette mite. Owing to the seriousness of this pest, spray-plots were set up in Kelowna, Summerland, and Penticton to find a satisfactory control, and are reported on by the officials in charge of the horticultural work in these districts as follows:— J. A. Smith, District Horticulturist, Kelowna:— "An Experiment to Test the Effectiveness of Aramite on Willamette and Other Mites.—In early August a scattered infestation of Willamette mite was found in the orchard of C. D. Tuckey. Also present were European red-mite, Pacific mite, and two- spotted mite. The test was undertaken primarily to observe the effect of Aramite on Willamette mite, but observations were also made on the other species present. " The infestation of Willamette mite was so scattered that regular spray-plots could not be laid out. On August 3rd seven trees of the Mcintosh and Delicious varieties were sprayed with Aramite at the rate of 1 pound per 100 gallons; 120 gallons of spray were used in a gun machine. " Observations were made August 5th. Control of all mites was good on all sprayed trees as compared with unsprayed trees. No spray damage was noted." A. W. Watt, District Horticulturist, Summerland:— " Purpose of Work and Workers: With the sudden appearance of Willamette mite in Okanagan orchards, information is required on the control of this pest. In co-operation with R. Downing, of the Dominion Fruit Insects Laboratory, your assistant located an orchard for this work. "Materials: Parathion 15 per cent W, American Cyanamid; Karathane 25 per cent W, Rohm & Haas; Aramite 15 per cent W, Naugatuck Chemicals; R242 50 per cent, Stauffer Chemical Co. "Equipment: Okanagan Turbo-Mist sprayer, seven 0.048-inch orifices; pressure, 200 to 300 p.s.i.; air velocity, 100 m.p.h.; output, about 6,000 c.f.m. and 2.9 g.p.m. " Procedure: An orchard containing several varieties of fully bearing mature apple- trees which were severely infested with Willamette mite was selected in Prairie Valley. Sprays were applied by Mr. Downing and Mr. Halvorsen, of the Fruit Insects Laboratory. Four plots were selected and treatment was as follows:— Plot No. 1—R242 (50 per cent), 12 pounds per acre applied. Plot No. 2—Parathion (15 per cent), 8 pounds per acre applied. Plot No. 3—Aramite (15 per cent), 12 pounds per acre applied Plot No. A—Karathane (25 per cent), 12 pounds per acre applied. Plot No. 5—Check; no spray. BB 124 BRITISH COLUMBIA "Following application, the orchard was checked twice for the presence of Willamette mites on the leaves. Results of these checks are summarized in the table below. " Percentage of Leaves Infested after Sprays Applied Plot No. Treatment Leaves Infested on First Check Leaves Infested on Second Check r .... R242 Per Cent 39 60 2 1 96 Per Cent 42 2 62 3 Aramite 0 4 0.25 5 Check _ 97 " The Karathane material, although it provided excellent control caused some burning of fruit on the Winter Banana variety only. The Aramite also provided excellent control and gave no harmful burning effects. " Following' the application of the above sprays, the Parathion and check trees became so badly infested that measures had to be adopted if the grower's crop was to be saved. It was too close to harvest to use the more residual insecticides, so, accordingly, tetraethylpyrophosphate in the form of Lathex was applied. This gave excellent control but burned approximately 10 per cent of the fruit on the Snow variety and also did some damage on Jonathans. " Summary: In the above experiment Aramite and Karathane gave better control of Willamette mite than either Parathion or R242. Unfortunately, Karathane had a slight tendency to burn and was therefore not as safe a spray as Aramite. Lathex also gave good control of Willamette mite but burned Snow and Jonathan fruits quite severely." R. P. Murray, District Horticulturist, Penticton:— "At the first appearance of Willamette mite in a commercial orchard, control methods were tried with the following materials:— (1) Aramite at 2 pounds per 100 gallons. (2) Aramite at 1 pound per 100 gallons. (3) Parathion at 1 pound per 100 gallons. (4) D.N. No. 1 at 4 ounces plus 1 ounce of Monoethanolamine per 100 gallons. (5) Parathion at 2 ounces plus D.N. No. 1, 4 ounces, per 100 gallons. " Of these materials, only two gave satisfactory results—namely, Aramite at 2 pounds and Parathion at 4 ounces plus D.N. No. 1, 4 ounces. With the other materials there was only a partial control, and it was necessary with the others to give protection for the balance of the season. The trees were large Mcintosh, Delicious, and Winesap." Concentrate Sprayers and Apple-scab Control The use of this type of equipment is increasing very rapidly throughout the large tree-fruit areas in the Interior. It is estimated that in the central and southern areas of the Okanagan 75 per cent of the acreage is sprayed by some form of concentrate machine. In many instances, owners of the conventional gun type of sprayer hire the newer type of equipment for a great deal of their spray work because the saving in time and labour more than offsets the cost of hiring the newer type of equipment. There has been some difference of opinion on their effectiveness against apple-scab. J. E. Swales, District Horticulturist at Nelson, and G. R. Thorpe, District Horticulturist at Creston, report scab-control with concentrate equal to that obtained with conventional sprayers at a great saving in cost. At Salmon Arm, in 1949, control of scab with concentrate sprayers was not considered effective. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, 1950 BB 125 The following extracts from the reports of J. E. Swales at Nelson and M. P. D. Trumpour at Salmon Arm indicate the efforts being made to improve scab-control with concentrate sprayers in areas where this disease is of major concern in producing high-grade apples:— J. E. Swales, Nelson:— " In experimental work carried out this year with a Turbo-Mist concentrate sprayer, best control of apple-scab was obtained with lime-sulphur 8-100 (8 gallons of lime- sulphur in 92 gallons of water) which, when expressed in amounts per acre, is equivalent to approximately 6 gallons of lime-sulphur per acre. A mixture of 15 pounds of wettable sulphur and 5 pounds of Ferbam (iron carbamate) per 100 gallons of water did not prove very satisfactory. A spray schedule of Bordeaux 15-15-100, magnetic sulphur paste at 30 pounds per 100 gallons of water, and Bordeaux 7x/i-15-100 was also tried, but control of apple-scab was only fair when compared with that obtained with lime- sulphur. However, it was felt that the Bordeaux used was of too low a concentration to be very effective. A combination of 1 gallon of glyoxalidine and 4 pounds of hydrated lime per 100 gallons of water likewise proved ineffective in controlling apple-scab. " From results obtained this year, as well as last year, it would appear that the automatic concentrate type of sprayer can be just as efficient in controlling apple-scab as the average grower using the conventional gun machine. In addition to this, lime- sulphur caused no injury when applied by the concentrate machine even at a concentration of 16-100. This machine gave better control of scab when disks with 0.046 inch orifices were used in all seven spray-nozzles rather than when a combination of different disks were used, indicating a better coverage with the uniform disks." M. P. D. Trumpour, Salmon Arm:— "An experiment was carried out to compare the efficiency of the newer concentrate- type Besler spray-machine with blower attachment with that of conventional gun-type Hardie spray-machine in the control of apple-scab. A secondary experiment was included to compare the effectiveness of the fungicide-miticide material glyoxalidine with that of materials used in the standard spray schedule for the control of apple-scab. Due to seasonal conditions, very little apple-scab developed, even on unsprayed trees, so that results obtained were necessarily inconclusive. " Chemical analysis of spray deposits on foliage following the pink spray indicated that greater deposits were obtained by the use of the concentrate type of spray-machine, even on the tops of trees." Mice-control The greatest epidemic of mice ever known to the Okanagan appeared last fall. The standard method of control with strychnine baits placed in the orchards in specially constructed containers was recommended and, where used as suggested, gave good results. There is a demand for some material that will act as repellent to mice, so some of the commonly advertised repellents and other mixtures were tried at Vernon. I. C. Carne, Assistant District Horticulturist, reports on the repellents at Vernon:— " Due to the unusually high population of mice present in the orchards of the district last season, trial plots were set out to assess the effectiveness of mice repellents as applied to apple-suckers. " Plots consisting of twenty suckers each were set out on the Coldstream Ranch on November 2nd, 1949. Duplicate plots containing ten suckers per plot were set out on W. Middleton's orchard on November 22nd, 1949. As no one material proved to be satisfactory when left throughout the winter, detailed results will not be listed. "The following materials were tested:— 1. Z.I.P. (Goodrich Rubber product) at 2 ounces per quart. 2. Z.I.P. at 4 ounces per quart. 3. Z.I.P. at 4 ounces plus 1 ounce of D.N. No. 2 per quart. BB 126 BRITISH COLUMBIA 4. Z.I.P. at 2 ounces plus 1 ounce of D.N. No. 2 per quart. 5. Z.I.P. at 2 ounces plus 1 ounce of wettable sulphur per quart. 6. 1 ounce of D.N. No. 1 plus 1 ounce of DDT plus 1 ounce of wettable sulphur per quart. 7. 10 per cent mineral oil plus 2 ounces of DDT (50 per cent) per quart. 8. 10 per cent mineral oil plus 2 ounces of D.N. No. 2 per quart. 9. 10 per cent raw linseed-oil plus 2 ounces of DDT (50 per cent) per quart. 10. 10 per cent raw linseed-oil plus 2 ounces of D.N. No. 2 per quart. "Although it would not be considered commercially satisfactory, the raw linseed-oil plus D.N. No. 2 as used in Plot No. 10 gave the best results." J. A. Smith, District Horticulturist at Kelowna, reports on poisons and containers in an experiment on three formula? of mouse poison and two types of bait-holders:— "The experiment was carried out during April, 1950, in F. Hawkey's orchard, Glenmore. The orchard was very heavily infested with mice at this time. "The object of the experiment was to determine:— (1) Whether or not mice preferred wheat to oats in the poison bait, as some orchardists reported. (2) Whether or not saccharin increased the attractiveness of the bait. (3) Whether or not the recommended type of mouse-station was as effective or more effective than inverted irrigation fluming, which several orchardists were using as bait-covers. " The poison-bait formula? used were:— Formula No. 1: Rolled oats, 1 quart; powdered strychnine, one-eighth of an ounce; baking-soda, one-third of an ounce; 6 dessertspoonfuls of cooking-fat and 2 ounces of paraffin wax; a small amount of anise oil. Formula No. 2: The same as Formula No. 1, but with 0.25 per cent saccharin added. Formula No. 3: Rolled oats, 50 per cent; whole wheat, 50 per cent; a small amount of anise oil; 0.25 per cent saccharin; strychnine as in Formula No. 1. " The recommended type of mouse-station is made from a 6-inch length of 2-by-4 lumber and apiece of tin 5 by 7 inches. A li^-inch hole W2 inches deep is bored in the 2-by-4 block. The tin, bent lengthwise to a semi-circle, is clipped over the block, leaving a runway through for the mice. The tin is fastened at one end with brads and allows the free end to be lifted up for rebaiting. " Twenty-four of the recommended types of mouse-stations were set out in eight groups of three. Each group was baited with a sample of each formula. Thirteen lengths of irrigation-flume turned upside down were scattered along a panel of trees from one end of the orchard to the other. Under each length of flume two samples of each of the three formulae were placed. The results were as follows:— " One-third less of the formula containing wheat was taken by the mice than of the formula? containing oats. Saccharin did not make the bait more attractive, since equal amounts of Formula. No. 1 and No. 2 were taken. The amount of bait taken from the recommended type of mouse-station was negligible, whereas all of the bait of Formula? No. 1 and No. 2, placed under irrigation-flume lengths, was taken by the mice." Deer-repellent Demonstrations In many sections of the fruit-growing areas in the Province, deer come down from the hills and feed in the orchards, causing considerable damage. For some time effective repellents have been in demand. M. P. D. Trumpour, District Horticulturist at Salmon Arm, reports on the use of Z.I.P.:— " In the Salmon Arm-Sorrento district there has been difficulty in getting young trees to grow satisfactorily, due to deer which feed on new growth during the spring and DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, 1950 BB 127 early summer months. Numerous mechanical devices and repellent materials have been tried in an effort to keep the deer from feeding on the young trees. Of the devices and materials, none has proved fully effective, except possibly dried blood when dusted over the foliage. However, this dried blood is washed off the foliage by even a light shower of rain, so that in some years frequent dustings are required. In recent years a material reputed to be an effective deer repellent has been introduced on the market. This material is called Z.I.P. and is a by-product of the rubber industry, produced by the Goodrich Rubber Company. Two tests were set up in an endeavour to determine how satisfactory this Z.I.P. might be as a deer repellent, under Salmon Arm conditions. " One test was conducted on a block of 3-year-old Hibernal trees in the orchard of J. G. Campbell. One row of nine trees was sprayed with Z.I.P. on June 3rd and again on July 8th. Trees in immediate rows were dusted with dried blood by the grower three times before July 8th and once on July 14th. Observations showed that deer did not feed on any of the trees in the block until nearly the end of July. Then it became apparent that they began feeding on those trees which had been treated with dried blood while they did not touch those trees which had been sprayed with Z.I.P. Moreover, the deer did not touch those trees which had been sprayed with Z.I.P. for the balance of the season. Further observations showed that deer had been feeding on untreated cherry-trees in an adjacent block during the entire growing season. " The other test was started on a block of 2-year-old apple-trees of mixed varieties in the orchard of E. C. Turner. The trees were virtually defoliated up to June 10th, when an application of Z.I.P. deer repellent was made. There seemed to be an immediate check on deer activity which persisted for almost two weeks. Then the deer began feeding on the trees again, and the grower made another application of Z.I.P. and deer feeding was once more checked. " In conclusion, it would appear from the foregoing tests that Z.I.P. is one of the most satisfactory deer repellents introduced. However, in spite of the fact that both growers favour the product, at least one more season of use should be allowed before generally recommending it, as other materials in the past have proved effective as deer repellents for a season, or at least the best part of a season, only to prove completely ineffective in the following year." Colorado Potato-beetles Potato-beetle control work was continued in the South Okanagan and Kootenay areas this year. In the South Okanagan only five minor infestations were reported. In the Kootenay and Arrow Lakes area the heaviest infestations were reported at Shoreacres, Glade, and China Creek, and one at Bonnington. The Brilliant and Oote- chenia settlements, which were heavily infested last year, were comparatively free of beetles this year. This control work has undoubtedly held the spread of this insect in check, and were it discontinued, it is possible that this insect would rapidly find its way into the heavier producing areas. PUBLICATIONS, CROP ESTIMATES, REPORTS, AND MEETINGS No new publications were issued by this Department during the year. Publications in use were revised and reissued as required. Radio broadcasts covering recommendations dealing with pest-control were issued from our Kelowna office on two days each week during the summer months. These broadcasts were made by T. Leach during the C.B.C. regular farm broadcast. B.C. Tree Fruits Limited also gave excellent co-operation by transmitting this information over their teletype from Kelowna to the C.B.C. in Vancouver. Formerly, these broadcasts were made over CKOV at Kelowna, the expense being borne jointly by the British BB 128 BRITISH COLUMBIA Columbia Fruit Growers' Association and the Department of Agriculture. This change was made because of reduction in cost, and greater coverage was possible. The Horticultural News Letter, covering a period from May to September (ten issues), was issued from the Kelowna office under the supervision of the Supervising Horticulturist for the Okanagan-Main Line fruit-growing area. General horticultural conditions, vegetable acreages, and crop estimates are dealt with in this publication by district officials from all parts of the Province. Fruit- and vegetable-crop estimates, in co-operation with the Statistics Branch, were issued as required during the year. Final production figures were compiled and forwarded to the Statistics Branch. Many meetings were held by members of this Branch throughout the Province. The series of meetings held annually in the Okanagan-Main Line area was again a success. These meetings are arranged by the Supervising Horticulturist at Kelowna and sponsored in each district by the local branch of the British Columbia Fruit Growers' Association. Speakers were chosen from members of the Horticultural Branch, Dominion Science Service, Dominion Experimental Farms Service, and B.C. Tree Fruits Limited. It is a splendid co-operative effort by organizations interested in the welfare of the fruitgrowers. CHANGES IN STAFF G. H. Comly was appointed to succeed F. G. Moffat as Assistant District Horti-, culturist at Penticton. R. P. Murray, formerly District Horticulturist at Penticton, was appointed Supervising Horticulturist at Kelowna, in charge of the Okanagan-Main Line horticultural area, replacing B. Hoy, who was promoted to the position of Provincial Horticulturist, replacing W. H. Robertson, the present Deputy Minister of Agriculture. R. M. Wilson, formerly District Horticulturist at Kelowna, was placed in charge of the new office opened at Kamloops as District Horticulturist. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Your Horticulturist wishes to acknowledge the co-operation he and members of this Branch have received from the members of this Department, from members of the Dominion Service, and the University of British Columbia, in carrying out the work of this Department. The good relations that exist are much appreciated. REPORT OF DAIRY BRANCH F. C. Wasson, M.S.A., Dairy Commissioner Indications are that milk production in 1950 will be slightly higher than in 1949, when 651,647,000 pounds were produced; creamery-butter production shows a small increase, Cheddar cheese manufacture is up 18 per cent, ice-cream about the same as 1949, when around 2,500,000 gallons were made, and concentrated milk products show an increase of approximately 6 per cent. WEATHER AND FEED CONDITIONS A cold, late spring, combined with a dry summer and early frosts in some districts, has decreased the hay and grain production in the Province this year. Consequently, more feed will have to be imported from the other Provinces. It is quite likely that the frost-injury to grain-crops on the Prairies will affect the feed situation to a certain degree in British Columbia. A leaflet recently issued by the Animal Husbandry Department of the University of Saskatchewan tells how frozen wheat may be best used in feeding beef and dairy cattle, sheep, and horses. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, 1950 BB 129 UTILIZATION OF MILK PRODUCED IN 1949 Per Cent Fluid market 50.2 Creamery butter 16.5 Concentrated-milk products 11.0 Ice-cream 6.3 Cheddar, cottage, and farm cheese consumed on the farm and fed to live stock 16.0 100.0 NUMBERS OF DAIRY CATTLE ON FARMS According to the Dominion Bureau of Statistics June, 1950, survey, British Columbia has 99,800 dairy cows of all breeds kept mainly for milking purposes, 18,400 heifers of all breeds being raised mainly for milking purposes, and 75,000 calves being raised for both beef and dairy purposes. .. ....... DAIRY PLANTS There are operating in British Columbia at present nineteen creameries, three cheese-factories, two powdered-milk plants, one evaporated-milk plant, over 100 large and small milk-pasteurizing plants, thirty-one ice-cream plants (mostly included in creameries and milk plants), around 222 counter-freezers, and 350 to 400 producer- vendors of raw milk. Over 50 per cent of the dairy plants in the Province are located on the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island (Lower Mainland, 38 per cent.; Vancouver Island, 15 per cent). VALUE OF DAIRY PRODUCTION Total value of dairy production reached an all-time high in 1949, amounting in round figures to $30,707,000. This figure will be much the same for 1950, for, while there has been a slight reduction in butter-fat prices for butter-making, the prices for fluid milk have remained much the same as in 1949 and in some localities have been slightly higher. CREAMERIES Nineteen creameries operating this year will produce approximately 4,700,000 pounds of creamery butter, roughly an 8-per-cent increase over 1949. Prices for butter- fat for butter-making have ranged from 55 to 60 cents per pound. Butter prices to the consumer reached a high of 67 cents in January and a low of 58 cents in June, with a tendency to rise again slightly toward the end of the year. Only a few thousand pounds of whey butter are produced in this Province. Dairy-butter production is down roughly 10 per cent compared with last year, when an estimated 1,500,000 pounds were made. CHEESE-FACTORIES Two factories have been making Cheddar cheese during 1950, and they will produce in the vicinity of 600,000 pounds during the year. These plants are located at Edgewood on the Arrow Lakes and at Armstrong in the North Okanagan. The Armstrong factory pasteurizes fluid milk and also makes creamery and some whey butter. A combined creamery and cheese factory has been constructed at Salmon Arm on the Shuswap. This factory has been reported as being a very modern cement-block building. To date, no cheese has been made here. A small experimental " blue vein " cheese factory has been operating on Lulu Island during the last half of this year and has made a good attempt at turning out a new type BB 130 BRITISH COLUMBIA of cheese for British Columbia. Such pioneering in the manufacture of various types of cheese should receive every encouragement. Around 40,000 to 50,000 pounds of farm cheese are made annually, and between 2,500,000 to 3,000,000 pounds of cottage cheese are produced, mostly by one large plant. CONCENTRATED-MILK PRODUCTS The production of evaporated milk and skim-milk spray powder shows an increase of approximately 9 per cent over 1949 production. Roller-powder and whey-powder production shows a slight decrease. Dominion Marketing Services Review of the Dry Milk Situation for November, 1950, under the heading " Canadian Market," states as follows:— " The dry skim-milk market continued very firm under decreasing production and steady demand. Some manufacturers were finding it difficult to supply their customers. In the larger centres of Ontario and Quebec, spray was being sold from 13 to \AVi cents with roller generally 12 to 13V& cents. " The animal-feed market firmed in sympathy with the product sold for human consumption with sales generally from IVi to 8V2 cents for skim-milk and IV2 to 8 cents for buttermilk. Dry whey remained steady from 6 to 7 cents." ICE-CREAM Thirty-one ice-cream plants will produce over 2,250,000 gallons of ice-cream in 1950. This year's production is about 1 per cent lower than that of 1949, when, according to our Statistical Branch, 2,387,000 gallons were produced, having a wholesale value of approximately $3,580,000. Of the thirty-one plants producing ice-cream, only about six are strictly ice-cream plants, the others being either milk and ice-cream or butter and ice-cream plants combined. Ice-cream uses about 6 per cent of our total milk production. According to figures received, wholesale prices this year have ranged from a low of $1.10 per gallon to a high of $1.74, the average being in the vicinity of $1.50. Latest figures available show over 220 counter-freezers operating in the Province. MILK-PASTEURIZING PLANTS There are around 100 large and small milk-pasteurizing plants in the Province. Many of these are quite modern and up to date; others need improving to comply with the requirements under the " Creameries and Dairies Regulation Act" as amended in 1948. Vancouver requires all milk to be pasteurized; in Victoria about 95 per cent of the milk is pasteurized; and most of the smaller cities and towns in the Province have milk-pasteurizing plants. It is fairly accurate to state that 85 per cent or more of the fluid milk for human consumption in British Columbia is now pasteurized, while there are 350 to 400 producer-vendors of raw milk, and this number keeps changing from month to month and year to year. The trend is toward more and more pasteurized milk. Excellent educational work in helping to improve the quality of milk received at dairy plants is being done by fieldmen of some of the larger dairies, Provincial Veterinary Inspectors, Sanitary Inspectors of the Provincial Health Department, and Dairy Inspectors of this Branch. Co-operative efforts on the part of all concerned, including the producers and the operators of milk plants, are certainly helping to provide the consumer with a safer milk. Several milk plants are now operating their own dairy laboratories to run quality tests on milk received. SHORT COURSE IN DAIRYING The fourth annual short course in dairying offered jointly by the Department of Dairying, University of British Columbia, and the Dairy Branch, Department of Agri- DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, 1950 BB 131 culture, Victoria, was conducted at the University of British Columbia from October 30th to December 2nd of this year. Twenty-eight students, representing practically every section of the Province where dairying is carried on, were present, fourteen taking the general course; seven, instruction in herd improvement and cow-testing work; six, one week of special training in ice-cream making; and one, applied dairy bacteriology. Subjects covered in the general course (four weeks) were as follows: Pasteurization of milk, quality tests for milk, milk-plant practices, principles of engineering and refrigeration, dairy bacteriology, dairy arithmetic, dairy chemistry, and Babcock testing. The fifth week was given to ice-cream making and applied dairy bacteriology. George Patchett, Dairy Inspector and Assistant Dairy Commissioner, was in charge of the course and was ably assisted by the other three Dairy Inspectors—G. D. Johnson, of Kelowna, and Herbert Riehl and Norman Ingledew, of Vancouver. Mr. Riehl was in charge of the ice-cream course. The class in cow-testing was under the supervision of G. H. Thornbery, J. Mace instructing in compilations, rules, and regulations, and George Patchett in Babcock testing. Instructors from the Faculty of Agriculture, University of British Columbia, were Dean Blythe Eagles, Dr. J. Campbell, Dr. Nora Neilson, Miss Jean Campbell, Dr. J. Berry, and Professor Leroux. DAIRY LICENCES AND CERTIFICATES The following licences were issued during 1950: 95 Creamery or Dairy Licences, 135 Milk-testers' Licences, 49 Combined Milk-testers' and Cream-graders' Licences, 1 single Cream-grader's Licence, and 30 Certificates of Proficiency were issued to icecream makers, butter-makers, and pasteurizer operators. OLEOMARGARINE LICENCES Five licences were issued to margarine-manufacturers. One discontinued manufacturing, leaving four plants in actual operation. Twenty-four licences were issued to wholesalers of margarine. The manufacture of margarine began in April, 1949, and by the end of the year 3,459,725 pounds had been made. The indications are that over 6,000,000 pounds will be made in 1950. IMPORTATIONS FROM OTHER PROVINCES It was learned by contacting wholesalers that approximately 3,000,000 pounds of margarine were imported into British Columbia in 1949. It is now estimated that about the same amount or less will be imported during 1950, local production having doubled the amount made in 1949. Glaring deficiencies in the control of margarine which should be rectified are:-— (1) Lack of regulations governing condition of plants and equipment. (2) Lack of machinery to control sale and uses, especially in restaurants. (3) Lack of control in the method of advertising; that is, referring to margarine as a dairy product. INSPECTION AND INSTRUCTION SERVICES There are at present four Dairy Inspectors on the staff of this Branch—one on Vancouver Island stationed at Victoria, two in Vancouver, and one stationed at Kelowna who covers the Interior of the Province. There is too much work for one Inspector to do in the Interior; consequently, a request has been made for another Inspector to be stationed in the Kootenays. BB 132 BRITISH COLUMBIA The increased demand for fluid milk, brought about chiefly by an ever-increasing population, has added considerably to the work of our Inspectors, inasmuch as they must see that all milk-pasteurizing plants are up to requirements and, in addition, check on the quality of milk received at the various plants throughout the Province. The inspection of margarine plants and checking samples of margarine also adds to the work of our Inspectors. Numerous visits have been made to dairy plants, and several thousand Babcock check tests and quality tests on milk have been run. Following is a summary of visits made and some of the various tests run by the Dairy Inspectors during 1950: Plant visits, 630; check tests for butter-fat, 7,692; Resazurin tests made and supervised, 2,698; sediment tests, 1,853; temperature tests and water in milk, 785; reports sent to producers, 3,450; meetings attended, 90. In addition to the above, many calls were made on District Agriculturists and health units, including several visits to dairy-farm premises. Following are excerpts from the reports of Dairy Inspectors George Patchett, G. D. Johnson, Herbert Riehl, and N. H. Ingledew:— George Patchett, Vancouver and Gulf Islands:— " The programme to improve the quality of milk produced and sold has continued throughout the year. A few more dairies are now making regular semi-monthly quality tests, resulting in a demand for better milk from the producers. The results of bacteria counts made by the Health Department show a satisfactory improvement in the work done in the processing plants. Lack of cooling facilities is a major problem. Water on the Island becomes very warm after June 1st. The use of ice or mechanical refrigeration would seem to be the logical answer to this problem. On the other hand, where strict sanitation has been practised in caring for milk on some farms even where water temperatures are high, milk of better than fair quality has been produced, and in cases where mechanical refrigeration is used and sanitary methods not so good, milk has been only fair. Considerable effort has been expended in compiling information relative to a reasonably priced milk-cooling unit utilizing an insulated water-tank and an immersion- type refrigeration coil from a small compressor and circulating this cold water through a wall cooler. Various refrigeration firms were contacted and a moderate amount of interest shown by them." G. D. Johnson, Interior:— " Fluid-milk Production.—An increase in this commodity has again been noted, the source being derived mainly from an increase in graded premises, a small number of new dairymen, and, in some cases, enlarging of existing herds. The trend of the dairy industry is still toward pasteurized milk and away from raw milk, which is resulting in an increase in pasteurizing plants in smaller communities and a greater concentration of milk production. However, owing to the increase in human population being greater than the increase in cow population, some areas are experiencing seasonal shortages in a greater or lesser degree. Both the East and West Kootenays, the South Okanagan, Quesnel and Prince George, and the Prince Rupert area can be included in the areas which suffer from fluid-milk shortages. " The following new plants have been opened in the Interior during the past year: L. R. Singlehurst's Dairy, Williams Lake (pasteurizing); Sunshine Valley Creamery, Limited, Grand Forks (pasteurizing); J. Sinville's Cheese Factory, Lardeau (Cheddar cheese); J. Woods' Dairy, Creston (pasteurizing); Cariboo Dairy, Prince George (pasteurizing); and Dutch Dairy, Kamloops (pasteurizing). " In addition, a firm known as the Princeton Creamery has obtained a charter to carry on business. Raw milk from Princeton is taken to Penticton and pasteurized milk is returned to Princeton." H. Riehl and N. H. Ingledew, Greater Vancouver:— "During 1950 the Health Department of the City of Vancouver has made a determined effort establish a milk-quality control programme for the Vancouver milk DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, 1950 BB 133 shed. This plan has been progressing slowly throughout the year and is now gaining momentum. By mutual agreement between the City Health Department and ourselves, in order to prevent overlapping of work and confusion to the producer, we have for the past year relied on the results of the Resazurin tests carried out by the dairies. For the next while at least, our efforts in this connection will be of a supervisory capacity in an effort to obtain uniform results from all dairies in this milk shed." BRITISH COLUMBIA DAIRYMEN'S ASSOCIATION The British Columbia Dairymen's Association, which was revised and reincorporated under the " Societies Act " of the Province on September 8th, 1949, held its first general meeting at Abbotsford on March 30th and 31st of this year. It is expected the next general meeting will be held in the Okanagan about April, 1951. The present directors are H. W. German, R.R. 2, Chilliwack (president); S. E. Halksworth, Grindrod (vice- president; Acton Kilby, Harrison Mills; H. G. Shepherd, 1645 Fort Street, Victoria; A. G. Lambrick, Torquay Drive, Victoria; Charles Rive, 2256 Broadway West, Vancouver; S. J. Robin, 425 Eighth Avenue West, Vancouver; Fred Hopcott, Pitt Meadows; Henry H. Moffat, Alexandria; J. Mullen, Armstrong; Roy Noble, Armstrong; and W. Lumsden, Golden. It is hoped that all dairymen will put their shoulders to the wheel and see that this new association continues to be a real live organization for the good of the industry as a whole. MILK BOARD PRICES Milk Board prices to the producer during the year in the areas under the jurisdiction of the Provincial Milk Board were as follows:— Greater Vancouver area: January 1st to June 1st, $3.95 per 100 pounds of 3.5 per cent milk; June 1st to November 1st, $3.75 per 100 pounds of 3.5 per cent milk; November 1st to end of year, $4.13 per 100 pounds of 3.5 per cent milk. Greater Victoria area: All year, $4.65 per 100 pounds of 3.5 per cent milk. The differential in the Greater Vancouver area is 5x/i cents per 100 pounds upwards or downwards for each one-tenth of 1 per cent above or below 3.5 per cent. In the Greater Victoria area the differential is 6V2 cents. Milk prices in other parts of the Province for the fluid market have varied from $4 to over $5 in some isolated cases, the average running around $4.56 per hundredweight. SUMMARY Despite a very severe winter, a rather late spring, and, in most districts, a dry summer, indications are that the total milk production will equal or surpass the 1949 figure of 651,647,000 pounds. Prices for dairy products have remained much the same as in 1949, with the exception of butter being a little lower and in some areas fluid milk has increased slightly. Although there is a continually expanding market for dairy products in British Columbia, the high cost of labour, combined with high prices for feed, is making it difficult for some producers to stay in business. REPORT OF POULTRY BRANCH G. L. Landon, B.S.A., Poultry Commissioner The year 1950 has not been a satisfactory one in the poultry industry of this Province due to several reasons. The cancellation of the British contract for eggs from BB 134 BRITISH COLUMBIA Canada caused confusion and uncertainty for a time during the first few weeks of 1950, but this disappeared when the Dominion Government announced a floor price for eggs. The outbreak of Newcastle disease upset the industry in every respect, causing confusion and uncertainty. A detailed story on this outbreak appears later on in this report. HATCHERY OPERATIONS The production of baby chicks showed a considerable drop due to the uncertain conditions, and the following table gives the statistical data on the production of chicks for the past five years:— Table I.—Production and Distribution of Chicks Year Chicks Hatched Chicks Exported Chicks Imported Chicks Destroyed Balance Left in Province 1946 7,940,477 8,523,781 5,610,212 6,306,342 4,770,978 1,643,430 1,947,733 1,171,079 1,598,215 642,949 607,902 1,411,406 1,196,154 896,450 962,468 6,297,047 1947 1948 ... 164,343 39,087 78,085 93,815 5,328,985 3,292,166 3,889,762 3,259,376 1949 1950 British Columbia exported 1,343,205 hatching-eggs to Alberta and considerable quantities to Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and the United States. Table II.—Eggs Set and Chicks Hatched, September 1st, 1949, to August 31st, 1950 Grade Eggs Set Chicks Hatched R.O.P. pedigree 140,871 77,526 R.O.P. females 201,397 129,723 R.O.P. sired (pure-bred) 3,749,037 2,582,049 R.O.P. sired (cross-bred) 829,916 596,377 Approved (pure-bred) 914,524 607,442 Approved (cross-bred) 735,934 500,707 Custom hatched (R.O.P. sired) 326,684 223,592 Custom hatched (approved) 75,046 53,562 Totals 6,973,409 4,770,978 MARKETING Marketing conditions were comparatively good for eggs and poultry, although broiler production was very spotty due to sharp fluctuations in prices. The reduction of poultry in the Province is illustrated by the fact that receipts of eggs at registered egg-grading stations declined from 370,448 cases in 1949 to 313,635 cases in 1950 (period January 1st to September 30th each year). POULTRY-FLOCK APPROVAL This continues to be the major project of the Poultry Branch, involving the selection, banding, and Pullorum testing of thousands of poultry each season. Inspectors W. H. Pope, R. H. McMillan, Allan Mufford, Fred Wilkinson, Victor North, H. K. Arnould, and D. B. McAninch were employed on this programme. District Agriculturists R. K. Jameson, of Smithers, and J. W. Awmack, of Cranbrook, did some testing in their respective areas, and other District Agriculturists assisted in the programme. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, 1950 BB 135 The work in this office was increased this season because of the withdrawal of the University of British Columbia from Pullorum testing. For several years Dr. S. N. Wood had supervised the laboratory and testing programme, but could not continue. This phase of the programme was then turned over to the British Columbia Department of Agriculture. Under the present arrangement all clerical work is done.in the office of the Poultry Commissioner, with the technical phases under the supervision of Dr. J. C. Bankier. When the Provincial Animal Pathology Laboratory is opened at the University of British Columbia, the technical programme will be supervised from there. G. Arondus, W. Brookes, Jr., H. E. McDaniel, Stuart McAninch, and Lloyd North are now employed as testers and are supervised from the office of the Poultry Commissioner. Table III.—Statistical Data on Flock-approval, Years 1935 to 1950 Year Number of Flocks Approved Number of Birds Pullorum-tested Percentage of Reactors to Pullorum 1935 _ 117 127 143 149 194 194 244 331 572 512 631 715 561 538 508 320 43,074 77,493 93,008 92,178 115,543 121,954 158,867 197,127 362,414 371,655 433,724 477,724 430,439 334,667 347,268 250,000 6.09 1936 2.42 1937 _ 3.47 1938 _ 2.00 1939 1.84 1940 2.65 1941 2.59 1942 2.66 1943 -. 2.79 1944 _ 1.30 1945 1.00 1946 0.72 1947 - 0.25 1948 0.07 1949 _ - 0.13 1950 (estimated) _.... Table IV.—Data on Flocks Approved, 1949-50 Season Breed Number of Flocks Number of Birds Pullorum- tested Flocks R.O.P. Sired Flocks P.F.A. Sired Flocks with Males of Other Breeds Number Per Cent Number Per Cent Number Per Cent New Hampshire S.CW. Leghorn ... . 275 135 19 14 219,878 96,607 9,188 2,929 177 84 14 11 64.3 62.2 73.6 78.6 68 15 24.7 11.1 30 36 1 11.0 26.7 B.P. Rock ... R.I. Red 4 3 21.0 21.4 5.4 THE TURKEY INDUSTRY The turkey industry in 1950 was also affected by the outbreak of Newcastle disease, although not to the same extent as the poultry industry. Production of hatching-eggs and poults was good and the demand comparatively good. Table V.—Production of Approved Poults Year Poults Hatched Poults Exported Poults Imported Balance in Province 1947 ... 346,141 257,438 387,234 441,121 37,963 93,206 128,975 96,185 264 2,035 2,694 308,442 1948 , 164,232 1949 260,294 1950 347,630 BB 136 BRITISH COLUMBIA Table VI.—Turkey Flocks Approved, 1946-50 Number of Turkey Number of Turkeys Year Flocks Approved Pullorum-tested 1946 73 21,313 1947 80 24,757 1948 _____ 100 36,479 1949 100 45,364 1950 (estimated) 50 23,000 It is noted from the above tables that the export of poults dropped in 1950, but more hatching-eggs were exported. Eggs were exported to the three Prairie Provinces. Poults were exported to the three Prairie Provinces and the United States and Great Britain. POULTRY DISEASES The poultry-disease situation was no more serious than usual, with the exception of the Newcastle-disease outbreak, and this outbreak was a real problem. Newcastle Disease The outbreak commenced in February and continued through to December, as shown by the following data: February, 1 flock; March, 2 flocks; April, 24 flocks; May, 133 flocks; June, 77 flocks; July, 57 flocks; August, 26 flocks; September, 15 flocks; October, 5 flocks; November, 1 flock. This shows a total of 341 flocks slaughtered, with 532,102 birds and compensation recommended of over $700,000. Shortly after the outbreak occurred, it was considered necessary to set up an advisory committee, and the British Columbia Poultry Industries Council recommended to the Honourable H. R. Bowman that a British Columbia Newcastle Disease Committee be appointed. The following committee was appointed: Dean Blythe Eagles, University of British Columbia (chairman); Prof. E. A. Lloyd, University of British Columbia; Prof. J. Biely, University of British Columbia; Dr. S. N. Wood, University of British Columbia; G. L. Landon, British Columbia Department of Agriculture; Dr. J. C. Bankier, British Columbia Department of Agriculture; Dr. F. W. B. Smith, Dominion Department of Agriculture; G. R. Wilson, Dominion Department of Agriculture; S. J. Sanders, British Columbia Poultry Industries Council; J. C. MacKenzie, British Columbia Poultry Industries Council. In addition, F. W. Beeson, British Columbia R.O.P. Breeders' Association attended most of the meetings, as did Inspector R. H. McMillan, British Columbia Department of Agriculture, and James Darbey and Dr. John Hoey, Dominion Department of Agriculture. A great many meetings were held during the year and numerous resolutions passed dealing with the problem. Officials attending some of the meetings included the Honourable H. R. Bowman, Minister of Agriculture; Dr. J. G. Taggart; Dr. C. A. Mitchell; Dr. T. Childs, Dominion Department of Agriculture, Ottawa; and W. H. Pope, B.C. Department of Agriculture. As a result of the outbreak of Newcastle disease, the Province of Alberta imposed import regulations on poultry products from British Columbia in September and British Columbia imposed similar regulations in November. Both Provinces withdrew the regulations at the end of November. Quarantine regulations were imposed on the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island on July 25th and were lifted from Vancouver Island on October 1st. Inspector R. H. McMillan has prepared a table showing the effect of Newcastle disease on the approved flocks, as forty-nine were slaughtered. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, 1950 BB 137 Table VII.—Approved Flocks Slaughtered for Newcastle Disease Breed Flocks Females Males Pullets Hens R.O.P. P.F.A. 31 15 2 1 32,236 3,422 7,417 4,394 1,011 752 2,078 280 79 843 S.C.W. Leghorn 279 42 Totals ____ _. 49 41.416 1 8.816 2,437 1,164 Table VIII. —Approved Turkey Flocks Slaughtered Breed Flocks Females Males 2 | 2,226 1 271 287 Beltsville White.- * 34 Totals 3 7 497 321 As a result of the outbreak, a series of H.I. tests (haemagglutination-inhibition) were undertaken in co-operation with Dr. I. W. Moynihan, Canadian Animal Pathology Laboratory, at the University of British Columbia, and some very valuable data secured. Dr. Moynihan's report shows the following data:— Fraser Valley— Birds Flocks Chickens 3,923 68 Turkeys 325 . 1 Pheasants 107 1 Vancouver and Gulf Islands— Chickens 1,151 9 Ducks 80 1 Turkeys 66 1 Geese 22 1 Interior—Chickens 2,015 69 Totals Results were as follows:— 7,689 151 Positive Suspicious Negative Unsatisfactory Chickens—■ 106 2 12 1 1 § 70 1 7 3,697 1,148 1,996 306 66 79 22 50 Turkeys- 18 107 Vaccination with a killed vaccine was commenced in July, and approximately 470 flocks with 268,945 birds were vaccinated. A survey in co-operation with the Vancouver City Health Department was undertaken to determine the effect rodents had on the spread of the disease. I wish to express my appreciation of the co-operation received from Dr. Stewart Murray, Vancouver Medical Officer, and Inspector McNab. BB 138 BRITISH COLUMBIA POULTRY CONFERENCES I attended the annual meeting of the Canadian Federation of Hatchery Associations held in Winnipeg in September, including the Turkey Federation. The annual convention of the Washington Baby Chick Association was held in September, taking the form of a cruise on the Canadian National S.S. Prince George up the Coast. This was a very successful meeting. The third annual poultry and turkey breeders' round-table conference was held at the University of British Columbia on October 14th. Inspector W. H. Pope and I presented a paper on turkey-flock approval in British Columbia. Other conferences attended included the annual meetings of District " E " Farmers' Institutes, British Columbia Baby Chick Co-operative Association, Women's Institutes Convention at the University of British Columbia, etc. MEETINGS A great many meetings were attended during the year in various sections of the Province, but mostly meetings on the Lower Mainland and on Vancouver Island dealing with Newcastle disease. PLANNED AGRICULTURAL FEATURE The second agricultural feature was held in March at Mission, Abbotsford, and Cloverdale. The Poultry Department of the University of British Columbia, and the Dominion Department of Agriculture co-operated with Poultry Branch in handling these events. They were very successful, and the poultry exhibits attracted a great deal of attention. POULTRY SHORT COURSES Poultry short courses were held in March and April for District Agriculturists. Courses were held at the University of British Columbia for Vancouver Island and Fraser Valley extension officials, at Nelson for the Kootenay officials, at Kamloops for the Interior officials, and at Prince George for the Peace River and Central British Columbia officials. These courses were very successful and appreciated by .the extension staff and the Poultry Branch. THIRD BRITISH COLUMBIA RESOURCES CONFERENCE Your Commissioner was appointed chairman of the committee to prepare the brief on " The Problems of Agriculture." This brief was presented at the conference in Victoria, February 15th to 16th. BRITISH COLUMBIA POULTRY INDUSTRIES COUNCIL The council was very active during the year, particularly in connection with the outbreak of Newcastle disease, and the advertising of eggs, poultry, and turkeys. In connection with Newcastle disease the council held many meetings and made many recommendations for handling the problems involved. In connection with the advertising of eggs and poultry a very successful campaign was instituted in January and February, using daily papers, weekly papers, and the radio. Demonstrations were arranged in Vancouver. The British Columbia Poultry Industries Council is very active in promoting the poultry industry of this Province. The recommendations from the council are welcomed by the Provincial and Dominion Departments of Agriculture. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, 1950 BB 139 PACIFIC NATIONAL EXHIBITION Your Commissioner continued to act as chairman of the Junior Farmer Committee of Pacific National Exhibition and a member of several other committees, including the Board of Control. This requires considerable time and work but is well worth while, as it ties in with the junior club programme of the Department of Agriculture. The Junior Farmer Show at the Pacific National Exhibition was the outstanding one in North America this year. PROVINCIAL TOURS Visits were made to the Okanagan Valley and to Central British Columbia as far as Prince George. Producers were visited and junior farmers' events attended at Quesnel, Armstrong, and Prince George. A visit was made to the Peace River area in August to judge at fall fairs and check over the poultry situation there. POULTRY SHOWS, TURKEY SHOWS, AND FALL FAIRS Assistance was given the turkey shows in New Westminster and Victoria. The Poultry Branch had a booth in the New Westminster show, December 4th to 6th. Due to Newcastle disease no poultry shows were held on the Lower Mainland or on Vancouver Island during the year. The staff judged poultry shows in the Interior and Peace River District. BRITISH COLUMBIA LIME COMMITTEE Your Poultry Commissioner continued as secretary of the British Columbia Lime Committee during the year, and the work of this committee has increased tremendously. The volume of lime products used for soil-amendment purposes will reach 25,000 tons or better during the fiscal year ended March 31st, 1950. This compares with less than 10,000 tons in 1949, the highest total at that time. It now requires much of the time of one secretary to handle the volume of work involved in lime subsidies. BULLETIN SERVICE The bulletin, No. 27, Practical Turkey-raising was revised during the year, and new plans for buildings incorporated in it with the co-operation of George Calver, Assistant Agricultural Engineer. Demand for poultry bulletins is good, and most of our bulletins are now revised and up to date. SPERRY PHILLIPS MEMORIAL BURSARY The 1950 winners of the Sperry Phillips Memorial Bursary were Miss Margot Rive, of Vancouver, and Barrie Somes, of West Vancouver. Charles Rive, father of Margot, was a classmate of Sperry Phillips. COMMITTEE ON VOCATIONAL AGRICULTURE Your Commissioner was a member of a committee set up to interview prospective students who wished to take the Vocational Agriculture Course at the University of British Columbia. Members of the committee were Dean Blythe Eagles (chairman); Dr. Max Cameron, University of British Columbia; Dr. W. G. Black, University of British Columbia; C. J. Frederickson, School Inspector; and G. L. Landon. This was a joint committee representing the Faculty of Agriculture, British Columbia Department of Agriculture, British Columbia Department of Education, Faculty of Education and Vocational Guidance at University of British Columbia. BB 140 BRITISH COLUMBIA The committee interviewed almost fifty students and graduates at the University of British Columbia and selected a number to take the Vocational Agriculture Course to become vocational agricultural instructors in high schools of the Province. CONCLUSION In conclusion, I would like to express my appreciation of the staff of the Poultry Branch for the efficient way in which they have carried on the work during 1950. Inspectors W. H. Pope and R. H. McMillan of the permanent staff are doing very excellent work. The office secretaries—Miss Doreen Woolfrey, Miss Bertha Voegtlin, and Mrs. McAloney—are handling a large volume of office work, assisted by Miss Alberta Kelly on part-time work. The office work this year is the heaviest on record. I would also like to express my appreciation to the other divisions of the Department of Agriculture, University of British Columbia, Dominion Department of Agriculture, and other agencies for the very fine co-operation received during the year. REPORT OF LIVE STOCK BRANCH Wallace R. Gunn, B.V.Sc, B.S.A., V.S., Live Stock Commissioner and Chief Veterinary Inspector HORSES Interest in horse breeding in the Province centres chiefly around the light horse. Draught horses are, and always will be, used to some extent in districts like Central British Columbia and the Peace River Block. The same could be said regarding the trend in light-horse breeding as was said in the Report for 1949. Stallion enrolments were as follows:— 1950: A, 7; B, 2; C, 1; D, 3; E, 12; F, 8. 1949: A, 10; B, 2; C, 1; D, 3; E, 9; F, 3. BEEF CATTLE Interest in beef-cattle production has reached an all-time high. Prices for beef, despite predictions to the contrary, have still continued to rise, as can be noted from a study of records included in our Annual Reports for the last several years. More farmers are beginning to interest themselves in beef-cattle raising. During the year several large ranches have passed to new ownership. For inspected slaughtering of cattle and calves see Appendix No. 4. For beef carcasses graded in British Columbia see Appendix No. 5. For average prices of cattle see Appendix No. 6. There still is a very great need for more cattle-finishing here in British Columbia. The very high price demanded for beef to-day is reflected in a keener demand for lighter finished cattle and for the plainer types of cattle. This can be readily gathered from a study of cattle prices. The feed situation seems to be quite good for this year. Last year's severe winter made heavy inroads into surplus feed-supplies. Checks made throughout the Province showed many ranchers adding additional she- stock to their breeding herds, which should mean larger breeding herds and more beef to market in the next few years. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, 1950 BB 141 Our last year's experience in the field of brand inspection would seem to indicate the need for extending our Department inspection staff. It is very evident that cattle- rustling cannot be brought under proper control until we have experienced Inspectors on duty at all central points, especially in Vancouver. Such a set-up is also required to support other pieces of work which we are very definitely going to be asked to undertake. The summarized reports of sales in British Columbia during the yea' 1950 are as follows:— Provincial Bull Sale and Fat Stock Show, Kamloops, March 8th, 1950 Number and Kind Highest Price per Cwt. Lowest Price per Cwt. 1950 Average 1949 Average $29.50 30.25 27.75 60.00 $25.75 25.75 24.50 26.75 $27.94 28.06 26.62 29.91 $21.87 22.38 19.95 25.80 Total head, 206. Car-lot of fifteen steers, heavy class: Earlscourt Farms, Lytton. Car-lot of fifteen steers, light class: Coldstream Ranch, Vernon. Champion car-lot: Earlscourt Farms, Lytton. Reserve champion car-lot: A.C.T. Ranch, Kelowna. Group of five steers, heavy class: Earlscourt Farms, Lytton. Group of five steers, light class: Earlscourt Farms, Lytton. Champion group of five: Earlscourt Farms, Lytton. Reserve champion group of five: C. G. Bryson, Merritt. Single steer or heifer, 1,100 to 1,130 pounds: Frolek Ranch, Kamloops. Single steer or heifer, 1,040 to 1,080 pounds: Basran Bros., Kelowna. Single steer or heifer, 1,000 to 1,030 pounds: J. W. Lauder, Quilchena. Single steer or heifer, 920 to 960 pounds: W. Dingwall, Wright Station. Single steer or heifer, 770 to 890 pounds: F. deLeeuw & Sons, Knutsford. Boys' and girls' competition, steer or heifer, heavy class: Duncan Bryson, Merritt. Boys' and girls' competition, steer or heifer, light class: Neil Turner, Salmon Arm. New exhibitors drawn from above class: Neil Turner, Salmon Arm. Grand champion: J. W. Lauder, Quilchena. Reserve grand champion: Earlscourt Farms, Lytton. Southern Interior Stockmen's Association Eighth Annual Cattle and Bull Sale, September 13th, 1950 Kind Number Average Price per Head Average Price per Cwt. Total Steers- Cows_ Heifers _ Heifery cows... Spayed heifers Calves Bulls. Open singles Club calves Registered bulls._ Cow, calf, heifer- Sheep 219 145 104 25 26 36 14 3 29 4 $236.39 188.66 192.30 229.36 211.69 93.58 330.11 274.49 288.80 443.75 Total.. $27.07 18.99 24.44 23.45 25.84 28.74 23.55 31.86 33.49 $51,769.95 27,355.24 20,008.76 5,734.17 5,504.17 3,368.71 4,621.52 823.48 8,375.46 1,775.00 640.00 534.88 $129,911.21 BB 142 BRITISH COLUMBIA Waldo Stock Breeders' Association Sale, September 15th. 1950 Kind Number Average per Head Top Price per Cwt. 147 10 61 191 149 $200.35 246.09 180.32 229.83 98.50 $23.70 23.40 27.50 28.80 32.50 Number of head, 588; sale total, $100,962.43; average price per head, $180.94. Seventh Annual Quesnel Cattle Sale, October 24th, 1950 Kind Number Highest Pr'ce per Cwt. Lowest Pr'ce per Cwt. Average Total 439 226 158 15 36 103 $28.00 20.00 31.00 22.75 22.25 27.50 $17.75 13.50 17.25 21.75 20.60 16.00 $24.61 18.31 23.36 22.13 18.69 20.61 $96,472.72 42,807.28 26,125.00 3,034.73 7,124.30 10,070.51 Heifers Heiferettes Bulls Calves .... 977 $185,634.54 Williams Lake Cattle Sale, October 12th, 1950 Kind Number Highest Price per Cwt. Lowest Price per Cwt. Average Total 874 328 51 237 240 27 20 33 $25.80 22.00 20.25 25.50 41.00 22.25 17.00 45.00 $16.70 13.75 19.75 18.00 26.50 21.50 8.00 30.00 $23.66 17.22 20.15 23.03 29.00 21.90 14.48 31.71 $194,202.72 60,518.80 9,752.96 36,299.63 21,520.29 8,584.96 2,536.69 9,776.75 Heifers Calves Bulls _ Miscellaneous _ Totals _._ 1,810 $343,182.80 . Kamloops Christmas Fat Stock Show and Sale, November 29th and 30th, 1950 Kind Number Highest Price per Cwt. Lowest Price per Cwt. Average Total 90 105 6 112 $32.00 35.00 28.25 85.00 $25.70 26.00 24.00 26.00 $27.80 28.53 25.80 31.40 Spares _._ - Totals _ 313 $92,165.80 Total qualified stock.- Total lambs Total registered stock 316 8 6 $92,165.80 500.50 2,950.00 330 $95,61 6.30 Average price of qualified stock per hundredweight, $29.24. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, 1950 BB 143 BULL-CONTROL AREAS The following bull-control areas are recognized: Columbia Bull-control Area, Waldo Bull-control Area, Newgate-Grassmere Bull-control Area, and Sand Creek Bull- control Area. These areas have not been making the required reports, and it is possible that they will have to be reviewed during this coming year and changes made in the machinery in order to ensure that the regulations are complied with. DAIRY CATTLE Total production for the year 1950 is 671,196,410 pounds, as compared to 663,684,000 pounds for the year 1949. Policies affecting the dairy-cattle industry—namely, calfhood vaccination against brucellosis, disease-free or disease-control areas, dairy-farm grading and herd inspections, and Cow-testing Associations—will be dealt with under separate headings. The interest in dairying is keen, but competition from other branches of agriculture, such as beef-raising, the lack of parity in prices between beef and dairy products, and the labour problem, are among some of the chief factors affecting the possible extension of the dairy industry in this Province. Lack of complete organization within the industry permits of the development of difficulties within the industry. This helps to drive out a percentage of producers. The keen demand in the outside market for good dairy cows is seriously affecting the number of milking cows available in many of our milk sheds. It is expected that there will always be a movement of milk between milk sheds at certain seasons of the year, but the over-all Provincial picture demands the development of local milk sheds to the fullest capacity. Quality which includes safety must always be the goal to be sought. This means clean, sound, disease-free cattle, good equipment, and careful practices. During the year quite a number of calves and young heifers were placed with dairymen in different parts of the Province. The Live Stock Branch received considerable help from other Departmental officials and from local farm groups. Every care was used in selecting clean, sound, disease-free stock from herds with good production records. Every effort is being made to round out the practices on dairy-farms and to encourage farmers to build up a well-balanced increased production. For several years the Branch has been working in districts such as Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands, the East and West Kootenays, the North Thompson and Greater Kamloops area. Unfortunately, for the reasons referred to above, progress has not been as rapid as it should have been. DAIRY-HERD IMPROVEMENT This is one of the soundest pieces of work being carried out by the Live Stock Branch. The British Columbia herd-improvement policy has gained a national and international reputation as being one of the finest policies of its kind in the world. The following extract is taken from the annual report of G. H. Thornbery, Superintendent of Cow-testing Associations:— " When reviewing conditions as they affect the production end of the dairy industry in this Province, it becomes obvious that the man who owns a herd of dairy cattle is being squeezed between two factors directly opposed to each other:— (1) The costs of production are increasing. All feeds have risen in price and, with the exception of bran, are 10 to 15 per cent higher than a year ago. Wages have also increased by 15 to 18 per cent. (2) The insistent demand on the part of consumers that milk and dairy products must be available at a price that has no relation to cost. This indicates a disregard for the undeniable right of the primary producer to BB 144 BRITISH COLUMBIA receive returns for his labour comparable to those available in other industries. " It is a discouraging situation, and, as a result, many dairymen with small herds are taking advantage of the high prices of beef to dispose of their cattle and engage in more lucrative employment. " It is a condition that is general but is particularly noticeable on Vancouver Island, especially in the Comox Valley, where many logging concerns are at work in a profitable business and pay attractive wages. However, a dairyman with an average-size herd of twenty cows or more cannot easily change his occupation. As a result, he is becoming more interested in means and methods to ensure that his herd is producing milk economically. For this reason, membership in Provincial Cow-testing Associations is being maintained at 420 herds containing 10,000 cows. " There are fourteen Cow-testing Associations employing eighteen supervisors; nine are in the Fraser Valley, three on Vancouver Island, and two in the Okanagan. A list of these, which includes names of secretaries and supervisors, follows:— Association Secretary Supervisor Chilliwack—■ Route 1 Route 2 Route 3 Route 4 Comox Valley._ Delta- Route 1 ... Route 2 Route 3 H. C. Clark H. C. Clark .... H. C. Clark H. C. Clark _ G. J. Hurford. Dewdney-Deroche._ Langley Matsqui Okanagan. Salmon Arm-North Okanagan Pitt Meadows-Maple Ridge and Delta Richmond Sumas— Route 1 _ Route 2 Surrey Vancouver Island—■ Centre South Clifford Wright. Clifford Wright. Clifford Wright. A. McDonald.... H. L. Davis Fred Philps J. J. Conroy. D. Jones Gordon Park..... G. P. Crosby C. D. Gibb. C. D. Gibb Edmund Molyneux.. T. C. Tryon _ John Pendray.. Fred Nagal. Allan G. Scott. S. A. Blabey. R. E. Chapman. Hugh Clair. R. McGregor. G. H. Bailey. L. Craig MacNair. Harry Johnson. Arne Colly. D. R. Johnson. Victor A. Gill. R. Macgregor. D. S. Heelas. C. S. Lillies. Philip Harvey. W. D. Kitzel. W. T. Calbick. T. G. M. Clark. " It is hoped that conditions will enable two additional routes to be organized during the coming year. " Identification Tags.—One of the features of the dairy-herd improvement project that is better appreciated by C.T.A. members generally is that of ear-tagging heifer calves whose dams are on test and sires are registered pure-breds. The information recorded at time of tagging is the date of birth and the names of both the parents. It is necessary that the sire only be. a registered animal. "During the last twelve months a total of 1,850 tags have been forwarded to supervisors in the various Cow-testing Associations for this purpose. This is an increase of 300 tags more than last year. " Due to the fact that a few instances have come to our attention where it is very evident that some dairymen do not keep accurate breeding records, it has been found necessary to use a revised form for recording and filing details of tagged animals. This, we believe, will effectively prevent the use of incorrect information by C.T.A. members when forwarding at a later date an application for registration of a tagged animal to the headquarters of a dairy-cattle breed association. "Combined R.O.P.-C.T.A. Service.—This Dominion-Provincial project has now been in operation for more than three years and is providing a worth-while service to DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, 1950 BB 145 thirty C.T.A. members who have some registered animals that are also entered on the Record of Performance. " Production reports are forwarded to Ottawa for more than 200 cows each month. "An Owner-Sampler Plan.—For some time past there have been requests from owners of small herds of cows, not exceeding ten or twelve, for a scheme to be devised whereby reliable milk and butter-fat records could be kept of their animals. The development of the artificial-insemination programme has added more weight to the arguments for this type of service. "After spending considerable time on the problem, a plan has finally been worked out and is now in operation in some of the districts where there are Cow-testing Associations. Dairymen who wish to have their cows tested under this arrangement are supplied with sample bottles and a dipper by the local C.T.A. supervisor. The owner weighs the milk from each of his cows and takes a sample from two consecutive milkings. The C.T.A. supervisor picks up the samples, tests them, and works out an estimated production record for a thirty-day month for each animal tested. This information is entered in the owner-sampler herd record book. Samples are taken and tested each month. There are twenty herds being tested under this plan. " The scheme as outlined provides a dairyman owning a small herd with a complete production record for each of his cows; the accuracy of such information depends on the care exercised in weighing the milk and taking of samples. This service costs less than active membership in a Cow-testing Association. " Since these records are compiled from weights and samples taken by owners of the cows, they are not reported to this Branch and, therefore, are not included in any statistics or reports derived from a study of C.T.A. records. "Appointment of Assistant.—On May 1st J. A. Mace was appointed as Assistant, Dairy Herd Improvement Work. He had previously been employed as supervisor on Route 1 of the Chilliwack Cow-testing Association. This additional help will eventually enable reports obtained from a study of C.T.A. records to be compiled and made available to those who are vitally interested much sooner than has been possible for many years. The urgency for speedy reports on dairy sires is considerably intensified by the steady progress in the use of artificial insemination. " During the past eight months Mr. Mace has been carrying out a relief project that provided C.T.A. supervisors with a vacation. This also afforded an excellent opportunity for the Assistant to become acquainted with each of the Cow-testing Associations and some of their members who are actively interested in building better dairy cattle. At the short course, Mr. Mace instructed the students in the compilation of records and the rules and regulations governing Cow-testing Associations. "Field and Office Routine.—Frequent trips have been made to all Cow-testing Association districts in the Fraser Valley and on Vancouver Island to contact the supervisors and members of the directorate in each of the areas concerned. Suggestions have been made as occasions arise to ensure that the work is carried out in a uniform manner throughout the Province. Two visits were arranged to the area covered by the Okanagan associations. " During the year a large number of C.T.A. members were visited, herd record books inspected, and certificates of production endorsed with particulars of subsequent records. "At headquarters, time is fully occupied with many duties, of which correspondence is the largest. A survey was made of all milking periods completed during 1949, which totalled 6,645. Milk and butter-fat averages were compiled for each Cow-testing Association, the four main dairy breeds, and the production average of all records. A full report follows. BB 146 BRITISH COLUMBIA " Summarized Report of Provincial Cow-testing Associations for 1949 "AVERAGE PRODUCTION OF ALL C.T.A. MILKING PERIODS COMPLETED DURING THE YEAR Milk Fat Fat 6,645 milking periods Approximate average of all cows in British Columbia Lb. 8,623 6,629 Per Cent 4.34 4.07 Lb. 375 270 "AVERAGE PRODUCTION BY BREEDS Breed Per Cent of Total Milk Fat Fat Ayrshires 4.1 27.4 32.4 35.4 0.7 Lb. 7,971 7,745 10,815 7,379 7,915 Per Cent 4.10 4.78 3.66 4.99 4.09 Lb. 327 370 396 368 Unclassified 324 " Of all cows on test, 20 per cent are registered pure-breds. Their average production is 386 pounds of butter-fat. " There are fourteen Cow-testing Associations, which employ eighteen supervisors who are testing 420 herds containing 10,000 cows. " Short Course.—In conjunction with the Dairy Short Course held at the University of British Columbia under the combined direction of the Faculty of Agriculture and the Provincial Dairy Branch, a two-week instructional course for a class of seven prospective C.T.A. supervisors was held at the University of British Columbia during the month of November. Excellent training in the operation of the Babcock test was carried out by G. Patchett, of the Dairy Branch, which is herewith acknowledged and appreciated. " Of this class, three students were successful in passing all the examinations. " Certificates of Production.—As the result of raising the requirements for a certificate of production to 365 pounds of butter-fat, commencing with milking periods belonging to the year 1949, the number of qualifying records has decreased by approximately 25 per cent. During that year there were 3,082 records that complied with certification rules. "Departmental Subsidies.—During the year 1950 a sum of $23,162 was disbursed as monthly grants to fourteen Cow-testing Associations, having a total of eighteen routes. "Meetings and Conferences.—Thirteen meetings have been attended during the year; eight of these were Cow-testing Association annual or general meetings. Breeders' Association gatherings were visited on two occasions, and there were two conferences of C.T.A. supervisors and officials. The remaining meeting was arranged by a Farmers' Institute. "Publications.—Reports on sires of the Ayrshire, Guernsey, Holstein, and Jersey breeds have been prepared and distributed during the year as Dairy Circulars No. 62 and No. 64. " The Eleventh Annual List of Ton of Butter-fat Cows, containing the names of 541 animals and their respective records, was compiled as Dairy Circular No. 65. This is an increase of 78 above that of the previous Report. " In conlusion, this report would not be complete without reference to the excellent work that is being carried out in the field by the eighteen supervisors. They are doing a good job and are maintaining a uniformity in their compilations and reports and complying with the rules and regulations laid down, which brings great credit to the Provincial dairy-herd improvement project." DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, 1950 BB 147 SUMMARY OF TRANSACTIONS UNDER PURE-BRED SIRES FOR FARMERS' INSTITUTES POLICY Figures in parentheses are those for 1949. During the year 11 (13) pure-bred sires were purchased at a total cost of $2,490 ($3,020), with a total freight charge to this Department of $585.58 ($415.68). Sires purchased were as follows: Holsteins, 2 (6); Jerseys, 0 (1); Guernseys, 0 (2); Ayrshires, 1 (3); Aberdeen Angus, 2 (0); Hereford, 1 (0); Shorthorns, 4 (1) (two were dual purpose); Red Poll, 1 (0). Payments received on the above animals totalled $1,490.04, with the balance payable over the next two years. In addition, payments on previous purchases were received through Farmers' Institutes in the amount of $908.48, making a total of $2,398.52 ($2,373.23). In addition, three accounts are now due totalling $257.50. Final payments were received on 6 (10) sires as follows: Holsteins, 1 (1); Guernseys, 0 (2); Ayrshires, 0 (4); Aberdeen Angus, 2(1); Hereford, 2(1); Shorthorn, 1 (1); and the pedigrees transferred from the Live Stock Commissioner to the new owners. REPORT ON THE ROYAL AGRICULTURAL WINTER FAIR (TORONTO), NOVEMBER 14th TO 22nd, 1950 This great Canadian institution, the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair, is not only the greatest of its kind in the world to-day, but it is the foremost medium in the Dominion of Canada for bringing together agriculturists from every Province. I can again repeat what was said in the Report of 1949, in answer to the questions " What was learned? " and " What was gained? " (1) Just how good our cattle are. (2) How they compare with cattle from other Provinces and from the United States. (3) What the trend or fashion is in the different breeds. (4) What the leading outside blood lines are like and whether we should make changes in our breeding programmes to conform with these types. (5) One of the greatest gains we made was to acquaint other people from all over the world with the fact that British Columbia is a great agricultural Province, producing some of the very finest cattle in the world. (6) Our exhibits certainly built many markets for British Columbia cattle. Every single animal included in our exhibits could have been sold at most attractive prices. BRITISH COLUMBIA HOLSTEIN EXHIBIT The Holstein show at this year's Royal Agricultural Winter Fair was perhaps the premier event of its kind for the year. Our Holstein exhibitors benefited very definitely from last year's experience. Our cattle were ready and in top form to be shown this year. We had the right kind of cattle to suit present-day requirements. As a result, we made very outstanding wins. The judge, Professor Raithby, O.A.C., Guelph, Ont., expressed himself as being highly pleased with our exhibit, with the quality in general, and with the way our cattle were presented. The following is a list of British Columbia exhibitors: 1, John Chorlton, New Westminster; 2, Colony Farm, Essondale; 3, J. Grauer & Sons Limited, Eburne; 4, W. Wood, New Westminster. A brief review of the classes in which British Columbia Holsteins competed follows:— BB 148 BRITISH COLUMBIA JAY-MAR PEARL MIRANDA LOCHINVAR (727529) First prize dry 3-year-old, Royal Agricultural Winter Fair, Toronto, Ont., 1950. John Chorlton, New Westminster, B.C., owner. COLONY VALE SIR HEILO 8 1st (221342) First prize senior bull calf, Royal Agricultural Winter Fair, Toronto, Ont., 1950. Colony Farm, Essondale, B.C., owner. ■is . - ■.. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, 1950 BB 149 Bull Senior Calf.—A very strong class. Colony Vale Sir Heilo 81st (221342), owned by Colony Farm, placed first. Frasea Netherland Dispatcher (221737), owned by J. Grauer & Sons Limited, placed seventeenth. Heifer Junior Calf.—A very strong class of 28 head. Colony Posch Eva (872381), owned by Colony Farm, placed third. Heifer Senior Calf.—A most outstanding class of 38 head, with the three top animals identical in type and quality. In this class Colony Wayne Newman Eva (848487) and Colony Ianthe Veeman C.X. Vale (848496), both owned by Colony Farm, placed third and fourteenth respectively. FRASEA LADY PERFECTION WAYNE (577542) Reserve senior and reserve grand champion Holstein, Royal Agricultural Winter Fair, Toronto, Ont., 1950. Owned by J. J. Grauer & Sons, Limited, Ebuine. Heifer Senior Yearling—A strong class of over 20 entries. Colony Vale Tee Vale (806580) and Colony Vrouka Koba Mercedes (802853), owned by Colony Farm, placed ninth and fifteenth respectively. Heifer, 2 Years and under 3, Not in Milk.—A very uniform class of thirteen head. Colony Fayne Eva (771656) and Colony Clothilde De Kol Eva (776332) placed sixth and ninth respectively. Heifer, 3 Years and under 4, Not in Milk. — A very uniform strong class of 12 animals. Jay-Mar Pearl Miranda Lochinvar (727529), owned by John Chorlton, placed first. Colony Miranda Eva (727927), owned by Colony Farm, placed third. Cow, 5 Years or over, Not in Milk.—This class was one of the highlights of the show, with 17 head entered. It included the 1949 all-Canadian 4-year-old that won the 4-year-old dry class at the 1949 Royal Winter Fair. In this class also was an imported Illinois State champion. Frasea Lady Perfection Wayne (566542), owned by J. Grauer & Sons Limited, placed first. Colony Flood Cee Vrouka (581143), owned by Colony BB 150 BRITISH COLUMBIA Farm, placed seventh. The outstanding Holstein character, beautiful attachment of udder, carried the Grauer entry, Fransea Lady Perfection Wayne, through to reserve senior and reserve grand champion, only being beaten for the senior and grand championships by Spring Farm Juliette, last year's Royal champion. Cow, 5 Years Old or over, in Milk.—A wonderful class of 15 cows headed by the grand champion cow of the show. Colony Pearl Vrouka Countess (587642), owned by Colony Farm, placed fourth. She had only just freshened and did not show to the best advantage. Princess Georgie Aaggie (608850), owned by W. Wood, placed sixth. In group wins, Colony farm went off with the most coveted prize of the show by winning first place for breeders' herd, which includes cow 3 years or over, one heifer 2 years and under 3 years, one heifer 1 year and under, one heifer calf, and one bull calf, all animals to be bred and owned by exhibitor. In summary, with one car-load entered, British Columbia Holsteins won three firsts, three thirds, one fourth, two sixths, one seventh, two ninths, one fourteenth, one fifteenth, and one seventeenth, two reserve championships, and first for breeders' herd. I wish to pay tribute to A. Hay, Superintendent, Colony Farm, and to J. Wingrove and G. Rendle for the wonderful work they did in caring for and presenting the British Columbia Holstein exhibit. BRITISH COLUMBIA HEREFORD EXHIBIT British Columbia Hereford breeders presented two car-loads of breeding stock, and every entry received a placing in whatever class shown. The judge was W. J. Largent, Merkel, Texas, U.S.A.. In his placings, generally speaking, he selected the tidy, compact type of animal. He demanded that the animal have a short, compact head, in keeping with its body conformation as constituting the ideal Hereford type. His top animals usually carried quite heavy fit. In all the beef breeds, including the Herefords, the debate still continues as to what should constitute the ideal in type and finish at our shows. On one side is the group that favour the tidy, low set, somewhat finer animal shown in top fit, and on the other side is the group that favours what they choose to call the more practical animal with more scale and stretch, to be shown in what they call good breeding shape. The final outcome of this old argument is hard to predict, but the responsibility definitely rests with the Breed Associations, and they, I feel, should closely survey the market which they have to supply and let that guide them in their decision. The following is a list of British Columbia exhibitors: 1, Earlscourt Farms Limited, Lytton; 2, Kalwood Farms (V. E. Ellison), Oyama; 3, Noble Creek Ranch (F. Dey), Kamloops; 4, D. C. Wilson & Sons, Vinsulla. A brief review of the classes in which British Columbia Herefords competed follows:— Bull, 2 Years or over.—Court Tone 19th (235885), owned by Earlscourt Farms Limited, placed first. Blinkbonny Trumode 26th (238443), owned by D. C. Wilson & Sons, placed second. Bull, Senior Yearling.—Court Royal Tone 5th (258402), owned by Earlscourt Farms Limited, placed fifth. Bull, Junior Yearling.—A very good class. Court Domino Lionheart (258414), owned by Earlscourt Farms, Limited, placed third, and Kalwood Beau Donald Id (255041), owned by V. E. Ellison, placed fourth. Bull, Senior Calf. — One of the strong classes. Kalwood Royal Domino 25d (276921), owned by V. E. Ellison, placed sixth. Court Lionheart Tone 64d (280932), owned by Earlscourt Farms Limited, placed seventh. Bull, Junior Calf.—Entry sired by Real Supreme Domino, owned by Noble Creek Ranch, placed thirteenth. Female, 2 Years Old or over.—Court Miss Tone 14th (235878), owned by Earlscourt Farms Limited, placed second. Noble Creek Real Princess (224934), owned by Noble Creek Ranch, placed fifth. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, 1950 BB 151 BB 152 BRITISH COLUMBIA Heifer, Senior Yearling.—A very strong class. Court Domineta Lionheart (258407), owned by Earlscourt Farms Limited, placed fourth. Kalwood Belle Donald 20c (255034), owned by V. E. Ellison, placed sixth. Heifer, Junior Yearling.—One of the good classes. Court Miss Lionheart 34th (258428), owned by Earlscourt Farms Limited, placed seventh. Heifer, Summer Yearling.—This was perhaps the largest and strongest class in the female division. Court Tonnetta Lionheart 57d (280925) placed third. Kalwood Belle Donald 16d (262099), owned by V. E. Ellison, placed sixth. Heifer, Senior Calf. — A large and uniform class. Kalwood Royal Belle 19d (27691.6), owned by V. E. Ellison, placed third. Court Miss Tone 66d (280934), owned by Earlscourt Farms Limited, placed sixth. Heifer, Junior Calf. — A large and attractive class. Kalwood Royal Belle 8e (276930), owned by V. E. Ellison, placed fourth. Entry sired by Real Supreme Domino, owned by Noble Creek Ranch, placed ninth. Court Miss Tone 9e (288068), owned by Earlscourt Farms Limited, placed tenth. Get of Sire.—V. E. Ellison placed sixth and thirteenth, and Earlscourt Farms Limited placed eleventh. Breeders' Herd.—V. E. Ellison placed fifth, and Earlscourt Farms Limited placed seventh. Two Bulls, Any Age.—Earlscourt Farms Limited placed eighth. Three Calves from Senior or Junior Calf Class, Both Sexes Represented, Bred and Owned by Exhibitor.—V. E. Ellison placed fourth. The summary of British Columbia wins in the Hereford placings is as follows: One first, two seconds, three thirds, three fourths, one fifth, four sixths, two sevenths, one ninth, and one tenth in the singles. In groups: One fourth, one fifth, one sixth, one seventh, two eighths, and one thirteenth. I wish to pay tribute to C. B. Erickson, T. Somerset, W. Wilson, and assistants for the excellent way in which they cared for and prepared the British Columbia Hereford exhibit. SHEEP From the standpoint of prices it might be said that the sheep industry had a successful year. The prospects are that more people are interesting themselves in sheep-raising, and that more breeding stock is being held over. We must again record the perennial complaint about predators and sheep-killing dogs. So long as this situation obtains, development of the industry must be slow and in many districts must mean complete discontinuance. The formation of game preserves where predators can develop uncontrolled and the lack of stronger legislation dealing with dogs and their control are two matters which must be faced up to and intelligently dealt with if sheep production is to be retained at even our present very low level. There are many districts in the Province where sheep should be raised, and some use thus be made of particular types of agricultural land suited only to the raising of sheep. The question of sheep diseases and disease-like conditions will be dealt with later in this report. See Appendix No. 7 for average prices of lambs from December 1st, 1949, to November 30th, 1950, and Appendix No. 4 for inspected slaughtering of sheep. Following is a summary of live stock killed by dogs and compensation paid under the " Sheep Protection Act." It should be borne in mind that this only accounts for reported losses in unorganized areas. Many municipalities in the Province collect their own dog taxes and adjust their own claims. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, 1950 BB 153 Year Goats Sheep Poultry Number Compensation Number Compensation Number Compensation 1946.. 1947 _ 1948 1949 1 4 4 11 8 $25.00 80.00 97.50 145.00 135.00 190 159 86 191 123 $2,167.50 1,920.50 1,110.50 2,836.50 1,721.00 415 1,042 704 861 1,371 $629.28 1,310.50 2,151.91 1,230.25 1,996.58 1950... SWINE Very little change can be reported in swine production. Feed costs in relationship to returns from marketings is one of the most important modifying factors. Labour costs and scarcity of suitable farm labour is another important factor which is controlling development. The specialized type of dairying carried on in the Province leaves no dairy by-products for use in feeding swine. Swine-raising is a type of live-stock farming which calls for attention to every detail. Errors of nutrition closely associated with a complex swine-disease picture are some of the greatest factors responsible for the limiting of swine production. Mention will be made of some of the most important diseases and disease-like conditions of swine later in this report. For inspected slaughtering of hogs see Appendix No. 4 and for average prices for hogs see Appendix No. 8. NUTRITION AND ANIMAL HEALTH Our strictly nutritional work this year has been limited to dealing with reported problem cases in farm herds and flocks and to ranch herds and flocks. A very close check is made of all available literature in the field of nutritional research from all countries of this world. Few subjects produce a greater volume of reports than the field of nutrition. It is a comparatively new science in its present form and almost every day brings a new thought, a new discovery, which modifies previously established practices. Sometimes it helps and clarifies, but sometimes it seems to complicate. Our big problem is to screen these reports and, armed with this additional information, take the whole assemblage of facts and try to fit them into the local situation, modified as it is by its own peculiar set of conditions, and then come forward with recommendations. We have at last got beyond the stage of quackery in animal nutrition. The close relationship between disease and the part played by nutrition unfortunately is not generally appreciated. The work of the Live Stock Branch, going back for almost twenty years, still stands as being sound and well advanced. DISEASE Hemorrhagic Septicaemia. — This disease, generally known as shipping fever, is widespread and must be accepted as a permanent problem. There are a few things which cattlemen should keep in mind with respect to this disease. It can and does become strongly established around old corrals and feed-lots, and especially stockyards. From year to year the virulence may vary, usually stepping up in intensity with the possible addition of more and more strains of the causative organism, or groups of infective organisms. The greater the number of strains and the wider the range of characteristics and virulence of these different infective organisms, the more dangerous becomes the particular shipping fever outbreak. We have tried by means of special circulars to advise stockmen with respect to the disease, but many yet continue to take the wrong approach. Our outbreaks for the year were not unduly high. BB 154 BRITISH COLUMBIA Coccidiosis.—This disease makes its appearance around old established ranches where the causative organism has become established. Last winter some ranchers who were confronted with a combination of bad weather and not too satisfactory a feed-supply had quite bad outbreaks. An effort was made to assist those people. A special circular is available on the disease and its control. Necrotic Stomatitis.—This disease is widely distributed and seems to be associated with a high concentration incidence of the causative organism, and weakness in nutrition and general management. The incidence of the disease for this year was perhaps above average, due to a rather more difficult season. A special circular is available on the disease and its control. Blackleg and Malignant (Edema.—Reports of outbreaks of these diseases are coming in from more widely distributed parts of the Province. Once established, the disease remains in the district and must be dealt with by regular vaccination. Almost complete control can be secured by prompt and regular vaccination. During recent years we have found that a very large percentage of our outbreaks include both infections, and we have been recommending vaccination accordingly. A special circular is available on the disease and its control. Equine Encephalomyelitis.—This disease is no longer under official control. No outbreaks have been reported to any extent this year. There is always the possibility of a sudden recurrence of the disease, since that is the way it seems to work. Caseous Lymphadenitis.—The picture for this disease is quite encouraging. It is felt that when staff numbers can be increased sufficiently, it will be possible to supervise the sheep industry a little more carefully at critical periods and thus clean up entirely the last traces of such conditions as the above. We are in much better shape as far as caseous lymphadenitis is concerned than many other parts of the world. One new flock was placed under quarantine, and the owner is working diligently to get cleaned up. Keratitis (Pink-eye).—This disease is becoming very widely distributed and firmly established in our cattle herds. Beef herds up to the present seem to be most frequently affected, although some cases have been uncovered in dairy herds. It is possible that dairy herds under considerably different type of management from the average range beef herds will not tend to exhibit the disease to the same extent. The exact nature of the infection is not known. The general idea is that the primary causative agent may be a filterable virus with other secondary invaders contributing to the final disease picture. Among other contributing factors is a possible genetic one, and, of course, allergy seems to contribute, along with the irritation from strong sunlight, dust, and the part that flies and other insects play in the spread of the infection. Carcinoma of the Eye.—This is another condition appearing in our cattle herds, more often found in range herds for much the same reason as we find more keratitis in our range cattle. New growths, including malignant growths such as carcinoma, have occupied the thoughts and efforts of the best research brains in veterinary, medical, and associated scientific groups for centuries, and while much has been learned, no complete answer has yet been found. To pool the over-all opinions of workers, it could be said that the two major factors which seem to contribute most to the development of carcinoma are the genetical factor and the part played by direct irritation. The close apparent relationship which seems to exist between attacks of keratitis and the appearance of carcinoma of the eye would seem to indicate the importance of irritation in development of eye carcinoma. Work is being done by your Commissioner in the accumulation of information on these two conditions with the idea of doing some educational work and preparing literature. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, 1950 BB 155 Foot-rot in Sheep.—The situation is steadily improving, but before we can expect to get complete control of this disease, we must be in a position to make more field inspections. Foot-rot in Cattle.—This condition is attributed to a different infective organism or group of organisms than foot-rot of sheep. The disease is quite widely spread and seems to have come in with outside importations. Cattlemen are becoming more conscious of the disease, and work done by officers of this Branch is beginning to show results. We still have a long way to go to get this problem under control. The greatest progress has been made within our disease-control areas. Actinomycosis and Actinobacillosis.—These conditions may appear singly or as a mixed infection. A personally conducted campaign against actinomycosis, commenced some fifteen years ago, resulted in ridding many of our ranges of the trouble. Of recent years, however, actinobacillosis has been appearing quite widely distributed throughout the Province. On checking for the possible cause, it was found that new bulls, often imported animals, seemed to have brought in quite a lot of the trouble. Our pure-bred breeders are being encouraged to check their herds and, if any of the disease is found, to move to eradicate it completely. Here again we are getting fewer cases within our disease-control areas. Swine Erysipelas.—This disease is somewhat difficult to uncover during its early appearance in a swine herd and may show only in a very mild and obscure form for some considerable time, and then come forth apparently quite suddenly in acute form. Swine erysipelas is one of the conditions often included in our complex swine-disease picture. So long as the disease picture is not given first place in our over-all swine programme, we may expect our volume of production to be far below its normal level. We have made a small start in cleaning up our swine-disease problem, including swine erysipelas, but lack of sufficient help is holding back the work. There were no severe outbreaks reported during the year. Swine Rhinitis.—This condition is one of the members of our complex swine-disease group. Our observations seem to indicate that very few swine diseases appear singly. Rhinitis, according to some workers, may appear in non-infectious form. Other workers have isolated infective organisms. Whether these causative agents are specific or not is a matter for debate. It is safe to say that rhinitis is a symptom and as such may appear as a result of perhaps a wide range of factors and infections. Certainly it is conceded that conformation of head contributes to the over-all picture. This is one condition which we are trying to control in what work we are doing in the control of the swine-disease complex. Non-infectious Abortion in Ranee Cattle.—No outbreaks were reported during the year. The last appearance of the condition did not at the time result in any specific answer being given. Men were sent into the field, including laboratory-workers, and the findings at the time were what might be said to be negative. In other words, specific infections were ruled out. Contrary to the general opinion, your Commissioner held to the idea that the particular break being investigated was associated with disturbances in the nutritional picture. Further follow-up work by your Commissioner seems to indicate this to be correct. We are faced with an increasing number of abortions which seem to be of an infectious or contagious nature, but that are definitely not caused by the Brucella organism. We are not yet prepared to make a statement, but believe that we have uncovered the likely cause. When fully satisfied, stockmen will be advised. Mastitis.—This disease offers a most formidable challenge to the dairy industry, to Departments of Agriculture, and to the veterinary profession. Mastitis, where established, is credited with reducing the production by from 20 to 25 per cent. Our Inspectors in their examinations of milking herds are constantly referring to the great losses of dairy cows as a result of mastitis. We are not yet able to state definitely just what this disease BB 156 BRITISH COLUMBIA is costing our dairymen in replacements and in reduced efficiency of animals in our dairy herds, but we can certainly say that if the loss could be presented in actual figures, it would be staggering. If dairymen had as profit what they are contributing to diseases such as mastitis and brucellosis, they could be considered to be making good returns for their work. There is still another side to the mastitis picture which has to be considered, and that is the public health side. Consumers of milk are becoming very well aware of the situation. Public health officials and the medical profession in general are demanding that we do something about it. While pasteurization may kill such infective organisms, it should be remembered that in any country approximately half the population consumes milk in raw form and are thus exposed. I am very pleased to be able to report that we are making great strides in the control of mastitis in the dairy herds of this Province. Areas and herds where the disease was very high a few years ago to-day have a much lower incidence of mastitis. Our Veterinary Inspectors are doing a very excellent job of checking herds, getting the incurable cases out of the herds, and getting curable cases isolated and treated promptly. Dairymen are becoming decidedly mastitis-conscious. Our Dairy Branch Inspectors, plant operators, and public health people are reporting a very great improvement in the quality of the milk. Low plate counts, a marked decrease in the incidence of coli, and a much higher class rating for the milk are very encouraging. There are far too many areas, groups, and individual dairymen who have yet not responded as they should in support of the campaign to clean up mastitis. Our Veterinary Inspectors are reaching more and more producers all the time and adding new converts to the " get rid of mastitis " campaign. For more detail of the work being done, I refer you to the detailed reports of Veterinary Inspectors. CALFHOOD VACCINATION AGAINST BRUCELLOSIS Calf hood vaccination with Strain No. 19 Brucella vaccine, in an effort to slow down the inroads which brucellosis is making into the cattle herds of the country, is a most intelligent approach. The British Columbia Department of Agriculture adopted this policy immediately as soon as the use and import of the vaccine was approved. Early in 1941, organization of the work began just a few weeks after import of the vaccine was approved, and the first calves were officially vaccinated on July 31st of that year. The policy is now in its tenth year, and a study of the tabulations below will show how the work has progressed. No pressure campaigns were carried out. The development has come as a result of intelligent educational work and through the personal observations of cattle-owners themselves. We have taken every precaution to protect the policy and to ensure that the cattlemen get a first-class product of the highest possible potency. It has not always been easy to stand out against the demands of people asking for the relaxing of regulations under the policy. I feel that nothing has contributed more to the success of this work than the close attention which we have given to a sound procedure. The cattle-owners and the cattle-buying public have every confidence in the work we have been doing, and we certainly cannot afford to break this confidence. Calfhood vaccination cannot be considered an emergency programme. There is, as a result, no need whatsoever to relax our policy regulations. All it needs is for cattle- owners to give attention to their own business and not put off applying for vaccine till it is too late, and then expect the regulations to be ignored to suit their demands. They will do the same the next time, and the work will deteriorate as a result. There are three ways which calves may be vaccinated, which should take care of the needs of any cattle- owner. When there is a local veterinary practitioner, his service can be secured to do the work. If there is no veterinary practitioner in the immediate area, the cattle-owners can organize and bring in a veterinarian to do all the calves by making two or three visits DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, 1950 BB 157 to the district during the year. The vaccinating of calves within our disease-control areas is one of the most satisfactory methods of utilizing the advantages of calfhood vaccination. A tabulated statement of the work accomplished to date follows:— Number of Calves Vaccinated First year (July 31st, 1941, to July 31st, 1942) 3,098 Second year (August 1 st, 1942, to July 31 st, 1943) 5,778 Third year (August 1st, 1943, to July 31st, 1944) 7,022 Fourth year (August 1st, 1944, to July 31st, 1945) 8,318 Fifth year (August 1st, 1945, to July 31st, 1946) 7,434 Sixth year (August 1st, 1946, to July 31st, 1947) 8,569 Seventh year (August 1st, 1947, to July 31st, 1948) 10,980 Eighth year (August 1st, 1948, to July 31st, 1949)______-_ 15,448 Ninth year (August 1st, 1949, to July 14th, 1950) 17,083 Grand total for nine years of this policy's operation 83,730 This total includes 14,121 head of calves vaccinated by Departmental veterinarians under our area plan. Calves vaccinated under the new Federal-Provincial brucellosis-control programme of calfhood vaccination during the period July 15th, 1950, to November 30th, 1950, totalled 7,239 head. Of these, 3,335 head were vaccinated under our area plan. AREA PROGRAMMES This is the fourth year for the conduct of disease-control area work. Our first area was established by Order in Council on May 18th, 1949. Considerable work in many of these areas had been under way prior to their being gazetted. Several areas are now awaiting the procuring of some minor information before final gazetting. We now have the following areas:— Area No. 1.—The Inonoaklin Valley, with over 600 head of cattle, all negative to brucellosis and tuberculosis. This area is capable of being a fine dairying district. It is made up chiefly of Holstein dairy cattle, with a few good pure-bred Shorthorn herds. The chief problem hindering advancement is the indifferent market available for milk. Area No. 2.—The Nicola Stock Range. About 25,000 head of cattle are included. This area is fast developing into a high-class disease-control area. The top ranchers in the area report most satisfactory results. Area No. 3.—Cherryville area, with about 200 head, all tuberculosis- and brucellosis-free cattle. This area has been operating for four years very satisfactorily. Area No. 4.—Alkali Lake-Dog Creek, with almost 3,000 head under control. Results here are very satisfactory. Area No. 5.—The Greater Horsefly area (Horsefly, Rose Lake, and Big Lake) has progressed rapidly. This area is a little more difficult to work, with mixed cattle and smaller ranches to contend with. In this area most of the general herds have been blood-tested and the reactors removed. There are about 3,000 head in this area. Area No. 6.—Tunkwa Lake (Savona) area has about 5,000 head of cattle and is now in its third year of control, and the results are very satisfactory. Area No. 7.—Nehalliston is in its second year, with about 500 head of cattle. It lies north of Kamloops on the North Thompson. A mixed-farming area with good possibilities. BB 158 BRITISH COLUMBIA Area No. 8.—South-west Kootenay, a mixed-dairy farming area with over 3,000 head of cattle owned by some 563 owners within the prescribed area. Considerable progress has been made during the year in the cleanup of this area. Area No. 9.—Princeton area, with about 2,500 head of largely range beef cattle. There are a few dairy herds supplying milk to the several urban centres within the area. It was very fortunate that this area was established. Area No. 10.—Powell River. This is a small valley made up of some 46 cattle-owners with 326 head of cattle. There are a few dairy herds supplying milk to the town, but most of the cattle are kept for private use. This area was negative to our last T.B. test. Area No. 11.—Burton. This area adjoins the Inonoaklin area and is also a mixed-dairy farming district. There are 57 owners with some 280 head of cattle. Area No. 12.—Squamish. This is a small valley, with some 46 cattle-owners with 325 head of cattle. There are a few herds supplying milk to the town, but a greater percentage of the cattle are kept for private use. This area is being done at the present time, and early reports seem to indicate the very great need for this policy. Area No. 13.—Anahim and Greater Chilcotin. Some work has been done in this area, although there are yet some details to be worked out before it can be gazetted. This is one of our larger areas, and its early clean-up is most necessary to the success of the work in other areas into which cattle from this area have to move. No accurate figures on owners and cattle numbers can be given yet for this area. Area No. 14.—150-Mile House South area. This area is not yet gazetted for the same reason as No. 13, but considerable work has been done in the area. Exact figures on owners and cattle numbers cannot be given yet, since exact boundaries have not yet been decided upon. Area No. 15.—Galiano Island. This small area of some 12 owners with 56 cattle consists of one large herd supplying milk for the community in general. The other 11 owners keep cattle only for their own use. There was one very bad spot of trouble on the island, but everything has been cleaned up. This piece of work has been greatly appreciated. Several more of the adjacent islands are asking for a similar service, and it is hoped that we may be able to group several of these islands into one area for gazetting. Area disease-control furnishes a basis for the soundest possible over-all live-stock development. Eradication of disease is the starting-point and must precede other programmes of a purely production nature. The area programmes as they are being carried out permit of the finest possible co-ordination of the work of our Live Stock and Veterinary Inspectors. The work of organizing such areas, surveying their possibilities and their needs, and carrying out an intelligent production programme in line with present-day specialized knowledge in this field is the basis upon which we are working. Our Live Stock and Veterinary Inspectors work together in the closest possible way, each making a very definite contribution to the rounded-out whole. The report of Live Stock Field- man and Inspector Urban Guichon, which follows, covers a good part of the work done by Drs. G. M. Clark and I. D. C. Clark in their control areas. The report of Urban Guichon follows:— " This year's work of the Live Stock Branch, Kamloops offi.ce, consisted of carrying on the policies started in 1947 by the Branch and continued in the succeeding years. The activities of this Branch are concerned chiefly with the welfare of the beef-cattle DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, 1950 BB 159 industry of the Central Interior of the Province, centring in the chief marketing centres of Kamloops, Merritt (Nicola), and Williams Lake. " We can now safely say that over 75 per cent of the range cattle in this Central Interior are covered by our policies. " Condition of the Beef-cattle Industry, 1950 " This year saw the beef-cattle industry in British Columbia in better financial condition than it has ever been before. Beef prices surpassed all previous records. Top prices of over 30 cents per pound live weight were paid for the first time for commercial steers in this Province. The bulk of this year's beef was sold on the range from 25 to 29 cents per pound. Although the prices have fluctuated somewhat, there is every reason to believe that the demand for beef will continue strong. Generally speaking, ranchers of British Columbia have never before been so prosperous. However, costs of production have continued to rise. Labour, always an important item, has been scarcer this year than last, and wages for cowboys and farm-hands are up from 15 to 25 per cent. Cost of farm implements has also risen. " Mechanization of the cattle-ranches is continuing. There were twenty-six pick-up hay-balers putting up hay in the Nicola area this year, compared with one in 1946. This method of putting up hay eliminates a great deal of labour, puts the hay up in better shape, and greatly facilitates the job of feeding in the winter. In the Kamloops area at least ten balers were sold this year, and several have made their appearance in the Cariboo for the first time. With every evidence that the shortage of labour will continue, the trend toward mechanization will also go on. With competition from other industries attracting the better-quality labour, fewer younger men are being trained now on ranches than formerly. Good cowmen are extremely scarce. " The haying season of 1950 was one of the finest from the standpoint of putting up good hay within living memory. The season was practically uninterrupted by rains, and the quality of the hay and feed when put up with care is excellent, especially in the Nicola and Kamloops areas. In the Cariboo there was more rain, but the hay is generally better than average, and the quantity of hay put up appears to be quite ample for a normal winter. As the winter of 1949-50 was the coldest on record, feed-supplies were practically exhausted in all areas by the spring. As this is written (early December), feeding has not yet commenced, except for weaned calves on a few ranches, so that all prospects look for an ample supply of winter feed for the winter of 1950-51. " Ranchers continued to support the two chief bull sales in the Province—the spring sale at Kamloops and the fall sale at Williams Lake — by paying prices ranging from $500 to $1,000 for good-quality sires. The Williams Lake sale especially has grown both in quality and quantity, and the use of these bulls will be seen in better-quality beef in the Cariboo. " Condition of the Range-sheep Industry " In April I forwarded to the Live Stock Commissioner a report on the sheep industry as of that time. Conditions are generally the same as the time at which that report was written, except that prices for lambs have continued to rise. Lambs sold during the summer and fall brought from 22 to 28 cents. There is a shortage of breeding ewes, and, when available, they have sold at higher than market price. Lambs sold off the alpine ranges of the Nicola area have done particularly well this year. One such shipment in August averaged 96 pounds live weight in Vancouver. Sheep-raising has been particularly lucrative to those who are in it at the present time, and it would appear that there is ample room for more stockmen to go into this line of stock-raising. " When one considers that there were over 45,000 sheep on the public ranges in 1936 and less than 25,000 in 1949, there seems to be opportunity to increase the numbers of sheep in the Province at this time. There were no reports of lupine poisoning to this BB 160 BRITISH COLUMBIA office in 1950. The considerable losses of ewes in the winter of 1949 were not repeated in 1950, although the latter was a much colder season. We believe that this was due to the fact that we strongly advised better feeding and management of the ewes in the herds affected prior to lambing. Wherever a pound or two of whole oats was fed to the ewes at least two weeks before lambing, the mortality rate was lower both in ewes and in lambs. " Reports on the Various Disease-control Areas " Nicola Area.—Because all the initial work had been completed previously, we did not spend so much time in this area as in previous years. The last of the Bang's reactor milk cows were shipped on July 19th, so all milk cows in this area are now Bang's free. Stockmen in this area are not quite alive to the necessity of reporting any entries of stock into the area. .However, there were two cases of dealers bringing stock into the area without permits. On both such occasions, tests were made by Dr. G. M. Clark, and Bang's reactors were uncovered in both cases. " It is obvious that the only way this or any area can be kept clean is by the constant vigilance of the stockmen themselves. Now that this area has been cleaned up, it is to the welfare of all concerned to keep it that way by the simple precaution of testing all stock brought into the area. Our records for the year show a total of fifty-six females and two males tested for entry to the area, other than at cattle auctions or sales. " The most encouraging aspect of the Nicola area is the success of the programme of calfhood vaccination for brucellosis with Strain No. 19. Veterinarians of this Branch started their programme of vaccination in the Nicola area in the winter of 1946-47. In 1947 we organized all the ranchers in the area for a complete vaccination programme. In 1947-48 we did 2,206 head; in 1948-49, 3,614 head; and in 1949-50, 3,433 head. Thus a total of 9,423 breeding females are now vaccinated. As this is being written, two Provincial veterinarians, Drs. G. M. and I. D. C. Clark, are in the field carrying on this work for the present season. We will strive to bring our total of animals vaccinated to over 12,000 head this year. As these calves are kept for breeding purposes, we will soon have the bulk of the breeding females in the Nicola area vaccinated against contagious abortion. Larger calf-crops will be looked for next spring, and we hope to have statistics by then to show how this programme has helped this one area where calf-crops do not generally exceed 60 per cent. "Greater Horsefly Area.—In 1949 we spent considerable time in this area blood- testing milk cows and vaccinating calves. The preliminary work was pretty well completed in that year, so that the staff did not spend much time in the area this year. " Our records show that 12 head of female stock were tested by our staff for entry into this area during the past year. Others were tested at the Williams Lake Feeder Sale for entry into the area. In 1948-49, the first year we undertook vaccination work in this area, 269 calves were vaccinated; in 1949-50, 321 calves were done. This year we have vaccinated to date 223 calves, bringing to a total of 813 vaccinated females in the breeding herds of this area. This should help considerably in bringing up the calf-crops in an area where calf-crops had been quite low. "Alkali Lake-Dog Creek Area.—The work in this area is pretty well a matter of routine, as there are only five parties to deal with in the whole area. The vaccination programme has proceeded like clockwork every year for the last three years. The first year 736 calves were vaccinated, the second year 530. This year's figures are not available here, but the vaccination work has been carried out by Dr. I. D. C. Clark. All milk- cow reactors were previously removed, and there have been no reports of any unauthorized stock entering the area. "Savona Area.—This area was proclaimed as such by Order in Council of June 27th, 1950, although our work in the area goes back to 1948. Our vaccination programme of this season will be the third continuous vaccination. The first season we DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, 1950 BB 161 vaccinated 504 calves; in 1949-50, 455, making a total of 959 females vaccinated in the area to date. This year's work in the area has not yet commenced. The ranchers in Savona appear to appreciate the value of the work, and they do not fail to call on Dr. G. M. Clark whenever they have an animal to move into the area, which happens quite frequently. " Princeton Area.—The Princeton area was gazetted during the course of the past year as a disease-free area. All available calves were vaccinated for Bang's by Dr. I. D. C. Clark last winter. During the summer Dr. Clark and myself undertook to blood-test all the milk cows in the district. Some twenty-six cows were found to be positive or suspicious, and these cows were all removed this fall for slaughter under the personal supervision of Dr. I. D. C. Clark. This area has lined up very nicely as an extension of the work started in the Nicola area. The Princeton area lies immediately adjacent on the south of the Nicola area. " Nehalliston Area.-—The Nehalliston area is located on the west side of the North Thompson River between Barriere and Little Fort and takes in the communities of Chinook Cove, Darfield, and Little Fort. All the testing work was carried on by Dr. G. M. Clark and myself in the fall of 1949. Unlike our other areas, the Nehalliston is primarily a district of small farms and is potentially a mixed-farming area rather than one of beef cattle. Except for one very fine herd of Red Polls, there are no well-bred stock raised, and there is great room for improvement in breeding. Last year we vaccinated 148 calves for Bang's. This year we have done 141 head to date. " Under our calf-placement policy sixteen well-bred grade dairy heifer calves were placed in the Nehalliston area during this past year. These calves were carefully selected and blood-tested by the Live Stock Branch staff in the Fraser Valley. When last inspected by me, these calves were all doing very well and were getting good care. If this policy is continued, we will be doing a really worth-while job in assisting this area in becoming the dairy area it should be. All the natural resources for a good mixed-farming area are present here—good soil, mild climate, and proximity to a good market. What is needed is direction and education among the people to show them what can be done. The present high price of beef is probably a deterrent, but the range for beef cattle is not present. A few good beef cattle can be raised, but it would seem our job is to show these people the advantages of keeping their beef and dairy animals separate and to go ahead in one direction or the other, or in both, and we can raise this area from one of mere subsistence to one of agricultural prosperity. " 150-Mile House Area, Springhouse-Chimney Creek.—These areas, centring in the Town of Williams Lake, have not yet been proclaimed as disease-free "areas. However, we have done a great deal of work in this country. Last year—that is, during the winter of 1949-50—we vaccinated a total of 254 calves for Bang's in the 150-Mile House area. We also tested some milk cows for Bang's, and all reactors have now been removed under supervision. " Chilcotin Area.—This vast beef-producing territory extends from the Coast Range of mountains to the Fraser River and has now been practically all signed up for disease- control. "Last season we vaccinated 1,095 calves in the area. This year we expect to do considerably more. " Twice last winter Dr. G. M. Clark and I were called out to investigate losses among cattle in the Chilcotin. On examination we found that these losses were due to mismanagement and lack of feed. Several of the ranches in this area have been bought by people who are unfamiliar with ranching and with the rigorous climate of this district. Through lack of experience and neglect, many cattle were undoubtedly lost in the record cold winter of 1949-50. The losses did not occur on the ranches of the old-timers of the Chilcotin. As more ranches are passing into the hands of this type of operator, we can expect more of this trouble. 6 BB 162 BRITISH COLUMBIA " Calf-placement Programme " I helped place over 40 head of well-bred grade dairy calves in the Interior of this Province on farms where we felt they could do the most good. These calves, which otherwise would have been sold for veal, were carefully selected by our Live Stock Inspector in the Fraser Valley, F. C. Clark. They were blood-tested by Dr. A. Kidd, and were then shipped and distributed. " So far this programme has turned out to be one of the most satisfying and successful of our efforts. These calves are urgently needed up in this area, as there is no other source of getting this type of calf. Without exception, all the calves placed this year have turned out well. The quality of the calf especially reflects great credit on those who selected them. We have on hand over twenty orders for calves at the present time, and we can expect more as the word gets around about this programme. " Warble-fly Control Programme " This programme went on much the same as in preceding years. Five thousand head of yearling cattle were treated in the Nicola area and 1,200 head in the Savona area. This office was used as a distribution point for warble-fly powder, and, in all, 400 pounds of Rotox were supplied. " Calfhood Vaccination Programme Area 1946-47 1947-48 1948-49 1949-50 170 2,206 3,614 504 264 736 3,433 455 321 221 Nehalliston area 148 1,095 254 530 Totals 170 2,206 5,118 6,457 Grand total up to November 1st, 1950, 13,951. " Summary New disease-control areas organized 2 Positive cows shipped for slaughter 31 Ranch premises visited 271 Dairy-farms visited 24 Meetings attended 9 Meetings addressed 3 Sales and exhibitions attended 6 Sheep flocks inspected 12" PROVINCIAL WARBLE-FLY AND TICK CONTROL Speaking in a general way, I am sorry to have to report that returns received from warble-fly powder distributed, with the exception of the material which goes direct to our own Live Stock Branch officers, have been very unsatisfactory. This does not apply entirely. We get a very fine report from R. P. Murray, District Horticulturist, Penticton, from a few District Agriculturists, and some farm organizations, a summary of which follows. Report of R. P. Murray shows 2,090 head treated and a total of 2,012 warbles, or 0.96 warble per animal in the sixth year of treatment. Report of R. L. Wilkinson, District Agriculturist, Courtenay, shows 845 head of cattle treated and 2,074 warbles counted, or an average of 2.45 warbles per animal. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, 1950 BB 163 Some farms were treating for the first time, whilst for others it was the second or third year. Report of J. D. Hazlette, District Agriculturist, Duncan, contains the following summary of warble-fly control in the Cowichan area for 1950:— Amount of warble-fly powder supplied 60 lb. Amount of warble-fly powder distributed 48 lb. Amount of warble-fly powder on hand 12-lb. Number of persons obtaining powder 42 Number of reports returned to this office 27 Total number of head treated (as reported) 399 Number of head treated, but incomplete data on warbles 64 Average number of warbles per cow 5.0 Average number of warbles per 2-year-old 8.3 Average number of warbles per yearling 3.1 Average number of warbles per bull 3.6 The very excellent work done by F. C. Clark, and so intimately and carefully tabulated in his report which follows, gives some idea of what can and should be done in all districts. The information contained in this report is invaluable. The amount of intimate work done by Mr. Clark, and having to do with so many small units, shows what can be done. The following is an extract from Mr. Clark's report:— " From January on in to the month of May my work was chiefly concerned with our annual Fraser Valley warble-control campaign. " The latter half of March was largely devoted to the preparation, setting-up, and staffing of a Live Stock Branch exhibit at the planned-farming displays sponsored by our Department at Mission, Abbotsford, and Cloverdale. While on this topic it may be mentioned that a Live Stock Branch display was also set up at the Cowichan Agricultural Association Fair, Duncan, Vancouver Island, from September 7th to 9th, and at the Langley Fair on September 19th. A number of committee meetings were attended during October and November to finalize plans for displays to be held early in 1951. " During May, milk-production records were obtained on a number of heifers sired artificially by bulls maintained by the Chilliwack Artificial Insemination Club, and dam- daughter comparisons obtained. "A number of fur-breeders in the Fraser Valley were visited in June with regard to not having obtained the required annual fur-breeder's licence. Also, during this month a close check was maintained on the rising waters of the Fraser River, particularly with regard to possible evacuation of unidentified young stock in the Agassiz area. As a precautionary measure, 87 head of these animals were ear-tagged on June 16th and 17th. "A good deal of time was directed to the location of suitable heifer calves of the dairy breeds in C.T.A. herds in the Fraser Valley for shipment to certain areas in the Interior where more dairy stock is vitally needed. Inquiries to this office for aid in obtaining suitable dairy stock were increased this year. Several head of registered Holstein heifer calves were located for Vancouver Island buyers in April, and some excellent artificially sired Jersey yearling heifers were located for a buyer at Williams Lake. This project of locating suitable dairy stock would appear to fill a definite need. More and more time is being spent with farmers, especially in the building-up of herds of quality type and production. "At intervals during the year several breeding bulls were inspected, fed, and watered in Vancouver while en route from the Interior to Coast points and vice versa. " In November lectures were given on ' Milk Production ' and ' Balancing Rations ' at short-course meetings held in the Salmon Arm area and at Chilliwack. BB 164 BRITISH COLUMBIA " Warble-control Campaign in Coastal Fraser Valley Area " Powder for the eradication of warble-grubs in cattle was again made available free of charge at seventy-five distributing centres in the Fraser Valley by the end of February. " Considerable publicity was as usual given to our campaign by the local newspapers, periodicals, and radio stations. Large cartoon posters were prepared and displayed at the cattle auction markets at Aldergrove, Langley, Mission, and Abbotsford. "Again, smaller packages of half-pound size were the favoured size for distribution, tending to less waste of the material. " Data on the amount of powder distributed in the various municipalities is given " Distribution Centres and Pounds of Powder Issued Number of Distribution Centres Municipality Chilliwack 7 Coquitlam 2 Delta ____' 2 Dewdney 3 Kent 2 Langley 18 Matsqui 10 Maple Ridge 3 Mission 5 New Westminster 1 Nicomen 2 Pitt Meadows 1 Richmond and Sea Island 4 Sumas 4 Surrey 11 Totals ..... 75 " Warble Incidence Pounds of Powder 167.5 10.0 62.0 47.0 27.0 217.0 191.0 43.0 112.0 10.0 14.0 90.0 58.0 77.0 142.5 1,268.0 "Although warble-grubs began to make an appearance on a few herds in late January and early in February, warbles did not begin to appear in any number until mid-March on. " During a survey of herds a record was kept of the number of animals found free of warbles and of varying degrees of infestation, as shown in Tables Nos. 1 to 5. tt Table No. 1.— -Inspections for Warble Incidence in Bulls Area Free of Warbles 1 to 5 Warbles Each 6 to 10 Warbles Each More than 10 Warbles Each Total Average (Head) Head Warbles Head Warbles Head Warbles Head Warbles per Head 2 2 1 27 4 2 8 2 1 1 1 4 2 2 1 28 5 2 8 2 1 4 Delta- - Kent Langley Matsqui 0.04 0.8 Richmond • Surrey _ B urnaby Totals Percentage of bulls in each group Percentage of warbles 48 96 2 4 5 100 50 5 | 0.1 DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, 1950 Table No. 2.—Inspections for Warble Incidence in Cows BB 165 Area Free of Warbles 1 to 5 Warbles Each 6 to 10 Warbles Each More than 10 Warbles Each Total Average Warbles (Head) Head Warbles Head Warbles Head Warbles Head Warbles per Head 137 60 46 190 65 23 37 170 35 6 39 9 13 11 2 13 16 101 20 31 28 2 18 21 44 8 3 4 1 18 45 22 38 9 138 17 1 9 34 22 1 234 13 211 578 354 20 201 72 51 23 201 67 23 77 183 91 7 380 42 51 251 28 2 596 21 536 20 1.89 Delta 0.58 1 0 Kent 10.9 0.14 Matsqui Mission 0.03 7.7 Richmond Surrey Burnaby 0.12 5.9 2.85 Totals Percentage of cows in 769 77.3 109 10.9 265 13.8 34 3.4 252 13.1 84 8.4 1,410 73.1 996 1,927 1.95 Percentage of warbles in each group Table No. 3.—Inspections for Warble Incidence in Young Stock Area Free of Warbles 1 to 5 Warbles Each 6 to 10 Warbles Each More than 10 Warbles Each Total Average Warbles (Head) Head Warbles Head Warbles Head Warbles Head Warbles per Head 48 3 4 34 6 35 16 34 5 10 24 4 7 48 11 99 9 40 77 10 22 150 21 31 1 5 1 2 215 7 40 6 14 13 3 1 20 9 4 261 44 35 655 180 129 126 12 15 83 11 9 7 83 33 575 60 75 772 16 180 22 150 164 46 Delta 5.0 5 0 Langley Matsqui Mission 9.3 1.4 20.0 3.1 Richmond.. Surrey. 1.8 5.0 Totals 146 38.5 143 37.7 428 21.3 40 10.6 282 14 50 13.2 1,304 64.7 379 2,014 5 3 Percentage of young stock in each group.— Percentage of warbles " Table No. 4.—Inspections for Warble Incidence in All Stock Free of Warbles 1 to 5 Warbles Each 6 to 10 Warbles Each More than 10 Warbles Each Total Average Warbles (Head) Head Warbles Head Warbles Head Warbles Head Warbles per Head 187 6 65 51 251 75 25 37 213 53 73 14 10 13 36 7 13 61 27 200 29 40 31 106 16 40 171 65 39 4 4 1 5 1 20 260 29 38 9 40 6 152 30 1 3 2 9 20 9 34 26 495 20 44 48 211 655 180 578 483 329 7 86 67 23 312 83 34 84 274 126 955 20 102 126 251 801 22 180 618 171 700 2.9 Burnaby Delta - - 2.8 1.2 1.9 Kent - Langley— Matsqui... — Mission 10.9 2.6 0.26 5.3 7.4 Richmond — Surrey 0.6 5.5 Totals — Percentage of cattle in each group Percentage of warbles 963 67.6 254 17.9 698 17.7 74 5.2 534 13.5 134 9.3 2,714 68.8 1,425 3,946 2.7 BB 166 BRITISH COLUMBIA a to a. a 2 Oo <u 00 &_ a •2 e <a ►Q o c .3_ _« 8 s s Ci S a, s 5 u 6 -S_ -a 3 Average Warbles per Head © IT) Os cn Tt o of cs no Tt °V cn TH <U 53 ts 71 o <u Hffi © vo ON o\ cn cs ■ Tt m & oo *- TH rt <u u o s TH |> f. SD 00 cd SO l-r «_ i ° s 1 !t O Tt TH O Tt cs" Tf CS od en cn Os 1 "3 r^*t-< rt ^ O oo m Tt cn cd H o so a-(j •h q m' TI m rn z £ CS CS tn co CS fS Tt cn tn ll Tt SD en o CS in _. S o m tj- Tt •s rt- N D.S 3 !2 O rt o ii own o i-< CS l-i ca Z S \o CS cs Tt 00 ON vo ON ll 00\h Tt d r-^ th rn u 6 "3 ci os rn O Tf Tt tn CS u " rt H O u 1-1 ocim vo t-^ 00 On t~- m VO tH ctM rt C o « 3 CC <X Os SO Tt NO Tf t- rH en VO ON a C A t> o M s 3 O > M u O ca rt 0 H s •2 ■a s •2 O Oo s o o a __s S -a 5 a OD rt f* > < o «h tn CS w X) tn c~ rt NO rs r- « o\ o ON £ ** cs cn o H T3 O VD ON m m on r- ffi 0\ cn p rt »_n m oo o > < o o cn rH o 0 ca tn m Tt Tt H 'u ? < ■d ON i-i cs CS 00 « cn r-t o CD 2 i o r- ON u 1 d Tt <! tn 3 ! (S 00 o Tt m ! I> r- \H ft ^ < VO Tt rH ci c- tn m a CIt : th rn J-H CJ > < 1 *-" tn CS w 0 vo A ! Os vo m rt CN O £ ri •o cn r» m cs a M 1 vo o vo CJ > ' rn Tt cn «n < o ca U : o tn U-l cs u s= cs s -a Tt ON V0 ON a vo it TJ o o H » 0 « 3 £ 3 ec N- >H DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, 1950 BB 167 " It may be noted in Tables Nos. 1 to 5 that average warble incidence on bulls was negligible, on cows almost two per head, and on young stock slightly more than five warbles per head. The survey of herds made this year was not as extensive as in 1949, due to other work and road conditions, but it is felt that the results obtained were indicative of general conditions. It would appear that average warble incidence was increased over 1949, indicating a slackening of effort on the part of some herd-owners in warble-fly control measures. " It is of interest to note in Table No. 2 that 77.3 per cent of the mature cows checked were free of warbles when examined. This figure is almost identical with that obtained in 1949, when 77.9 per cent were found to be free of warbles. The increase this year in warble incidence on the infested group would appear to indicate increased negligence on the part of those cattle-owners who do not follow out complete control measures. " In Table No. 3 it may be noted that 38.5 per cent of the young stock were free of warbles when examined. In 1949 this figure was 51.4 per cent, indicating a drop of about 13 per cent in young stock found free of warbles when examined. " On all stock examined, it was found 67.6 per cent were free of warbles in 1950. This figure closely approaches that obtained in 1949, when 71.4 per cent of all cattle checked were found to be free of warbles when examined. "The results obtained from our 1950 survey would appear to indicate that those dairy-cattle owners who are conscientious in following out warble-control maintained their efforts, while others not so interested were less proficient than in the previous season. These tardy cattlemen are being interviewed. " Table No. 6 indicates that warble-grubs were most numerous on cattle as a whole in the Fraser Valley during the first two weeks in April. " Table No. 7 would appear to indicate that warbles were more prevalent—at least in some areas, and on mature cows and young stock—than in 1949. " Table No. 7.—Comparison of Warble Incidence for the Years 1948,1949, and 1950 Class of Live Stock 1948 1949 1950 Head Warbles 1 Average Head Warbles Average Head Warbles Average Bulls _ 72 2,067 1,061 339 4.7 2,918 | 1.4 6,992 j 6.6 124 3,913 1,294 218 3,684 4,269 1.8 0.94 3.3 50 996 379 5 1,927 2,014 0.1 Cows 1.95 5.3 Total stock 3,198 10,249 : 3.2 1 5,331 8,171 1.53 1,425 3,946 2.7 " During past seasons some cattle-owners have expressed the opinion that white- coloured cattle were more subject to warble-fly attacks than other colour groups. " Other stock-owners have maintained that more warble-grubs were found on black- coloured cattle. " In the past, heavily infested cattle of all colours have been observed. As a point of interest, a record was kept this year of the colour of individual animals on almost 1,000 head of cattle and the number of warbles on each. These records were then grouped according to colour of the animals, and results of this study are given in Table No. 8. BB 168 BRITISH COLUMBIA t) M rt tH VO NO OO m m On CJ i-i en > < y 3 i— m Tt Lj © rt ii r- ON ^ * «■? ** o H ■d rt OO Tt rs u cn cs vo a r- cs ON o 00 tn 2 Tt CS 00 o © es d a rt < Pm VI 3 CS fN. Tt H co m i-i o rt TH CS Tt cn CQ £ i^ a T3 CJ 0 tf TJ .*»* cd On C~ VO o V ON © O U w m th .in in 3 00 .O NO _ 'c rt o NO Tt a > < CS rn CS ^ iU M-. s 0 S ca ^ ■o 3 NO tn -— *a 3 i-t Tf CO m ■*-_ rt cn r-t vn J. £ U CJ .2 c E ■a o a CO i- On CJ no tn SJ ffi " r-t o _. ^ bo o a ri u l> m cs U CN Tt" rn" -* < -a M ca u i» S 3 H Tt i-l tn a >, >n Tt On £ to o 2 rt CS rH m °6 T3 rt en i— ■* CJ On m rs d B. 1-1 V *-*. 60 -a rt t> vo 'on „« 4> "* *n j Tt* h <u J,_ j ca CJ •S on m iTt >> VO ON ,\0 rt cn ri in ca 0 £ •d a oc tn tn CJ t- m I*- K r ca V 00 rt Ui CJ -id > rt o ■a c rt «H 0 ta \ "« rt o u H E M 3 C *. 3 ca s 0 DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, 1950 BB 169 " It may be noted in Table No. 8 that there would appear to be some correlation between colour of cattle and warble incidence, at least in this study. Young stock were more heavily infested than mature stock as usual, but both groups followed the same general pattern with regard to colour. Cattle mostly white in colour showed the heaviest infestation, followed by blacks, then black-and-whites, and least warble incidence was found in the red, brown, and fawn groups. " This study was made on herds at random throughout the Fraser Valley. In several herds all colours were observed and recorded. "Although it is felt that a much greater number of cattle would have to be observed before definite conclusions be made, the data obtained may be of interest. " It may well be that white cattle are more easily followed by the warble-fly. " Pigments or natural oils in the hides of red, brown, or fawn cattle may have a killing effect on newly hatched warble-grubs entering the hide. " From a practical standpoint it would seem that greater care in the use of fly- repellent sprays would be required with regard to white-coloured cattle. "Proposed Warble-control Areas " This year an attempt was made to interest herd-owners on Barnston Island and in the Agassiz district in the formation of warble-control areas, due to the natural boundaries in existence. Petition forms were supplied to the Farmers' Institutes in both sections, but the completed forms have not been received. It is felt that the approach must be made on the part of the stock-owners themselves, since they would of necessity have to observe adequate control measures. " Project to Locate Dairy Heifer Calves for Interior Areas " This year, in response to inquiries, I organized a programme to locate suitable dairy heifer calves in the Fraser Valley for farmers in those Interior areas. "A price-scale was set up for grade heifer calves of the four dairy breeds, and a first circular was mailed out in July to the approximately 325 C.T.A. herds in the Fraser Valley. The response was very good, suitable calves were identified with ear-tags, blood- tested for brucellosis, and our first shipment under this new programme was made on July 29th to the Kamloops area. " In approximately three months this fall this office located 86 head of dairy heifer calves, of which 64 head were shipped to the North Thompson area near Kamloops and 22 head to the Salmon Arm district. " Shipments to both areas totalled twenty-four Holsteins, thirty-five Guernseys, twenty-three Jerseys, and four Ayrshires, and brought a total of $3,123 to Fraser Valley dairy-cattle owners. " These calves were sired by registered bulls, and almost all have dams or grandams with C.T.A. records. " It is felt that in this programme we have brought together and shown the value of several live-stock improvement projects sponsored by or closely associated with our Provincial Department of Agriculture—the Cow-testing Association programme, artificial insemination of dairy cattle, pure-bred sires, healthy stock (tuberculosis-free and Bang's- free) keeping of records, stock identification, etc. "A definite contribution is being made toward agricultural development in other areas of our Province by saving these good heifer calves for milk production which otherwise might be destroyed as veal. These calves were identified with ear-tags and can be followed up in the future to determine their worth. " Calves have been shipped from well-known C.T.A. herds from all over the Fraser Valley, and sires of these heifers include such bulls as Frasea Master Netherland, Colony Netherland Perfection 37th, Foremost Royal Crown, Brooknill Romulus Lad, Fairmeade BB 170 BRITISH COLUMBIA Royalist Rex, Deertrail Glamour Boy, Frasea Sporting Majesty, King Creek St. Valentine, etc. " Interior buyers were pleased with the quality of the calves shipped and prices have been satisfactory to them. " This project was an entirely new venture for this office, but it is felt that we have made a good beginning. Transportation is, of course, of first importance. It is likely that this project will be reopened next spring in April or May, depending upon the demand from Interior points. " Artificial-insemination Survey " In May some production records were obtained on heifers sired artificially by bulls maintained by the Chilliwack Artificial Insemination Club. It is felt that sufficient data have not as yet been accumulated for presentation. " It is strongly recommended that technicians employed by both the Chilliwack Club and the A.I. centre at Milner be empowered to tag unidentified cows or heifers at time of service as being of vital importance in the maintenance of reliable records. " Junior Club Activities "Assistance was given Miss Echo Lidster, Supervisor, Boys' and Girls' Clubs, during the Pacific National Exhibition in the selection of the dairy-cattle judging team for the Toronto competitions. During the Pacific National Exhibition I also placed a class of mature Holstein cows and gave placing reasons to a large group of Future Farmers of America. " Fur-farms " Some twenty-odd fur-farms were visited with regard to preparation of annual reports, licences, etc. Films were secured for fur-breeders' meeting held in New Westminster on May 17th." The following is an extract from the report of Dr. J. C. Bankier, animal pathologist:— " During the period referred to, twenty-one farmers' meetings were addressed. At these meetings, the subjects covered were artificial insemination, reproductive disorders in dairy cattle, and brucellosis-control. The meetings were very well attended, which indicated the increased interest farmers are taking in such matters. The meetings referred to were held at Duncan, Coombs, Alberni, and Courtenay on Vancouver Island; Brig- house, Cloverdale, Milner and Abbotsford, Dewdney, Agassiz, and Pitt Meadows in the Fraser Valley; and at Salmon Arm, Grindrod, Armstrong, Lavington, and Kelowna in the Okanagan Valley; the British Columbia Dairymen's Convention at Abbotsford; the Pacific Northwest Veterinary Association Convention at Tacoma, Wash.; the Third Pacific Northwest Chicken and Turkey Breeders' Round Table at Vancouver; and the British Columbia Federation of Agriculture at Vancouver. " Two. meetings were also attended in connection with Pullorum-disease control work. " Planned Farming Feature " I participated in the planned-farming exhibition sponsored by the Department, and which was held at Mission, Abbotsford, and Cloverdale. In this connection the opportunity was taken to acquaint farmers with certain facts concerning various phases of livestock problems. By means of suitable specimens, advice was given regarding the anatomy, physiology, and disorders of the reproductive tract of the cow, so that they might have a better understanding of the problems which arise in their breeding work. " There is a great need for extension work in the field of educating farmers to appreciate just how the animal body is constructed, the vital functions related thereto, the proper DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, 1950 BB 171 nutrition of the animal body to obtain maximum efficiency, and how certain disease conditions which arise could be largely offset by better management and planning. " Fall Fair Feature " I attended fall fairs at Courtenay, Duncan, Armstrong, and Langley in connection with a Live Stock Branch exhibit prepared by several members of the staff. This exhibit covered the Branch policies, mastitis-control, warble-fly control, milk recording, nutrition, and artificial insemination. The exhibit created a good deal of interest, and numerous farmers were interviewed regarding live-stock problems. " Newcastle Disease " This disease made its first recognized appearaance among poultry flocks on the Lower Mainland of the Province early in the spring of this year, and has caused considerable loss to the industry. The investigation and control measures relating to this disease come under the jurisdiction of the Federal Department of Agriculture. "As a member of the Newcastle Disease Committee, I attended twenty-three meetings in connection with this problem. I also assisted with work relating to this problem in the Federal Animal Pathology Laboratory in Vancouver for a period of six weeks during the summer. " Fur-animal Problems " The greater part of the field investigations on fur-animal problems on the Lower Mainland has been conducted by Dr. A. Kidd. Assistance was given to Dr. Kidd in this work whenever necessary. Eleven visits were made to mink-ranches in company with him. " The majority of the problems arising on mink-ranches appear to be related to nutritional imbalance and inexperience on the part of the owner. One outbreak of distemper occurred on the Lower Mainland. "Artificial Insemination " This very important aspect of our dairy-cattle industry has been given supervision. " The facilities of the new premises opened last year at Milner in the Fraser Valley, and known as the ' B.C. Artificial Insemination Centre,' have proven to be very satisfactory. " The specially designed exercise-track for the bulls, the only one of its kind in existence, has attracted the attention of visitors from various parts of Canada, the United States, and Britain, and inquiries have been received concerning construction details from several insemination centres. "At present there are twenty-three bulls in this centre, consisting of four Ayrshires, five Holsteins, eight Jerseys, and six Guernseys. These bulls are provided under lease by the Federal Department of Agriculture. " The B.C. Artificial Insemination Centre supplies semen to a sub-centre at Kelowna in the Okanagan Valley and to one at Duncan on Vancouver Island. Semen has again been shipped this year to Dawson Creek in Northern British Columbia and used successfully. " Inquiries reveal that dairy-farmers in the districts of Salmon Arm, Enderby, Armstrong, and Vernon in the Okanagan Valley and at Courtenay and Coombs on Vancouver Island are becoming interested in the establishment of an artificial-insemination service. By proper organization and co-operation of all parties concerned, such a service can be put into successful operation in these districts. " Duncan Sub-centre.—During the month of January, supervision was given to the operations of this sub-centre. At that time forty-three visits were made to farmers using the artificial insemination service. The programme in this district has been quite successful this year. The concentration of cattle in this district is not great. However, a total BB 172 BRITISH COLUMBIA of 520 cows have been inseminated this year up to November 30th, compared with 478 for all of 1949. Even though the semen arrives in Duncan twenty-four hours after collection, the results obtained are equally as good as those obtained in the Fraser Valley, where the main centre is located. A recent inquiry made from forty-seven owners in the district who are using the service reveals that they have 102 offspring from bulls in the main centre which are milking or in calf, and seventy-two calves are being raised. " Kelowna Sub-centre.—This sub-centre has just completed its second year of operation. Visits have been made to this sub-centre on three occasions during the year for discussions with the board of directors on the progress of the work. Twenty-one visits were made to farmers in the district who are using the artificial-insemination service. " Satisfactory progress is being made, but the incidence of breeding problems appears to be higher than is usually expected. Prompt attention on the part of farmers to conditions which contribute to difficult breeding, such as non-specific low-grade infection of the reproductive organs, nutritional and glandular disturbances of their cows, will greatly assist in maintaining an efficient artificial-insemination service in that district. "A total of 501 cows have been inseminated this year to November 30th in the Kelowna district. During 1949 a total of 616 cows were inseminated. "Milner Centre.—The work conducted directly from the main centre has shown steady progress. Over 3,000 cattle-owners have used the service this year. V Up to November 30th a total of 13,325 cows has been inseminated in the Lower Fraser Valley, compared with 11,907 in 1949, 7,386 in 1948, and 4,179 in 1947. " Inseminations to November 30th this year, on the basis of the various service categories, are as follows:— Service Category First Second Third Fourth or More Services _ Percentage of total services in each category.. 13,325 56.2 6,236 26.3 2,593 10.9 1,414 5.9 " Registered Animals Inseminated " Of the cows inseminated in the Lower Fraser Valley to November 30th this year, only 1,222 or 9.3 per cent are pure-bred and registered. These consist of 546 Jerseys, 246 Guernseys, 287 Holsteins, and 143 Ayrshires. "A survey was made recently to obtain an idea of the number of offspring being raised by farmers in the Lower Fraser Valley from bulls which have been or are at present in the artificial-insemination centre. This survey revealed the following information:— Number of questionnaires sent out 1,350 Number of replies 663 Number of cows or heifers milking or in calf and the breed— Jersey 736 Guernsey 694 Holstein 415 Ayrshire 97 Mixed 148 Group total 2,090 DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, 1950 BB 173 Number of calves being raised and the breed— Jersey 625 Guernsey 644 Holstein 592 Ayrshire 104 Mixed 159 Group total 2,124 Grand total 4,214 " Considering the fact that approximately 50 per cent of all calves would be males and also the fact that a number of heifer calves would not be kept on account of undesirable dams, it would appear that a very favourable number of the offspring from the bulls in the artificial-insemination centre are being raised for dairy production. " Chilliwack Artificial Insemination Club " Three visits have been made to this centre during the year. On May 25th I attended the official opening of the new premises built by this organization in co-operation with the British Columbia Department of Agriculture. " The Chilliwack organization has made steady progress since its inception in 1945, and to-day has approximately 500 members. The number of cows inseminated since 1945 is as follows:— XT . . ___ . . Number of Number of Year Cows Year Cows 1945 897 1948 1,556 1946 1,085 1949 2,316 1947 1,341 1950 to Nov. 30 2,883 " There are eight bulls in the centre, consisting of two Holsteins, four Jerseys, and four Guernseys, which are provided under lease by the Federal Department of Agriculture. " Conclusion " There are many problems still confronting both the farmers and those responsible for the supervision of artificial-insemination work. It is a fact that confidence in artificial insemination can only be maintained if results are satisfactory. While results are reasonably good considering that four breeds are involved and farmers generally are reasonably well satisfied with the service, the conception rate to first and second inseminations should be higher. " Problems in this field associated with breeding difficulties are numerous and require further study. This not only applies to problems relating to reproductive inefficiency of the cow or the herd, but also to problems associated with semen quality and stability." TABULATION OF DISEASE INVESTIGATION The tabulations which follow are still quite incomplete. It will take some time before we may expect all staff members to develop the habit of promptly and regularly reporting. Reports on certain special policies do not appear. However, the report, incomplete as it is, still gives some worth-while information. BB 174 BRITISH COLUMBIA Disease Number of Investigations Number L.S. This Class on Premises Number Affected Deaths Postmortems Cattle Contagious and (or) infectious disease— Blackleg.. Coccidiosis Malignant oedema. Keratitis Necrotic stomatitis... Stomach-worms Liver-fluke Enteritis Sporadic disease— Nutritional deficiencies- Breeding problems _ Food poisoning (mouldy hay).. Paralysis — Verminous pneumonia. Gastritis Bloat Fungus infection. Goitre Traumatic pericarditis.. Metritis Horses Contagious and (or) infectious disease— Malignant oedema Encephalomyelitis Sporadic disease— Food poisoning (equesitum) Nutritional deficiencies ..— Heaves Impaction Sporadic disease— Abortion Tick paralysis .. Sheep Hsemorrhagic septicaemia .. Tapeworm Liver-fluke Poultry Contagious or infectious disease- Erysipelas (turkey).. Nutritional deficiencies.. Pendulous crop Paralysis Goats Sporadic disease—Nail in abomasum.. Dogs Sporadic disease—Dystokia. Swine Sporadic disease—Nutritional deficiencies- Fur-bearers Sporadic disease— Nutritional deficiencies Urinary calculi Food poisoning Yellow fat Parasites (springtails)... Miscellaneous— Visits re fur licences Visits re isolation slips.. Visits re quarantines Visits re inoculations Routine inspections Meetings and shows 6 7 4 10 8 1 3 12 14 1 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 1 10 4 252 35 130 49 141 102 20 30 60 1 ..._. 1 1 17 2,936 1 5 619 3 1,409 1 310 19 24 12 3 19 8 12 199 7 82 42 2 8 46 144 47 11 1 6 1 1 1 1 1 10 2 20 150 9 5 500 1 1 229 1 120 350 12 101 6 10 1 20 1 5 500 228 1 120 350 10 1 1 Note.—This includes only investigations reported, which is still far short of a complete record of work done. This does not include work done in mastitis, brucellosis, foot-rot in sheep, and caseous lymphadenitis. These latter diseases are dealt with otherwise. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, 1950 BB 175 The following laboratory report is submitted by Dr. E. A. Bruce:— Specimen Report, November 1st, 1949, to November 30th, 1950 Diseases due to— u tH o X - w QJ U CO c_ rt o o d >> t- 9 0 0. t-H u _c o q 'rt •oE Is si Remarks Total A. Bacteria Actinomycosis.- Blackleg 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 2 i 1 i l l i 3 1 3 1 20 4 10 1 6 4 8 62 2 2 7 2 23 1 3 7 5 5 5 2 3 2 6 _.. 1 1 1 1 3,189 2 1 2 26 1 1 3 1 5 2 ._. 1 3 1 3 11 1 1 1 16 2 1 2 1 1 :... 1 B ronch opneumonia Brucellosis _ Cholecystitis Cystitis Enteritis 2 Negative, 2,956; suspicious, 76; positive, 159 Mink, 1 Mink, 3 3,191 1 3 Mink, 9; rabbit, 2; parrot, 1 35 4 Haemorrhagic septicaemia 1 Negative -. 2 28 Metritis Mink, 1 1 1 Nephritis,. „ _ Mink, 1 _ 1 1 1 10 Pneumonia . Chinchilla, 1 _ 2 3 Salmonellosis Fox, 1; mink, 13; chinchilla, 2 .... 16 7 5 5 B. Protozoa 8 Coccidiosis Rabbits, 2 66 2 Sarcosporidia C. Metazoa 1 1 2 1 1 Springtails on mink (harmless) .... 1 .... 1 .... 10 1 5 1 1 1 D. Virus Distemper 2 2 23 Ulcerative enteritis E. Miscellaneous 1 1 | _ - 1 -- Chinchilla 1 2 4 Aspergillosis 3 I .... - I - 1 I .... 1 1 .... 1 Mink, 3 6 Chilling _- 1 ! . I ____ 7 1 1 1 .... 1 Degeneration Eggs 1 .... 3 5 2 5 7 .... 5 Chinchilla (negative) 5 3 Fibril la muscle ruptures Imp action Internal haemorrhage 1 5 2 1 1 3 Death camas, foxglove (geese) .... 3 Plants 5 1 8 Ulcers— 5 .... | .... i.... i.... 7 4 (3,241 1 1 1 3 4 9 1 190 27 65 7 .... I 1 | 7 1 .... 1 .. 3,524 37 3 11.240 3 4 8 163 58 1 1117 3,487 BB 176 BRITISH COLUMBIA "MILK ACT" ADMINISTRATION, DAIRY-HERD INSPECTION, AND DAIRY-FARM GRADING This work is of the greatest importance. Our Veterinary Inspectors render a very great service to dairymen in the way of directing improvements in their methods and the health of their cattle. As the work extends and as dairymen become more conscious of the value of this educational work, we are finding it reflected in a definite improvement in the quality of milk being produced. Public health authorities report a most satisfactory improvement in the quality of the milk reaching the consumer. Every effort is being made to safeguard the interests of public health, which, of course, also protects the interests of the dairyman. Last year it seemed as if we might expect considerable increase in dairy-cattle numbers, but there now seems to be a trend toward a reduction. When other branches of agriculture offer a greater return for labour and investment, we may expect farmers to change. We are doing a more thorough and complete job. We are learning a great deal from the data secured and the information accumulated. All of this is relayed back to the industry. Our staff of Veterinary Inspectors deserve to be complimented for the very wonderful work that they are doing. The work of a Veterinary Inspector calls for a wide and complete range of knowledge, and with it the ability to successfully handle and regulate the farmer. In other words, " he must get the farmer to do what he may not wish to and yet like it." There are several milk sheds in the Province which need more attention than we have been able to give them, but until such time as we get additional staff, it will be hard to give all the service we would like. Summary of Dairy Herds Inspected and Dairy-farm Gradings See Appendix No. 9. Extracts from the reports of some of our Inspectors will give a very good idea of what is being accomplished. . Following is an extract from the report of Dr. A. Kidd:— " Dairy Farm and Herd Inspections.—As required by the ' Milk Act,' dairy farm and herd inspections have been carried out, and a resume of the work accomplished during the year is listed in Table No. 1. " Table No. 1.—Premises Inspected and Graded District Number of Premises Total Cattle Total Milk Cows Number Milking at Time of Inspection Grade A B C U Delta 1 2 42 22 23 16 21 13 1 1 Surrey 1 Langley 57 760 458 365 1. 34 1 21 Matsqui 3 82 55 44 3 Nicomen 62 1,983 1,116 941 3 46 13 Dewdney 77 1,823 1,102 916 3 47 27 Mission 64 815 505 409 1 13 2 48 Maple Ridge 2 43 33 25 1 1 120 2,943 1,692 1,210 1 92 27 Richmond 3 87 79 61 1 2 11 56 27 19 1 10 Totals 402 8,656 5,106 4,025 12 239 4 147 " Of the premises graded, 2.99 per cent were Grade A, 59.45 per cent Grade B, 0.99 per cent Grade C, and 36.57 per cent ungraded. It will be noted that 36.57 per cent of the premises graded during the year were left as ungraded. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, 1950 BB 177 " In Table No. 1 the totals given for the districts of Nicomen, Dewdney, Mission, Pitt Meadows, and Galiano Island are complete totals, whereas the totals for the other districts are merely fractions of the total. " In Table No. 1 the number of herds and premises graded totals 402. Actually a total of 592 visits were made to dairy-farms in order that this number of premises and herds were graded. " The following miscellaneous work was done in connection with the ' Milk Act' during the year. "A number of farmers were visited to give specific advice in construction of barns and milk-houses. The one certified dairy in the Province called for many visits. A large number of calls upon dairymen were made at the request of the owners, the dairy plants, the Live Stock Commissioner, and the Health Department. A good number of meetings were attended in the course of regular duties, and a number of talks and lectures were given. There has been a tremendous increase in the number of office calls and correspondence. There has been a great increase in new shippers, made up of persons formerly in poultry, swine, rabbit, and berry farming. This has resulted in a heavy increase in the number of ungraded farms. These people will need a lot of help. " Mastitis Examinations.—Mastitis examinations were carried out more intimately during the winter months while the cattle were in the stable. All cows milking at the time of the routine dairy-farm grading were tested. The Geneva blotters were used to test the milk from each cow, and the udder was manipulated digitally. " Table No. 2 gives a resume of the mastitis examinations made during the year. " Table No. 2—Cows Examined for Mastitis Number of premises ; 176 Number of cows milking at time of inspection 1,577 Number of cows with clinical signs of mastitis 239 Number of quarters with clinical signs of mastitis 354 Number of udders with a blind quarter 32 " Two hundred and thirty-nine cases represent 15.17 per cent of the total number (1,577) of cows milking at the time of the inspection. " Three hundred and fifty-four quarters represent 5.64 per cent of the total number (6,276) of quarters milking at the time of inspection. The thirty-two blind quarters are not included. " Thirty-two cows with one blind quarter represent 2.03 per cent of the 1,577 cows milking at the time of the inspection. " The incidence of mastitis has been broken down into hand-milking and machine- milking. The results are set out in Table No. 3. " Table No. 3.—Relationship between Hand and Machine Milking for Mastitis Milking Number of Premises Number of Cows Milking at Time of Inspection Number of Cows with Clinical Signs of Mastitis Number of Quarters with Clinical Signs of Mastitis Number of Udders with One Blind Teat Hand 1 93 451 83 j 1,126 38 201 49 305 9 23 Totals 176 1 1.577 239 354 32 By hand-milking:— Thirty-eight cows represent 8.42 per cent of the 451 cows milking at the time of the inspection. BB 178 BRITISH COLUMBIA Forty-nine quarters represent 2.73 per cent of the 1,795 quarters milking at the time of the inspection. The nine blind quarters are not included. Nine cows with one blind quarter represent 1.99 per cent of the 451 cows milking at the time of the inspection. " By machine-milking:— Two hundred and one cows represent 17.85 per cent of the 1,126 cows milking at the time of the inspection. Three hundred and five quarters represent 6.81 per cent of the 4,481 quarters milking at the time of the inspection. The twenty-three blind quarters are not included. Twenty-three cows with one blind quarter represent 2.04 per cent of the 1,126 cows milking at the time of the inspection. " ' Contagious Diseases (Animals) Act.'-—In connection with dairy stock entering Department of Agriculture disease-free areas from the Fraser Valley, many bloods were drawn and forwarded to the Provincial Laboratory at Victoria for the brucellosis agglutination blood test. "All the cattle on Galiano Island were also blood-tested, as were a few head in the Pemberton Valley. Galiano Island is now free of brucellosis and mastitis. "An outbreak of a condition called ' grunts ' was investigated in the Pemberton Valley. Laboratory findings disclosed hemolytic diplicoccus and corynebacteria. The investigation disclosed poor management and poor sanitation on the farms having the trouble. A good lot of time during the year was spent on miscellaneous work, such as planned-farming display, special meetings. In all, 17,786 miles were driven in the course of my duties. "An outline of the results is listed in Table No. 4. " Table No. 4.—Results of Blood-testing Number of Premises Number Blood- tested Number Negative Number Suspicious Number Positive Area Vaccinates Non-vac- cinates Vaccinates Non-vac- cinates Vaccinates Non-vac- cinates Fraser Valley— 7 45 12 2 80 79 65 10 40 18 69 52 10 7 2 5 3 11 2 Calves under 4 months of age 5 10 Pemberton Totals . 66 234 40 149 7 10 11 17 " Calves under 4 months of age" refers to bloods drawn from calves which were shipped to Interior British Columbia." The following is an extract from the report of Dr. I. D. C. Clark:— " Dairy Inspections "The inspection of dairy-farms in the Greater Okanagan in 1950 revealed a considerable improvement in farm management over the year preceding. This improvement was manifest not only by the construction of many new dairies and stables, the renovation of older buildings, but also by the many questions asked and the keen interest taken by the individual farmer relative to the control of infectious and contagious diseases in the dairy herd and methods of preventing the rather high death rate from calfhood diseases. In areas served by artificial insemination a very marked improvement was noted in the type of young stock being raised. In other areas the necessity of improved breeding for higher production was pointed out. " The fact that some of the pasteurizing plants in the Okanagan have adopted the policy of grading each farmer's milk either monthly or bi-monthly and of paying a higher price for the better grades has caused a marked incentive among the producers to improve DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, 1950 BB 179 the quality of milk. Each farmer is not only competing against his neighbour but against himself, trying to improve his grade from month to month or to keep a top grade. The writer has made many reinspections of Grade B premises to assist the individual farmer to produce a Class A product and get up to a top or A grade. " The following is a list of premises graded. The high incidence of Ungraded premises (19.6 per cent), as it appears on the chart, is scarcely representative, as many of these premises have been regraded as Class B. Also several Ungraded certificates were issued in cases where fluid milk was no longer being sold from the premises. [This practice is adopted in order to protect the legislation.—W. R. Gunn.] District Number of Premises Total Cattle Number of Milk Cows Number Milking at Time Inspected Grade of Premises A B C U 78 52 25 24 21 19 11 8 5 4 3 3 2 3 1 1 1,388 934 274 517 356 254 215 180 171 165 88 53 37 58 2 5 764 616 180 307 221 166 124 101 113 91 61 38 29 40 2 4 658 498 132 229 167 133 94 75 103 82 58 25 23 33 1 3 3 1 3 62 42 21 18 11 12 9 7 5 1 2 1 2 2 1 1 1 4 15 6 Vernon 3 5 Enderby __ 10 3 2 1 Revelstoke 1 2 Mara Keremeos 1 1 1 Totals.. 260 4,697 2,857 2,314 7 195 7 51 "Area Programmes " Princeton.—This area includes fifty-two premises and about 2,500 cattle. Work on this area was started late in December, 1949, when 221 calves were vaccinated with Strain No. 19. During the fall of 1950 an agglutination test for brucellosis was made on all the dairy cows in the area, and out of 216 tested, 175 were negative, 25 positive, and 15 suspicious. All positive reactors have been shipped for slaughter, and another test on herds with suspicious animals is to be conducted. Three hundred and two heifer calves have already been vaccinated this year, and there are still a few more which were under age at the time. The lack of proper corrals and chutes retarded the work considerably. " Other areas where calfhood vaccination has been carried out are: Merritt, 792; Savona, 89; Big Creek, 573; Horsefly, 47; Alkali Lake, 301; Dog Creek, 368; 150- Mile House, 88; Princeton, 523; making a total of 2,781 head. " Diseases " Foot-rot in Sheep.—This disease appears to be fairly well undet control. A total of 5,244 ewes were inspected and only five cases were found. Three of these responded to treatment, and the other two were destroyed. " Caseous Lymphadenitis in Sheep.—Two flocks have been placed under quarantine as a result of post-mortem findings at the abattoir. A check as to the severity of the infection on these two ranches is to be made at the time of the 1951 shearing. " Coccidiosis in Cattle.—There were several outbreaks, and in some cases heavy losses were encountered. The severe winter, poor-quality feed, undernourishment, and contaminated feed-lots appeared to be the predisposing factors. A change of feedirtg- ground is in order when the spring thaw begins. BB 180 BRITISH COLUMBIA " Strangles in Horses. — One stable of thirty horses was quarantined when three animals were found to be suffering from this disease." The following is an extract from the report of Dr. J. J. Carney:— " This report accompanies statistical summary forwarded and covers the work carried out in West Kootenay almost entirely, except for a very occasional trip east of Kootenay Lake. "Among the highlights in 1950 may be mentioned:— (a) The continued interest and demand for good registered herd sires, dairy type mainly, and a few beef by cattlemen for herd improvement. (b) Improvements in and construction of new dairy premises. Renovations and extensions to existing dairy buildings. (c) Blood-testing herds and vaccination of calves in South-west Kootenay Disease-control Area. (d) Interest in mastitis-control. " The above subjects will be treated more fully in this report. " Tuberculin-testing " Some 715 cattle, including a few goats, were T.B.-tested in the first half of the year. One suspicious reactor only was found, but the animal proved negative after the sixty-day retest. Provincial tuberculin testing came to an end and was handed over to the Federal authorities on July 1st, 1950. "Dairy-farm Gradings " These gradings covered West Kootenay mainly and included the Inonoaklin Valley. While the area is somewhat large and cattle fairly numerous, the figures include, as in the Slocan, numerous one and two family-cow outfits. Dairy-farm herds, therefore, are comparatively few, and are found mainly in proximity to the larger centres of Nelson and Trail. " New shippers enter the milk picture during the year, and a few of the older shippers close down or switch to beef, as at Edgewood. Great numbers of mastitic or old cows were cleaned out for export to the United States or to Calgary by outside buyers. There is a terrific shortage of dairy-cow replacements. Very few dairymen in the West Kootenay are in the position to raise their own replacements, or at least think so, owing to high feed costs. Moreover, some larger dairymen prefer to buy replacements in their second or third lactation period, as producers claim a heifer in her first lactation does not produce profitably for them. " Centres such as Nelson and Trail are growing, particularly the latter, as the Kootenays develop and the human population increases. It is said there are now some 30,000 poeple in Greater Trail, which shows a startling increase during recent years. " To supply the bottle trade at Nelson, milk is being shipped in from Lethbridge. Powdered milk is also being sold. Trail is shipping in milk from the Fraser Valley and a quantity from Creston, and has been receiving as well from Grand Forks up to recently. " It would therefore seem that a man with good management and a good producing herd, even buying all his feed, as many West Kootenay dairymen have to do, will always have a profitable local market for his milk. " Owing to there now being two Veterinary Inspectors the greater part of the time, much more grading was accomplished in 1950 than in previous years. Consequently, there is a noticeable increase in the number of new dairy-barns and dairy-farm buildings. " Dairy premises visited were 364, covering 3,142 cattle, of which 1,652 were milk cows. A total of 1,235 cows were in milk at time of inspection. If cows were standing in or convenient, they were checked for mastitis, reaching a total of 740 checked, revealing 116 clinical cases or 15.68 per cent of all cows checked. Thirty-four or 4.59 per cent of all cows checked were recommended for ' beefing,' as beyond recovery. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, 1950 BB 181 One hundred and fifty-five mastitis quarters were found in 116 mastitis cows, or an average of 1.34 per cent infected quarters per infected cow. A few cows were found with one blind teat, and even two seen in cows for family use. Infected quarters are as follows: R.F., 44; L.F., 40; R.H., 32; L.H., 39; total, 155. " Dairy-farmers are much more mastitis-minded than some two or three years ago, as they now realize more the danger of a ' spreader ' in the milking line. Many treat acute cases, since the availability of penicillin and streptomycin. " The most glaring offences seen in grading remain as for last year:— (a) Lack of hot-water heating facilities in milk-house. (b) Lack of bedding in winter months. (c) Failure to clip udders, flanks, and tail-switches in winter season. " Provincial Disease-control Areas " Calves vaccinated against brucellosis numbered eighty-eight, in the year under review. A number of calves are being missed, as they are not being reported. It is hoped to overcome failure to report by having a key man in each locality, usually the secretary of the local branch of the Farmers' Institute, forward lists of calves for vaccination when routine vaccinations will be carried out. This has been the practice in the Inonoaklin Valley during the past three years. It is absolutely out of the question to visit individual farms seeking out calves to vaccinate, as it is much too time-consuming. On the initial bleeding of the South-west Kootenay Disease-control Area, efforts are made to vaccinate calves at time of bleeding herd, but this, of course, does not take care of calves dropped later. "At the time of reporting, the following localities have been blood-tested since commencing almost a year ago:— (a) The entire Salmo Valley, Nelson to Nelway (Border). (b) Most of the herds in Nelson district, all Harrop and Balfour. (c) Salmo to Fruitvale. (d) Fruitvale is almost completed. (e) Two herds at Camp Lister. (/) Half the herds in the Pend d'Oreille. " In addition, a great deal of time was consumed testing individual herds in untested districts, such as the Slocan Valley, prior to moving additions to tested herds. These trips, while essential, held up district work. These individual tests will decrease in number as the area gets more completely covered. "The undersigned bled 1,121 cattle during 1950. A total of twenty-eight adult cattle proved positive and suspicious. Positives numbered seventeen; suspicious numbered eleven. All but one have been ' beefed ' on the farms or shipped to Calgary. Two young cows of the eleven head giving a suspicious reaction are temporarily held. All metal ear-ta^s of all positive animals and suspicious animals slaughtered on the farms are retained at this office. " Our Free Transportation and Delayed-payment Policy on Registered Herd Sires " Great interest has been shown by the cattlemen in the above, and a fair number of inquiries are received. Several bulls from the Coast have been placed under this policy. Every effort is made to save local registered herd sires due for change from being slaughtered. Notes are kept of bulls for exchange and of people wanting to purchase bulls. In some instances the branch here has been instrumental in getting interested parties together. " There is a growing tendency on the part of the Kootenay cattlemen to make this Nelson office a clearing-house for information of this sort. bb 182 british columbia " Milk Plants " I have had very little to do with milk plants during 1950. However, on occasions, if indicated, information was relayed to the Dairy Branch. " The Dairy and Live Stock Branches and Department of Health representatives work and co-operate very closely in the Kootenays, to their mutual benefit, in getting work done and bringing about improvements in quality of milk produced. " Disease " Blackleg.—This disease caused a few deaths, occurring mostly around Fruitvale. There is little excuse for deaths from blackleg, except that cattle-owners insist on learning the hard way and will not trouble to vaccinate until blackleg strikes. We have repeatedly warned cattlemen in all localities to immunize all young stock. " Equine Encephalomyelitis.—None known or reported. " Newcastle Disease.—One suspected case in Nelson which later proved to be possibly botulism, and definitely not Newcastle. " L.S. 10 Report Forms.—Numbers of these reports, ranging over a wide field, were forwarded, wherein veterinary advice on treatment and care of stock was given owners. Breeding trouble and mastitis inquiries possibly predominated. " Fur-farms "Very little was heard from the fur-farmers during 1950, which usually indicates they had little or no disease problems during the period. " Dr. Gunn, in his capacity as Fur-farm Commissioner, met the mink and marten ranchers at Nakusp in September, when many questions were taken up. It was the first time apparently that Dr. Gunn met the group as a whole, and they appeared very pleased to have him with them. "A meeting was held with the fur-farmers on another occasion earlier in the year at Nakusp, when films on the fur industry were shown, and their problems dealt with." The following is an extract from the report of Dr. R. L. Lancaster:— " The period December, 1949, to October, 1950, has been a varied and busy time. It has seen a comparatively large section of the South-west Kootenay Disease-control Area tested, and also considerable grading of dairy premises and herd examinations under the ' Milk Act' in both the East and West Kootenay. During the time some ten days were spent on an assignment of talks to farmer groups at Creston and Edgewater. Also during the period I sustained and recovered from a fractured humerus, which incident seriously interfered with my work in the area. " In addition to the area testing and the routine of grading of dairy-farms in the district, odd jobs of testing additions to tested herds, investigating possible disease outbreaks, and giving advice have been performed. My activities as a Provincial Inspector brought to a close on temporary transfer to the Health of Animals Division as of November 1st, 1950. "Amplification of the more important phases of the work is contained in the following sections:— " Dairy-farm Gradings " In all, 307 premises were visited and, in accordance with instructions, graded at the same time. Of this number, 10 were given Grade A, 71 Grade B, 43 Grade C, and 178 premises Ungraded. In addition, five premises were classed as 'no grade,' raising the Ungraded to 183. Of the 43 Grade C premises, many of these have removed the glaring defects and are now up to Grade B. " There is still room for much improvement in most districts, but each trip shows some change for the better, and as more advice is given and more pressure is applied, conditions will improve. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, 1950 BB 183 " In my experience the most gratifying change has been the building-up in the Creston area. According to the records, there were four premises with grades in the district at the end of last year. Now there are twenty-four graded premises, and six which were finishing off a barn or milk-house, and which are now probably ready for a grade. In every case at least a milk-house has had to be built, and in many cases a barn as well. "In other sections of the district where I have graded, there has been a gradual improvement over last year, and the odd new milk-house has gone in. " In the Nelson area quite a bit of grading and regrading has been done in an effort to get all the shippers up to standard. Considerable improvement has been obtained, but there are still too many premises where water-heating arrangements are poor or lacking. However, the ideas have been seeded, and it is hoped that later visits will reveal a definite improvement. " In the West Kootenay in particular, the apparent low return from the sale of milk and the high surplus given all summer has discouraged many dairy-farmers, and has prevented many improvements to premises which might otherwise have been carried out. " Mastitis " During the year only 731 cattle were checked, as for some time I was unable to do the checking, and when I was able, the cattle were off up the mountain or out on the road. "Of the 731 head tested, 85 head showed mastitis, divided as follows: R.F., 39; L.F., 31; R.H., 23; L.H. 20. " In fourteen cases the condition was so advanced that elimination of the animal was suggested. The use of brom-thymol pads at frequent intervals, and the daily use of the strip-cup where machines were used, was again advocated. " In connection with mastitis, it is found that many more of the dairy-farmers are conscious of the disease, and are actively interested in controlling it, than was the case previously. Here again the work of the Branch in doing checks is stimulating to a gradual reduction in the number of cases found. Much time has been spent in discussing ways and means of preventing the trouble and in preventing its spread. More premises are installing planks over their concrete floors, and more plentiful supplies of bedding are being organized. As time goes on, it is expected that the incidence of mastitis will be reduced from 11.5 per cent to a more reasonable figure. " Tuberculin-testing " During the early part of the year 320 head were tested for tuberculosis, with one animal at Creston reacting. All but 89 of the 320 tested were in the Salmon River valley. These results, coupled with those of Dr. Carney, would seem to clinch the argument that the West Kootenay is very free of tuberculosis. As of July 1st, tuberculin-testing was dropped, as the Federal authorities are to do the testing henceforth. " Brucellosis " During the year 681 head were bled, with two animals showing positive and one showing suspicious. A very large number of these animals were one- or two-cow jobs, and the lack of adequate facilities slowed up the work greatly. At Balfour, Harrop, Salmo, and Fruitvale the work was well organized by the local committee, and much more was accomplished. " It is anticipated that during this winter considerable progress will be made in the area. " Calfhood Vaccination " In all, forty-eight calves have been vaccinated by me. We have kept records of calves too young to vaccinate in order to catch them later on. An appeal has been made to all Farmer's Institutes to give the matter of listing calves their closest attention, and a change in organization is being instituted in order to get all calves vaccinated on time. BB 184 BRITISH COLUMBIA " Disease " Three cases of poisoining in horses were seen in January, on two different premises. Search of the hay revealed a very large proportion of both equisetum and bracken. In one case one sick animal recovered on treatment. The other two died after presenting the classical picture of equisetum poisoning. "A bad case of ringworm was seen at Creston. This was so severe as to be believed possibly mange. Scrapings sent in showed no evidence of mites. " Flocks of chickens were inspected after reports of Newcastle disease. In each case no diagnosis was possible, as odd chickens had died some weeks before and been disposed of. From the history presented, it appeared that Newcastle disease was not a factor. " Problems " Problems of all sorts, ranging from disease conditions or injuries in animals to advice as to requirements for building up to grade, were presented and dealt with. Many of these problems concerned mastitis, and cropping up during routine checking of bleeding, and unfortunately by no means all of these incidents have been reported on Form L.S. 10. " Meetings Attended " Quite a few meetings were attended in the course of our work and addresses were given at the Edgewater and Creston short courses. Excellent relations exist with the East Kootenay Health Unit. Dr. Watts, the Director, is very interested in the administration of the ' Milk Act' as the foundation for improvement in milk quality." The following is an extract from the report of Dr. A. Robertson:— " The following is a report of the work done by the Veterinary Inspectors in the area comprised of Vancouver Island and the smaller adjacent islands. " During the months of December to June, inclusive, the work was carried out by Dr. J. E. Bennett. Since July 1st I have continued in his stead. " Dairy-farm grading and herd inspection has formed the bulk of the work done. It is felt that there has been a steady improvement of the conditions under which milk is being produced for sale. The complexity of problems involved has rendered this difficult and sometimes a little bit slower than we would desire. However, at the expense of a little more time on each inspection we hope that by discussing each farmer's production difficulties with him we may be able to assist him to more easily and economically produce a high-quality product. In this regard it is felt that one inspection a year is scarcely sufficient and that more follow-up visits would be desirable in many cases. These follow- up visits have necessarily been reduced to a minimum, as it is virtually impossible to cover all the premises adequately even once a year. " For brevity the data on the farms visited are presented in tabular form according to district. " Premises Visited and Cattle Inspected a CO * « g •A- •o Grades District Ii U 0 H o U 'M 1 c o o !§& rt_, 43 Ms s 3 o « ti P. H a ti X i-i to i o 0 A B C U Saanich 172 4,187 2,687 2,165 302 110 106 91 74 36 66 60 2 7 Sooke-Metchosin 54 685 489 382 31 17 9 9 12 10 11 32 8 176 2,869 1,744 94 1,402 78 166 56 78 41 43 16 23 99 11 20 Newcastle 17 150 10 5 8 4 2 3 2 12 Nanaimo 110 1,796 1,191 928 92 35 32 20 27 14 18 67 7 15 Alberni .. 52 825 514 411 63 24 26 23 20 6 8 24 15 Comox 161 2,384 1,397 1,136 65 24 21 31 20 12 17 92 | 1 40 Totals 742 12,897 8,116 6,502 729 271 280 219 198 84 146 376 | 21 1 117 ' Cows sold " refers to cows required to be removed because of incurable mastitis. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, 1950 BB 185 " Other duties performed were laboratory post-mortems on chickens, turkeys, and mink, blood tests, and some bacteriological work on milk samples. " Inspection visits were made to six fur-farms. Other visits included calls to some poultry and goat farms. " Numerous requests for advice regarding dairy-barn and milk-house construction have been followed up, and where possible a visit has been made. " Mastitis "Average Mastitis in Affected Herds Size of Herd in Milking Cows Hand Machine Herd Cows Quarters Cows Quarters Cows Quarters 1.34 1.73 2.0 2.0 1.5 2.55 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 3.82 3.20 4.50 5.0 2.73 2.5 4.27 3.6 8.0 1.38 1.88 2.0 3.38 3.2 4.5 1.77 2.55 2.44 16 to 20 cows _ 3.77 21 to 30 cows _ 3.6 8.0 " Monthly Percentages of Cows Affected with Mastitis Month Number of Milking Cows Examined Cows Affected with Mastitis Number Percentage Number of Quarters Affected December, 1949.. January, 1950 February March : April May_ June.. July August September October November.. 689 18 741 711 574 727 608 446 746 521 354 371 81 3 93 96 72 88 86 62 80 16 18 34 11.76 16.7 12.5 13.77 12.5 12.1 14.1 13.9 10.7 3.1 5.1 9.2 106 4 113 109 105 129 138 94 102 17 22 43 " Several of our large herds, as for example the ' hobby farms,' where facilities are exceptionally good, have a very serious mastitis problem, with incidences between 30 and 40 per cent. In these cases the difficulty appears to be that of obtaining suitable conscientious help. Improper or careless milking practice will evidence itself in a herd problem of chronic mastitis cases. " Percentages of Herds Having One or More Animals Affected with Mastitis, July 1st to November 24th, 1950 Size of Herd in Milking Cows Herds Hand- milked Herds Machine- milked Totals Per Cent 21.54 42.31 66.67 100.00 Per Cent 33.34 57.69 48.28 84.62 Per Cent 21.67 50.00 50 00 85.71 * Two herds, both affected. Five herds, three affected. X One herd, affected. § One herd, affected. BB 186 BRITISH COLUMBIA " There were .729 animals affected with mastitis, of which eighty-four were to be eliminated from the herds. By quarters the incidence was as follows:— Right front _» 271 Left front 280 551 Right hind 219 Left hind 198 417 Total 968 "The incidence of mastitis was 134 quarters, or 14 per cent higher in the front quarters than in the hind quarters. "Average of Mastitis in All Herds Examined Size of Herd in Milking Cows Hand Machine Herd Cows Quarters Cows Quarters Cows Quarters 0.28 0.73 1.34 2.0 0.32 1.08 1.34 2.0 0.67 1.15 0.97 3.23 2.79 4.5 1.67 1.58 1.27 3.62 2.57 8.0 0.3 0.94 1.0 3.14 2.29 4.5 0.38 6 to 10 cows 11 to 15 cows 16 to 20 cows 21 to 30 cows _ - 31 to 40 cows 1.327 1.22 3.5 2.57 8.0 " One of the greatest problems met in this work is mastitis. However, in the short time I have been associated with the inspection work I have been greatly encouraged to see the results of Dr. Bennett's intensive educational campaign in this regard. The farmers generally are gaining a better understanding of what mastitis is and how it may be brought under control through treatment and improved management practices. " During our routine inspections we check each milking cow for mastitis. This is performed by palpation of the udder for indurations and inflammatory reactions, by the physical character of the milk, and by the use of the brom-thymol blue test-pad. " With regard to the mastitis problem, several tables have been compiled in an attempt to evaluate the influence of certain factors in the incidence of the disease. The herd sizes have been broken down into groups of multiples of five, and it should be borne in mind that due to the small number of herds in some of the larger herd groups the figures presented for them cannot be considered highly significant. " Summary of Mode of Milking on Farms Graded and Shipping Milk from July 1st to November 24th, 1950 Farms Hand- milking (Per Cent) _ 95 Size of Herd in Milking Cows I to 5 COWS 6 to 10 cows 50 II to 15 cows 9 16 to 20 cows 5 Over 20 cows ____ Farms Machine- milking (Per Cent) 5 50 91 95 100" DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, 1950 BB 187 The following is an extract from the report of Dr. C. F. Morris :- " Dairy-farm Inspection District Number of Premises Total Cattle Total Milk Cows Number Milking at Time of Inspection Grade A B C u 30 10 7 1 65 1 9 1 17 2 5 26 98 41 616 351 252 19 1,023 76 277 3 500 46 189 531 1,497 806 403 197 194 19 632 1 201 2 274 29 71 239 596 247 293 161 151 12 512 1 157 1 240 27 56 188 488 207 18 2 6 1 1 5 "7 1 1 3 6 5 1 47 3 1 4 5 7 9 6 1 3 Surrey Delta Chilliwack Lillooet 17 1 1 1 3 17 91 Quesnel 32 Totals 313 6,186 2,715 2,494 45 95 1 172 Total number of visits made during year, 677 " Testing for Tuberculosis Number of Cattle District Tested Lillooet 76 Peace River 201 Totals 277 Number of Reactors " Miscellaneous " 1. Fur-farms visited during year, 26. " 2. Assisted with planned-farming exhibition " 3. Two meetings and one short course at Powell River. " 4. Numerous race-horse inspections. " 5. Tour of Central British Columbia with Minister and Co-ordinating Committee on Agricultural Activities for Central British Columbia. " 6. Gave dairying short course at McBride. " 7. Visited all fur-farms in Central British Columbia. " 8. Attended northern dairies shippers' meeting at Quesnel and gave talk to them. " 9. Took blood tests from many calves for the programme of placing them in the. Interior. " 10. Inspected many poultry flocks in Central British Columbia and the Peace River for evidence of Newcastle disease, as owners were in panic due to constant publicity on this disease through the Press and Radio. "11. Many consultations were held with Medical Health Officers and Sanitary Inspectors in the various districts. " 12. Blood tests taken from a few dairy herds in the Cariboo where owners having trouble with abortions, etc. " Conclusion " Through the Cariboo and Central British Columbia there has been a marked improvement this year in methods of dairying and in the premises since my visit the year previous. Many new barns are being erected, and more care in management is noted." BB 188 BRITISH COLUMBIA BOVINE TUBERCULOSIS ERADICATION AND THE CONTRIBUTION MADE BY THE BRITISH COLUMBIA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE The time has now arrived when this Department is about to close the books on another service which has been, we believe, a very excellent one, faithfully and efficiently carried out. I refer to the Provincial tuberculosis-test programme. All of the Province, with the exception of the Peace River Block, has now been declared an area for the eradication of bovine tuberculosis under the direction of the Federal Department of Agriculture. We expect to continue to serve the Peace River area until such time as it may be taken over by the Federal Department, when we will finally " draw the curtain." It would be impossible to review the work of all these years, but for anyone interested in more detail, I can refer them to the Annual Reports of this Department for that period. Man's memory is short, perhaps fortunately so, but lest he forget, lest those appearing at a later time get the idea, or leave the idea, that their contribution was the only one made, I feel I must at this time make reference to the work of that " old guard "—that wonderful group of men who pioneered the work of tuberculin-testing in British Columbia. They fought a tough battle against a poorly informed public for the privilege of cleaning up the herds of this Province, and in order to make the milk being produced safe for human consumption. British Columbia dairy herds are assembled in highly concentrated areas, which type of situation always adds impetus to the spread of any infection. When these herds were being established, not too much was known about bovine tuberculosis and no attempt was made at tuberculin-testing. It is easily understood how the disease in these early days gained such a foothold and how it spread out from these initial focal points. Legislation had to be developed to deal with this problem and to protect the consumer of milk. Again thanks to the " old guard," we have to-day one of the finest machines to deal with this type of situation which can be found anywhere. Prior to the year 1909, very little tuberculin-testing for bovine tuberculosis was carried out by the British Columbia Department of Agriculture, and for any testing carried on previous to that year a charge was made for each animal tested. At the annual meeting of the British Columbia Stock Breeders' and Dairymen's Association of 1909, resolutions were passed by these bodies asking the Government to do all tuberculin-testing free of charge. During that year, 1,814 head of cattle were tested, and 191 reactors were uncovered. No compensation whatever was paid for these animals. During the year 1910, 1,874 head of cattle were tested, and 110 reactors uncovered. A small compensation was allowed during that year. In the year 1911, 3,321 head of cattle were tested, and 487 reactors found on 303 premises. A maximum valuation that year was $75 for grade animals and $125 for pure-bred animals, and compensation at the rate of 50 per cent of the valuation was allowed to owners of cattle which' were slaughtered. It is interesting to note that on Lulu Island twelve herds, made up of 193 cattle, were tested, and 40 reactors uncovered, which is equal to 27.5 per cent. On Sea Island three herds, or 50 cattle, were tested, and 26 reactors uncovered, or a percentage of reactors of 52 per cent. In January, 1913, acting under instructions from the Department, Dr. A. Knight, Chief Veterinary Inspector, visited Dr. Sheldon, State Veterinarian, at Columbia, Miss., to look into the merits of the intradermal test. As a result of their conclusions, compulsory testing of cattle was commenced in British Columbia in April of that year, using the intradermal test. Thus British Columbia became the first to undertake intradermal testing in Canada, which is to-day the standard method of applying this test. The work commenced on Saltspring Island, followed by Vancouver Island and then the Lower Mainland, starting at Ladner and Lulu Island. These were just completed when orders were received to cease testing for the time being. However, some 2,319 premises had been visited, 14,897 cattle tested, and 847 reactors uncovered. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, 1950 BB 189 In 1914 work commenced in earnest, and 18,040 cattle were tested on 1,755 premises, and 1,031 reactors were uncovered, and 54 suspects were held. From that date on tuberculin-testing extended to all parts of the Province, with tests being made from the Coast to the Alberta boundary, and from the 49th parallel to the Arctic Circle. Testing of all herds supplying milk for human consumption was done each year. Family cows were tested upon request, and in a short time people were regularly requesting this service. During the last twenty years a close check has also been kept on the beef-cattle herds of the Province, especially throughout the range-cattle country, and during that time we have stamped out some rather bad centres of infection, and we believe that there are but very few such centres of infection remaining in the Province. Our programme of work undoubtedly contributed in no small way to the fine showing made when the Federal Department established its restricted areas on Vancouver Island where the incidence of tuberculosis in the initial test made in 1940 was 0.56 per cent, which was reduced to 0.04 per cent in the 1943 test, and in the present test being made, 6,173 cattle have been tested in 775 herds, and no reactors have been uncovered. The initial tests now being made in the Greater Okanagan area, on 22,455 cattle, in 2,902 herds, 32 reactors only have been uncovered. (I believe the large part of these came from one or two herds which had never been tested by this Department.) In 1,131 cattle, in 95 herds, in the initial test in the Kamloops area, no reactors have been uncovered. In 2,077 cattle, in 201 herds, in the initial test in the Kootenay area, 1 reactor has been found. In the Prince George area, 18 cattle in 1 herd, no reactors were found, and in the Cariboo 164 cattle in 11 herds showed no reactors. The first test made in the Fraser Valley in 1926, when this area was established under Federal direction, only 7.9 per cent reactors were uncovered in the approximately 80,000 head of cattle tested. An examination of the instance of tuberculosis from other parts of this Dominion other than British Columbia, as reported in Federal records, shows some districts with as high as 34 and even 47 per cent reactors. FUR-FARMING AND "FUR-FARM ACT" Administration The intimate nature of the work in this field calls for a very close co-ordinating of inspections, controls, and quarantines based upon the application of the latest and best scientific information. Chief among the conditions which we are expected to control is distemper. This disease is based upon a virus as the causative organism, and while we are ever watchful, and always prepared to admit that a general widespread outbreak is possible, we do feel that our method of control and administration seems to be getting better than average results. We may have been lucky, but we have had the opportunity of testing the efficiency of our machine when called upon to bring under control a few outbreaks of the disease. It is complimentary to our service that several other Provincial and State groups are considering instituting similar types of control and administration. We have to report one new outbreak of distemper during the year. Eight farms were carried over under quarantine from last year, and at the present time we have one farm under quarantine. Our field staff has done a very line job. Most of the Veterinary Inspectors have made excellent contributions. Our Branch secretary, R. J. Weir, acting as an Inspector under the Act, has done considerable field work. This work has been most satisfactory. In the area of greatest fur-farm concentration, which is the Lower Mainland, Dr. A. Kidd has done a large part of the work. The large volume of valuable information that has been obtained from the field work of our staff is of the greatest value to us in BB 190 BRITISH COLUMBIA directing the work. The literature on the subject of fur-farming is copious, but so often very confusing and conflicting. Our Inspectors' reports on field investigations are rapidly placing us in the position where we can give a much better and more satisfactory answer to the many problems with which we are confronted. We believe the industry is very happy. Dr. Kidd reports as follows:— " During the year the greatest proportion of my time has been spent doing work in connection with the fur-farmers. It is very difficult to report exactly on the work done, as so much of the work is advisory and I have kept no record of telephone consultations made with me here at the office and at my residence. In fact, there is hardly a day goes by that some fur-farmer does not telephone the house on some problem or other. This is an indication of the service that our Branch gives the fur-farmers, and more and more the fur-farmers are depending upon us for advice and service. " The following table is a summary of the work done by me, and I am setting this out in connection with fur-farm visits and office consultations:— Reason Initial Visits to Fur-farms Return Visits to Fur-farms Fur-farmer Visits to Office Number Autopsied Number of Deaths Number of Mink on Fur-farms Vitamin deficiency (primarily Vitamin B). Yellow fat Food poisoning Distemper Pasteurella 34 12 3 5 3 Total due to disease. 20 57 Six distemper ranches, 1948-49- Import quarantine Fur-farm licence Sanitation complaints Annual fur show, Haney and P.N.E. shows. Fur-farm meetings. Exporting mink._ Consultation on diet management and breeding Total miscellaneous Grand totals 19 17 6 4 4 3 10 21 14 4 3 9 63 83 I 108 37 6 7 18 5 165 400 38 280 30 3,742 2,134 719 I 1,101 I 902 73 913 | 8,598 14 22 73 913 8,598 " From the preceding table it will be noted that a total of 197 visits to fur-farms was made and that I had 22 interviews with fur-farmers in the office. " In conjunction with Mr. Weir, of our Victoria office, I spent three days at the annual fur show checking the mink into the show and helping with the issuing of fur-farm transportation certificates. "I also checked the mink at the mink shows at the Pacific National Exhibition and at the Haney Fall Fair. " In all, 194 fur-farm transportation certificates, (duplicate copy from Victoria office) were received pertaining to the importing and exporting of mink to and from the Fraser Valley. " I have worked hard in connection with fur-farmers and have made some good friends for myself and the Department. When I think back to the opposition we had when the 'Fur-farm Act' came into force two and a half years ago, I can say that we have made great strides in winning the confidence of fur-farmers in the work we are trying to do." FUR-FARM STATISTICAL DATA During the year 1950, 371 (426) licences were issued to operate fur-farms (figures in parentheses are for 1949), including 39 new licences, 29 to raise mink, and 10 for chinchilla. Of the total, 305 (346) ranched mink, 57 (72) chinchilla, 14 (19) fox, 17 (16) marten, 1 (4) fisher, 3 (4) nutria, 0 (1) skunk, 1 (1) racoon, and 0 (1) fitch. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, 1950 BB 191 In addition, one permit was issued by the Game Department to raise beaver, and none for muskrat. Breeding stock on these farms at the beginning of 1950 was as follows, compared to 1949- tu xy-ty. 1950 -949 Mink 31,179 29,778 Chinchilla 1,345 1,181 Fox 326 378 Marten 136 258 Nutria 22 48 Fisher 2 20 Racoon 18 19 Skunk 3 Fitch ___ 6 Totals 33,028 31,691 During the period from December 1st, 1949, to November 30th, 1950, 230 permits to transport fur-bearing animals were issued as follows:— Number of Permits Mink Chinchilla Marten Fox 169 Export- Canada — 649 57 226 396 5 8 Totals ~ Import- Canada 706 (240) 622 (170) 13 (16) - (13) 29 252 60 2 . 17 312(117) 2(25) I 17 (3) 32 232 (172) 20(17) (4) - In addition to the above, 10 permits were issued for animals entering the British Columbia Live Animal Fur Exposition in Vancouver from points outside the Fraser Valley as follows: 6 United States for 86 mink, 3 Vancouver Island for 32 mink, and 1 British Columbia Mainland for 3 mink. Also 6 permits were issued for 74 mink being shown by British Columbia breeders at the Alberta Live Fox and Mink Show in Calgary. The following information supplied by the Dominion Bureau of Statistics is of interest: Fur production in British Columbia for the 1948-49 season showed 46,627 pelts valued at $638,612, of which 44,599 were mink valued at $509,451; capital value of fur-farms in British Columbia in 1948 was set at $2,233,522, made up of $1,133,812 for land and buildings and $1,099,710 for fur animals (breeding stock). < Annual Fur Show The Sixth British Columbia Live Animal Fur exposition was held in the Garden Building, Exhibition Park, Vancouver, on November 5th, 6th, and 7th, 1950, under the sponsorship of the Lower Mainland Fur Breeders' Association. A grant of $150 was made by the Department to assist in defraying expenses of the show. The committee in charge worked very closely with Dr. Kidd in carrying out regulations respecting control and inspection for contagious diseases of animals entered in the show, and a fine spirit of co-operation prevailed throughout among the Show Committee, Inspectors of this Department, and the exhibitors. The American exhibitors were particularly pleased with our measures of control, and many wished that they could obtain somewhat similar protection for their own breeders. BB 192 BRITISH COLUMBIA Fur-farm transportation permits were required only for those animals entering the show from points outside the Fraser Valley area. Mink exhibits by point of origin were as follows:— Fraser Valley 337 Vancouver Island 25 Other British Columbia Points 3 Washington 55 Oregon 11 Idaho : 9 Total 440 In addition, nine fox and four wild Yukon mink were entered for exhibit only. There were fewer outside exhibitors this year, and the Prairie exhibitors were conspicuous by their absence. This may be due to two things—insufficient advertising and advance notice of the show dates, and the fact that the show was held rather early in order to secure the services of the famous judge and breeder, Frank C. Gothier. Competition was keen, however, and championships were as follows:— • Standard Mink.—Grand champion, G.A.K. Mink Ranch, Burnaby; reserve grand champion, Melvin D. Combs, Saanich. Two-tone Standard Mink.—Grand champion, George Layland, Coquitlam; reserve grand champion, George Layland, Coquitlam. Silver Blu Mink.—Grand champion, Arthur E. Combs, White Rock; reserve grand champion, Lincoln Mink Farm Limited, Port Hammond. Pastel Mink. — Grand champion, Moyie Bros., Heyburn, Idaho; reserve grand champion, Harvey D. Ronne, Salem, Ore. 95% -white Mink.—Grand champion, J. G. Brander, Langley; reserve grand champion, Maurius Nicols, White Rock. White Albino Mink. — Grand champion, Charles Combs, Surrey; reserve grand champion, A. R. Goodrich, Coquitlam. Snow-white Mink.—Grand champion, P.O.W. Fur Farm, Cloverdale; reserve grand champion, C. J. Hyndman, Cloverdale. Aleutian Blu Mink.—Grand champion, Moyie Bros., Heyburn, Idaho; reserve grand champion, O. S. Witham, Marblemount, Wash. Breath of Spring Pastel Mink. — Grand champion, C. M. Asher, Puyallup, Wash.; reserve grand champion, J. G. Brander, Langley. Breath of Spring Silver Blu Mink.—Grand champion, Maurius Nicols, White Rock; reserve grand champion, Lincoln Mink Farm Limited, Port Hammond. Eric Mink.—Grand champion, Arthur E. Combs, White Rock. Sapphire Mink.—Grand champion, Chris Lien, Haney; reserve grand champion, Moyie Bros., Heyburn, Idaho. Arctic Mink.—Grand champion, Arthur E. Combs, White Rock; reserve grand champion, C. M. Asher, Puyallup, Wash. Stewart Platinum Mink.—Grand champion, Chris Lien, Haney; reserve grand champion, Chris Lien, Haney. Sweepstake Winner.—Chris Lien, Haney (sapphire male). Reserve Sweepstake Winner.—Moyie Bros., Heyburn, Idaho (Aleutian). DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, 1950 BB 193 REPORT OF RECORDER OF BRANDS Thomas Moore, Recorder of Brands SHIPMENTS Shipments of cattle in British Columbia in 1950 were 65,986 head, compared to 60,062 head shipped in 1949. This shows an increase of 5,924 head. Cattle shipped from the Interior of British Columbia to the United States were 8,007 head, as compared to 2,225 head in 1949, giving an over-all increase of 5,782 head. The 10-per-cent margin which the United States buyers had for the most of the year may account for the increased number of cattle shipped in 1950 to the United States. At the Williams Lake Annual Cattle Sale, 1,810 cattle were sold. Local buyer demand for stocker cattle was very good, and active bidding by packer buyers for finished stock brought satisfactory prices. Other large sales were held at Okanagan Falls, Elko, and Kamloops. Prices at Okanagan Falls compared favourably with 1949, being somewhat higher. Six hundred and five head of cattle were sold, a number of these cattle being purchased by United States buyers. At Elko 558 head of cattle were sold. Excellent prices were obtained for stocker cattle because of local demand. The majority of the finished cattle and some of the feeders were purchased by Alberta buyers, and good prices were secured. Kamloops Spring and Christmas Fat Stock Sales were well attended, with better prices paid for stock than in 1949. Shipments of cattle from the Cariboo were 15,419, compared with 18,638 in 1949, a decrease of 3,219 head. Kamloops-Nicola shipped 22,907 in 1949, against 24,659 in 1950, an increase of 1,752. Shipments of hides were 20,870, as compared to 20,376 in 1949, an increase of 494. Horses shipped in 1949 were 4,122, as against 4,063 in 1950, a decrease of 59 head. Shipments of stock to the Prairies were 11,020 head in 1950, compared to 5,883 head in 1949, an increase of 5,137 head. See Appendix No. 18 for complete figures of shipments from the prescribed area in British Columbia. INSPECTION SERVICE Brand inspection was carried on by the Provincial Police at sixty-two shipping- points in the following districts until August 14th, 1950, and on August 15th, 1950, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police took over this work:— Cariboo: Quesnel, Alexis Creek, Bella Coola, Clinton, Lillooet, Bridge River, and Bralorne. Kamloops-Nicola: Chase, Blue River, Salmon Arm, Sicamous, Ashcroft, Lytton, Spences Bridge, Merritt, and Hope. Okanagan and Similkameen: Vernon, Lumby, Armstrong, Enderby, Kelowna, Penticton, Summerland, Oliver, Osoyoos, Princeton, Copper Mountain, Keremeos, Hedley, Grand Forks, and Greenwood. South-eastern British Columbia: Rossland, Trail, Fruitvale, Castlegar, Crescent Valley, Nelson, Kaslo, Salmo, Creston, New Denver, Cranbrook, Kimberley, Fernie, Natal, Invermere, Golden, Revelstoke, and Nakusp. Central British Columbia and Peace River: Smithers, Houston, Hazelton, Terrace, Burns Lake, Vanderhoof, Prince George, McBride, Red Pass, Pouce Coupe, Dawson Creek, Fort St. John, and Fort St. James. Inspectors paid by the Department attended to the work at sixteen shipping-points, as follows: Bridge Lake, Clinton, Copper Creek, Dawson Creek, Endako, Graham BB 194 BRITISH COLUMBIA Siding, Houston, 100-Mile House, Kamloops, Kitwanga, Lac la Hache, Nicola, Pavilion, Savona, Soda Creek, Telkwa, Tupper Creek (Tomslake), and Williams Lake. New appointments during the year were: P. T. Jacobson, Deputy Brand Inspector at Endako; H. Ruiter, Deputy Brand Inspector at Houston; I. E. Lehman, Deputy Brand Inspector at Pavilion; E. R. King, Deputy Brand Inspector at Bridge Lake. Resignations: M. Vankosky, Deputy Brand Inspector at Endako; R. E. Guss, Deputy Brand Inspector at Houston; R. A. Bussinger, Deputy Brand Inspector at Telkwa; W. L. Bryson, Deputy Brand Inspector at Pavilion. BRAND COMMISSIONERS I would like to express at this time my appreciation for the co-operation of the Brand Commissioners to this Department. ENFORCEMENT A check-point was established at Flood in the latter part of August, 1950. This post is manned by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, giving a twenty-four-hour service. The stockmen of this Province have expressed their appreciation to this Department for this added protection in their interests. " STOCK-BRANDS ACT " A well-attended meeting of the stockmen at Kamloops in January reviewed and passed on the proposed amendments to the Act, and these were duly passed by the Legislative Assembly. A brief outline of the amendments are as follows:— Section 2: Includes the definition of a " bona-fide farmer." Section 15: Allows the use of more than one iron for branding. Section 16: Single-character brands only transferable to a direct descendent of the registered brand-holder. Section 26: Slaughter-houses licensed on the Lower Mainland as well as in the prescribed area are to keep records of animals slaughtered. Section 30: No person to bury or destroy a hide unless the hide has been inspected by an Inspector. Section 34: Where a bonded dealer fails to live up to the obligation of his bond, licence can be cancelled. Section 34: Providing for the authority of checking live-stock hides and dressed beef being transported by a carrier who must report to the Flood check-point; also the sealing of all trucks transporting stock from the prescribed area to the Coast. It now is the duty of the owner or his agent shipping live-stock or hides to make the brand or brands plainly visible at the time of inspection. Section 46: Makes the loaning of branding-irons of a registered brand to another person, to use on stock other than the registered brand-holder's, unlawful. Section 46: It is an offence for a person who makes a false statement in Memorandum Form 3 or a certificate in Form 4. Section 49: Butchers and operators of a refrigeration locker plant that stores beef are to keep the necessary records required under this section. An Inspector appointed under this Act may enter, during business hours, premises specified in this section to make inspections, etc. If any hides, carcasses, or portion of a carcass are unlawfully kept or had contrary to this Act, the Inspector may seize same. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, 1950 BB 195 STOCKMEN'S MEETING, SALES, AND POLICE DETACHMENTS Stockmen's meetings were attended at Kamloops and Merritt, also live-stock sales at Kamloops, Okanagan Falls, Elko, and Williams Lake, and a large number of Police Detachments were visited throughout the Province in regard to the enforcement and administration of the " Stock-brands Act," the " Beef Cattle Producers' Assistance Act," and the " Horned Cattle Purchases Act." PROVINCIAL POLICE AND ROYAL CANADIAN MOUNTED POLICE CO-OPERATION Appreciation is expressed to the British Columbia Police and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police throughout the Province for brand-inspection work, the extra work entailed in the collection of deductions under the " Beef Cattle Producers' Assistance Act" and the " Horned Cattle Purchases Act," the investigation of licensees, general enforcement, and co-operation given this Department under these three Acts. BRAND-BOOK The annual supplement, No. 1, to the brand-book, showing all brands in 1949, was published and distributed to ranches, stock associations, Police, and Brand Inspectors, etc. The issuance of the annual supplement, No. 2, to the brand-book, showing all brands issued in 1950, is due at the end of this year. It is hoped to have this brand- book completed so that it can be in the hands of the printer soon after the first of the new year. NEW BRAND APPLICATIONS Approximately 290 new brands were issued this year. BRAND RENEWALS There were 1,025 renewal applications sent out from this office in 1950. LICENCES ISSUED 1949 1950 Slaughter-houses 53 90 Hide-dealers 91 96 Stock-dealers 107 122 Beef-peddlers 15 16 Horse-slaughterers 16 20 Horsemeat-dealers 3 4 Permit to transport stallions for breeding purposes___: ____ 1 Permit to transport horses for range purposes 24 24 A complete list of the licensees is attached (see Appendix No. 10). PROSECUTIONS Dealing in stock without a licence: Ashcroft, 1; Clinton, 1; Burns Lake, 1. Unlawful use of brands: Kamloops, 2; Kelowna, 1. Transporting stock without the required inspection: Kamloops, 1; Clinton, 1. BB 196 BRITISH COLUMBIA a o a. p. a w j o O u (J I > o « cr u 0 U Z hi Q X Z n F 7. & B. c- Cu 3 9 a H E O It, O < tn 3 0 P s Q o r/i < 0 H 0 O a, d < P > p. CJ s 2 0 g o w 9 o w > _. ui m u i Z s ■« o W B. 0 BI Pi b 0 H Z a 0 S < o z i o 33 CO H Z M a u H -e H CO 1 09 eo "3 1 .os ; th ca CO §3 p tn i "* th pq t-h" ! \o r-" Tt~ o onmo ! ! r» wT3 a *h Os en cn VD l-i u CQ o« tn tn OJ CO B*o . o\ m m CO 3 0_i =><> oo oo o fN ■3 t^ r» V} © C*1 Vl T* ! CO o , a, o v. m 1*1 3nOc.HO\ pq Tf co co tn tn r- no © Tt m VD ! OS O ! 00 co cc «J pnn i ©_ •r. WtflH 1 04 CN >. Tt .mowHintisn pKiino^ccmmH in pq vc O to o" co n t-T to n tN o CQ«-tpO\OtS—'r>vo CO Tt CN 00 VO CA Os tn oo m 00 rH © Tf- © O VO com t co II 3 VO 00 Clmi-icj 00 rn fS tN ££ o\ <N CO .5 « tihOthvOcO^«5 .Os^f,N>Of'_rj,M PQ 'st O vo" OO vo" tO rH Os O Q\so tn rH oo vc vd ■* 11 Ov CN IS ed < . > > c > 0, 2bi S 1 0) fe V fl — > > ClChC 8 0 C g o o 0 H S2-c£* 8§* V c o s c n o Z C 2 c 1 (V. 3 W o H a —. ffi 0- O tt. o H s W > O Hi O i S D CO OTj-OOOtOOOTf rs ** « H 3 O rt ol <7i « O t-h rj ri 3 BO'S 3 l_ — if.ir.rtp. trtNi/iHto vo oovDcor-g-iOtotoooto ON vOOCNtNVOOCor-»*OTt 00 2^.<c o rt oo >n f. vd tn fi >n N sj- H »ncNto«n«n«iOcotNfoto t¥ •a -o lllll! I 1 s mS ill!!! •a « so o o : O O O © O O 1 o s. S. •a J3 j a 0 5 22 00 TtOOOOrtirirt(STtO\ J% 5 O tO0Nl>00O00OtOTtC) H tO* rH rH CO" tO CN CS rH rH rH en <N x> ! O f ! u Ss I-l i 1 ! ! 0 a, ©r-©o©o©o © W a VOrtO\OSTttNVOVO rH CArH to 00 H ] i Uh CN -J 1 !© IOOOOOO© © 00 Tt VO 00 tN VO 00 VO % iS 1 th rA rn T3 | | j | f G I-) iiii f Ui [OOO ]0©0©0 IcnOts \ tn tn so ^t CA Z o H ,«-irrtcO ITtVOrtTttO in TJ a_> a_> few 8 S i o© to r- j •n tn ! ts c^ ■a ca J>0 C~ ! tN © O Os O © O © OCNVOtOCNTtTtCO CN i o H IS IS © ! tO ! © 4 A g bo a >-i III 11 ! 1 cn oooo»oOrtovom 1-- rt § Ortoor^vor-oortcoo\ to E 3 rt O U !Tt©0©TtOO©Tt J0 \©00Tt00tOV)TtCO 3 s 3 1 « T~7 ^* n *S 9 ■^H^HOOinrtTfrtOOrt c o jinrtTtTtm th^w^ o\ D o rH rH ■o H E 3 0 g | I!!©!!! © •a fi J3 3 j j ! i 1** j o O Uh cN f0©©O©O©(NC0«n s rtMONOVOTf rttfiooh. £ Tf VO tN f- tN -~t rH tO Tt in to I I I I : I© ! 3 9 u iii! ! tn i ! l i \n U< ©©V>OOlrttN»r>©tN a\rtvot-cor^i>ino<N i CO s ©TtTtcoto©tN»nmo\ in A j i c 0 IS t &. J J 1 cc B C B 1 | % 1 1 1 > = Hi 1 1 o c c- DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, 1950 BB 197 APPENDIX No. 3 Honey-crop Report, 1950 District Apiaries Colonies Crop Average Non-producing Districts 418 336 836 672 Lb. Nil Nil Lb. Nil Nil Totals 754 1,508 Nil Nil Producing Districts 498 760 1,196 54 2,988 4,560 8,372 378 224,100 319,200 736,736 41,580 75 70 Interior (Okanagan, Kootenay, and Northern Central) 88 110 Totals 2,508 16,298 1,321,616 81 Value to Producers, 1950 1,321,616 lb. of honey at 19VS cents (wholesale) 13,216 lb. of beeswax at 35 cents (wholesale) $257,715.12 4,625.60 BB 198 BRITISH COLUMBIA APPENDIX No. 4 Inspected Slaughtering of Live Stock, December 1st, 1949, to November 31st, 1950 Date British Columbia Cattle Calves Hogs Sheep Alberta Cattle Calves Hogs Sheep Totals for Canada Cattle Calves Hogs Sheep December 3 ... December 10. December 17.. December 24.. December 31.. January 7_. January 14 January 21. January 28 February 4 February 11.... February 18... February 25.... March 4 March 11 March 18 March 25 April 1._ April 8. April 15 April 22 April 29...... May 6 May 13 May 20 May 27 June 3 June 10 June 17 June 24 July 1 July 8.. July 15 July 22 „. July 29 August 5.-— August 12... August 19 August 26 September 2... September 9 September 16 _ September 23.. September 30.. October 7 October 14 October 21 October 28 November 4..... November 11- November 18... November 25.. 2,188 2,552 2,177 1,623 1,578 1,884 2,474 2,400 1,020 2,314 2,606 1,919 1,858 2,018 2,289 2,381 2,294 2,092 1,713 1,927 1,982 2,069 1,704 1,925 1,617 1,746 1,740 1,926 1,672 1,688 1,714 1,531 1,699 1,712 1,892 1,925 1,977 1,624 1,955 1,650 1,258 1,725 1,834 1,780 1,984 1,588 1,808 2,348 2,486 2,365 2,130 2,028 366 720 555 636 62 149 335 408 65 260 263 432 379 268 341 445 368 496 161 200 239 678 806 898 481 419 685 491 676 771 873 926 582 709 932 1,192 1,013 1,229 545 153 675 951 841 868 843 796 959 926 792 834 907 607 4,861 6,463 5,847 4,726 1,139 3,450 7,420 5,117 1,968 4,460 4,530 4,921 6,847 5,357 7,037 5,948 6,069 6,433 4,826 6,088 6,948 7,336 7,553 6,485 6,592 5,064 5,890 5,525 6,229 5,229 3,606 4,539 4,623 4,071 3,972 3,699 3,394 3,464 2,544 1,074 3,210 5,205 4,823 4,509 4,861 4,710 6,117 6,638 5,692 5,586 6,774 5,131 674 1,705 1,312 1,251 696 659 1,343 1,165 291 718 695 1,239 323 440 385 670 273 401 510 272 271 596 122 264 356 49 396 262 313 402 659 798 916 1,081 1,262 1,190 911 2,815 1,412 699 1,390 1,936 2,149 3,123 1,943 1,486 2,755 2,452 1,836 1,176 771 1,322 4,984 5,117 3,851 2,803 2,049 3,615 4,717 3,988 3,755 3,322 3,315 3,719 3,137 3,184 3,197 3,096 2,854 2,438 1,809 2,335 2,883 2,994 2,893 2,603 2,802 2,316 2,818 2,971 3,310 2,989 3,137 3,345 2,695 3,033 3,884 3,626 3,179 3,118 1,500 2,699 3,406 3,891 4,183 3,463 3,294 3,108 4,578 4,958 4,616 4,854 4,608 4,501 1,235 1,146 963 846 236 625 751 659 699 873 856 875 734 891 960 868 916 597 446 727 11,96 1,548 1,143 1,680 1,151 1,230 1,484 1,508 1,988 1,987 1,829 1,974 1,379 1,627 1,646 1,753 1,472 1,712 1,026 846 1,689 1,328 1,055 1,188 1,955 1,307 1,720 1,815 1,399 1,458 1,629 1,884 21,837 23,587 24,753 24,570 13,914 15,543 19,246 13,591 14,906 16,279 14,834 14,859 12,702 12,893 14,532 13,473 14,455 13,883 8,793 13,303 14,076 15,416 15,821 15,166 14,279 13,833 14,367 13,097 13,238 11,807 11,189 10,024 7,592 8,458 7,386 7,336 6,396 7,252 7,184 5,865 7,433 7,869 6,963 8,378 10,294 9,623 12,267 12,777 14,274 14,864 14,297 16,035 930 951 963 720 480 453 905 908 2,306 1,179 1,120 887 979 936 701 457 516 603 285 194 698 623 530 107 51 118 152 170 317 331 404 771 542 968 745 1,171 1,443 1,543 1,007 750 1,168 1,611 1,626 1,154 1,728 1,380 1,654 1,535 962 1,351 1,058 943 36,125 33,402 28,803 20,520 14,814 21,951 33,124 30,468 25,091 23,587 24,469 22,596 23,052 23,834 22,885 22,229 22,213 21,238 17,267 22,148 24,957 25,316 24,944 21,417 21,441 20,960 22,850 21,352 21,01 21,544 22,707 23,817 23,517 25,423 27,331 25,582 23,724 25,258 20,837 22,867 22,823 27,728 30,317 26,416 23,122 19,957 28,154 34,336 33,078 31,480 34,664 30,939 11,225 9,899 9,174 8,559 3,652 5,702 7,949 7,288 7,616 8,312 8,974 8,188 7,006 9,038 11,627 14,497 18,145 22,209 23,517 25,278 27,077 27,439 28,200 25,467 24,766 23,662 19,824 20,092 22,419 18,470 19,105 18,527 17,224 16,526 15,958 16,224 14,966 16,034 13,113 12,058 13,882 12,773 13,256 12,978 13,337 9,820 12,786 14,492 12,373 12,429 13,497 11,351 120,498 119,868 123,012 136,365 91,784 67,648 97,204 83,734 85,861 90,411 90,536 86,134 81,480 84,289 99,187 98,066 99,473 104,221 84,359 103,882 103,967 106,323 106,376 94,574 91,080 89,013 89,905 81,537 81,509 74,113 70,442 67,300 63,909 63,305 57,646 61,400 56,063 58,655 57,059 65,364 61,051 70,816 70,992 77,177 84,427 83,764 93,109 97,445 100,255 102,986 106,265 102,529 12,122 9,274 8,008 7,170 3,716 3,627 7,866 7,382 6,737 5,301 4,768 5,880 3,929 3,435 2,538 3,424 2,404 2,816 1,741 2,050 2,420 2,631 1,899 1,875 1,794 1,569 2,236 2,274 3,084 3,981 4,609 5,785 6,272 7,235 8,763 9,625 10,670 15,063 12,999 12,770 15,994 20,357 25,773 31,558 21,328 17,337 28,760 33,545 33,023 29,362 23,759 16,201 DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, 1950 BB 199 APPENDIX No. 5 Beef Carcasses Graded in British Columbia, December 1st, 1949, to November 30th, 1950 Date Total Kill D3 M December 3.... December 10. December 17... December 24- December 31.. January 7 January 14 January 21 January 28 February 4. February 11 — February 18... February 25- March 4. _ March 11— March 18 March 25 April 1- — April 8 April 15 April 22 April 29. May 6 May 13... May 20 May 27. June 3 - _ June 10— June 17 June 24- —. July 1 July 8 July 15 July 22.. July 29 August 5. August 12 August 19 August 26 September 2 September 9_ September 16 . September 23.. September 30.. October 7 October 14 October 21 October 28 November 4... November 11- November 18.. November 25- 188 ,652 177 .623 578 ,884 474 ,400 ,020 314 606 919 858 018 289 381 ,294 092 713 927 ,045 006 704 ,925 ,617 746 740 926 672 ,688 714 ,531 ,699 .712 ,892 ,925 ,977 624 955 ,650 258 725 834 780 ,984 ,588 808 348 ,486 ,365 ,130 028 297 545 360 200 395 413 649 591 135 479 489 382 350 429 488 504 347 489 429 430 374 354 229 354 254 440 403 528 386 338 253 212 240 279 257 293 233 187 157 197 197 319 154 283 240 209 328 295 393 463 194 285 478 603 459 247 475 500 729 678 233 570 626 431 394 456 487 589 571 447 464 405 518 513 390 369 368 376 375 378 316 341 331 291 352 266 291 344 382 308 376 335 295 260 317 297 306 248 324 491' 412 449. 384 281 626 724 553 358 451 638 671 621 323 580 651 467 465 530 660 637 688 487 363 500 479 503 432 476 398 386 366 434 353 325 404 349 370 427 569 425 542 449 606 432 332 527 432 468 467 412 488 615 617 500 570 497 107 146 130 82 79 116 89 116 152 115 100 116 135 98 123 99 65 112 116 116 92 129 103 59 79 89 127 87 118 123 125 123 190 85 135 57 104 115 59 137 99 112 155 105 107 146 143 147 144 105 225 75 121 86 120 64 138 173 124 103 97 136 103 146 131 75 116 114 59 94 84 68 57 100 50 99 64 89 134 171 157 176 135 216 130 61 73 122 132 173 101 133 156 157 120 182 147 110 152 227 93 72 88 61 23 35 72 47 63 139 137 90 83 107 85 103 103 85 77 105 106 107 83 66 76 80 61 65 84 94 81 81 71 110 93 106 75 58 89 127 92 93 132 117 160 84 76 144 147 152 133 95 305 294 328 283 56 70 127 i 158 87 225 299 232 267 218 224 211 197 233 179 188 240 235 266 285 246 219 200 200 183 264 259 249 275 247 178 313 264 186 266 263 159 227 362 251 364 277 208 311 415 370 379 365 135 124 154 167 35 19 61 69 26 67 79 78 96 65 74 136 119 121 61 71 98 119 118 162 104 129 156 144 139 189 169 162 177 126 143 202 170 244 141 51 63 89 216 120 119 152 144. 190 202 129 171 168 BB 200 BRITISH COLUMBIA APPENDIX No. 6 Average Prices for Cattle, December 1st, 1949, to November 30th, 1950 Vancouver Calgary Date Vancouver Calgary Date Good Steers Calves Good Steers Calves Good Steers Calves Good Steers Calves $20.50 20.00 20.50 21.25 21.80 21.00 22.00 ... . 25.00 25.00 26.00 26.00 25.00 25.00 .—.. $19.00 19.00 18.00 22.00 20.00 .. 25.00 25.00 $20.67 21.10 21.14 20.76 20.66 20.65 21.40 21.92 21.99 22.05 22.12 22.65 22.76 23.73 23.90 23.63 24.09 24.41 24.99 25.30 25.19 25.15 25.96 26.20 26.20 26.24 $18.50 18.46 18.83 18.46 18.36 18.28 18.57 20.55 20.40 20.52 21.81 22.48 22.66 22.46 23.72 24.30 23.13 23.85 24.77 25.80 25.60 27.60 26.80 27.08 27.56 27.73 $26.50 27.50 27.25 28.00 27.75 29.25 29.25 28.00 28.00 28.75 29.75 29.15 28.50 28.50 27.50 25.65 24.65 24.75 26.00 26.70 26.65 26.50 26.25 $28.00 26.00_ 31.00 29.00 28.00 29.50 28.50 30.00 28.00 28.50 28.00 27.00 26.50 27.25 27.50 27.50 26.00 27.35 $27.21 27.59 27.57 28.23 27.42 27.92 29.56 30.18 29.90 28.79 28.38 29.52 29.05 30.11 27.92 28.44 27.93 26.86 25.95 25.81 26.10 26.85 26.52 26.60 26.54 $27.80 27.85 27.40 29.15 July 1 27.67 January 7 July 8 July 15 _ 27.11 28.63 July 22 29.96 July 29 . 30.82 February 4 August 5 — 29.70 27.11 August 19 29.07 29.00 September 2 September 9 September 16 September 23 September 30 October 7 30.90 27.95 March 18 30.61 March 25 April 1 April 8 29.65 28.96 April 15 October 14 28.82 April 22 October 21 28.10 April 29 October 28 28.20 May 6 — May 13 November 4 November 11.. .... November 18. November 25- 28.00 28.81 May 20 May 27 29.57 26.91 APPENDIX No. 7 Average Prices for Lambs, December 1st, 1949, to November 30th, 1950 Date Vancouver Calgary Date Vancouver Calgary $23.00 $21.80 21.90 22.45 22.60 22.60 .22.65 23.30 23.82 23.91 23.85 22.85 23.70 24.30 24.85 24.75 24.85 24.92 25.00 25.60 25.95 26.00 26.00 26.20 26.00 25.90 June 3 ... $27.00 27.66 28.50 27.25 27.25 26.50 26.50 26.50 27.00 27.50 $27.35 June 10 26.75 29.10 June 24 29.10 July 1 29 60 July 8— _ 27.35 July 15 26 40 July 22 _.. 26.10 July 29 26.41 26.80 26.80 26.20 25.70 25.50 September 9. 25 00 March 18 25 10 March 75 September 23._ 25 20 ■ April 1 25 10 April R October 7 April 15. ... October 14 _ 23 90 April 22 October 21 24.10 April 29 October 28 25 05 November 4 _ 25.80 26 05 May 13. - _ May 20 November 18 26.00 May 27 _ DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, 1950 BB 201 APPENDIX No. 8 Average Prices for Hogs, December 1st, 1949, to November 30th, 1950 Date Vancouver Calgary Date Vancouver Calgary December 3... December 10- December 17- December 24- December 31.. January 7 January 14 January 21. January 28. February 4 February 11— February 18... February 25— March 4. March 11 March 18 March 25 April 1- April 8_ April 15 April 22 April 29 May 6 May 13- May 20 May 27 $27.95 27.85 27.65 24.87 24.60 26.85 27.35 26.85 27.60 27.60 26.85 28.10 $26.95 26.75 23.35 25.85 24.70 23.35 23.50 23.70 23.95 25.85 26.30 25.95 26.60 29.50 26.85 27.35 27.30 28.15 28.05 26.10 25.35 24.90 25.10 25.15 26.10 28.30 June 3. June 10... June 17... June 24. . July 1. July 8—. July 15— July 22-. $30.00 32.10 July 29„ ... August 5_„ August 12 August 19_ August 26 September 2.._ September 9— September 16 - September 23 ~ September 30- October 7— October 14 October 21 October 28 November 4..„. November 11- November 18- November 25.. 32.35 33.60 34.85 35.60 36.00 33.10 30.60 29.35 28.85 27.85 27.60 28.85 $30.30 32.10 31.30 31.50 31.60 30.70 30.90 31.85 32.20 32.45 32.90 34.00 32.40 32.20 31.10 30.00 29.25 29.00 27.85 27.50 26.85 26.50 26.45 26.65 27.70 APPENDIX No. 9 Dairy Herds and Premises Inspected and Graded under the " Milk Act " and Cattle T.B.-tested from December 1st, 1949, to November 30th, 1950 District Cattle T.B.- tested Reactors Premises Visited Total Cattle Total Cows Grade of Premises A B C U U-P* Cariboo 127 76 1 9 58 4 51 277 1,155 158 757 201 613 111 245 5 2 2 3 23 2 9 4 1 19 1 48 Quesnel 1 203 1 123 2,347 1,170 9 37 4 69 Central British Columbia 5 29 2 17 189 531 46 500 70 239 29 274 1 3 1 8 4 4 1 6 1 3 1 53 1,266 612 13 15 1 4 Fraser Valley 83 2 72 21 1 55 2 14 68 70 141 14 8 11 1,406 61 1,723 388 38 725 43 152 877 2,290 2,950 424 88 263 849 39 999 293 29 422 33 103 549 1,316 • 1,664 218 69 197 1 3 8 1 3 1 3 1 6 65 1 43 5 33 1 6 18 55 91 6 2 1 1 1 2 1 1 18 24 7 19 6 48 10 27 3 4 1 Coquitlam 2 Hope Kent 2 Matsqui 2 Nicomen 2 Richmond Sumas 562 11,428 6,780 27 327 6 167 Greater Okanagan Osoyoos 210 20 23 3,325 388 389 2,335 237 265 4 3 2 166 15 15 4 30 1 3 3 253 4,102 2,837 9 196 4 34 Kootenay Cranbrook Fernie 2 899 1 19 7 1 29 330 686 352 21 161 3,029 457 181 14 51 1,673 2 1 8 11 4 1 1 71 1 17 4 2 22 37 1 Nakusp 5 194 901 1 386 4,249 2,376 11 88 18 65 201 Northern British Columbia 265 90 1,284 477 7 54 29 265 90 1,284 477 7 54 29 Vancouver Island 38 118 142 93 51 111 4 34 52 580 1,743 2,423 1,366 434 2,592 9 445 629 354 1,052 1,440 912 281 1,773 7 268 425 6 15 23 16 6 59 6 13 15 70 90 56 12 45 14 30 2 1 11 3 11 9 1 7 3 8 19 18 4 8 3 2 6 2 Cowichan Sooke-Metchosin 643 10,221 6,512 144 332 2 46 70 1 .fiQ 9 2,110 34,897 20,764 213 1,002 35 439 320 Premises ungraded where milk is used for private purposes only. 202 DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, 1950 BB 203 APPENDIX No. 10 Slaughter-house Licences Cariboo.—L. L. Hill, Quesnel; Diamond "S" Ranch, Ltd., Pavilion; C. Allertson, Bella Coola; O. Fardal, Quesnel; M. Nygaard, Bella Coola; Circle "S" Cattle Co.'Ltd., Dog Creek; H. J. Cripps, Big Lake Ranch. Kamloops-Nicola.—D. E. Belshaw, Merritt; Guichon Cattle Co. Ltd., Quilchena; Douglas Lake Cattle Co. Ltd., Douglas Lake; M. A. E. Floyd, Lytton; Armstrong's Departmental Store, Ltd., Merritt; A. Cameron, Ashcroft; V. R. Nesbitt, Merritt. Okanagan.—Gordon Meat Market Ltd., Kelowna; J. Powick, Kelowna; M. W. Marshall, Kelowna; Salmon Arm Meat and Produce Co. Ltd., Salmon Arm; R. Gaven, Vernon; G. A. Garner, Enderby; T. W. Marriott, Kaleden; C. Horrex, Enderby; L. F. White, Oliver; C. W. Reinertson, Summerland; Palace Meat Market Ltd., Kelowna; S. S. lohnston, Salmon Arm; J. U. DeLeenheer, Vernon; R. R. Lynch, Fernie. Similkameen-Boundary.—S. Talarico, Grand Forks; T. G. Mudie, Grand Forks; Crown Market, Grand Forks. South-eastern British Columbia.—J. O. Harper, Nakusp; Mrs. Mary Bailey and M. Fraitzl, Nakusp; E. Pratt, Thrums; L. Whitelock, Nelson; Trail Meat Market, Trail; Wright Meats Ltd., Rossland; W. H. Richards, Cranbrook; Mrs. L. Walkley, Cranbrook; A. Michiels, Slocan City; J. Ross, Castlegar; L. Facchina, Shoreacres; G. Duncan, New Denver. Golden-Invermere.—E. Merrilees, Invermere. Northern and Central British Columbia.—C. R. Creasey, Vanderhoof; G. R. Hawker, Vanderhoof; Interior Farm Products Ltd., Prince George. Peace River.—E. F. Cuthill, Fort St. John; R. N. Machan, Fort St. John; David Spittal, Dawson Creek; Fort St. John Lumber Co. Ltd., Charlie Lake; R. L. St. Dennis, Pouce Coupe; W. O. Harper, Dawson Creek; J. T. Lafond, Dawson Creek. Coast.—Canada Packers Ltd., Vancouver; Pacific Meat Co. Ltd., Vancouver; E. A. Butler, Abbotsford; Burns & Co. Ltd., Vancouver; Alberta Meat Co. Ltd., Vancouver; C. R. Goodchild, Mission City; Gainers Ltd., Vancouver; Clappison Bros. Cold Storage Co. Ltd., Haney; Swift Canadian Co. Ltd., New Westminster; Archibald Bros., Rosedale; S. J. B. Mackay, Cloverdale; T. H. Armstrong, Cloverdale; W. J. Pym, Cloverdale; F. Hoy, New Westminster; A. Wrayton, Surrey Centre; D. W. Bentley, Langley Prairie; J. MacKie, White Rock; Ladner Meat Co. Ltd., Ladner; E. L. Jones, Milner; M. Borsato, Langley Prairie; P. C. Hunniford, Surrey; William Page, New Westminster; J. L. McLeod, Cloverdale; D. D. Smith, Abbotsford; C. C. Johnstone, Chilliwack. Vancouver Island.—H. W. Hubbard, Victoria; A. E. Hull, Victoria; B. F. Nikkels, Victoria; A. Doney, Saanichton; J. H. Braten, Duncan; M. D. Fisher, Glen Lake; Mouat Bros. Ltd., Ganges; C. E. Lock, Courtenay; D. H. Ruckle, Beaver Point; H. H. Schultz, Black Creek; F. J. McGrath, Victoria. BB 204 BRITISH COLUMBIA APPENDIX No. 11 Hide-dealers' Licences Cariboo.—C. Allertson, Bella Coola; Bella Coola Consumers Co-operative Association, Bella Coola; Cariboo Cattlemen's Association, Williams Lake. Kamloops-Nicola.—G. A. Rebagliati, Lytton; J. P. Gallagher, Kamloops; Shamrock Meat Market, Kamloops; H. Weightman, Chase; T. H. Palmer, Barriere; H. Lambirth, Kamloops; M. A. E. Floyd, Lytton; F. Butterworth, Kamloops; A. Cameron, Ashcroft; D. Askew, Kamloops. Okanagan.—W. Hocksteiner, Osoyoos; McClounie's Cash Stores, Falkland; Mrs. Annie M. Tyler, Vernon; J. Powick, Kelowna; Salmon Arm Meat and Produce Co. Ltd., Salmon Arm; M. W. Marshall, Kelowna; A. C. Shetler, Westbank; A. Lodge, Kelowna; A. H. Haase, Kelowna; R. Gaven, Vernon; Enderby Meat and Lockers Ltd., Enderby; R. G. Arnold, Salmon Arm; G. A. Garner, Enderby; J. Staples, Armstrong; L. F. White, Oliver; C. W. Reimertson, Summerland; F. W. Dunn, Enderby; L. T. LeLievre, Penticton; A. J. Reader, Salmon Arm; R. E. Phillips, Armstrong. Similkameen-Boundary.—C. G. McMynn, Midway; S. Talarico, Grand Forks; S. A. Wilson, Princeton; O. Wheeler, Rock Creek; A. E. Bloom, Princeton; T. Kurita, Greenwood; F. M. C. Gee, Coalmont; L. G. Almas, Princeton; F. Smith, Bridesville. South-eastern British Columbia.—J. O. Harper, Nakusp; Creston Valley Co-operative Association, Creston; E. Pratt, Thrums; G. H. Carr, Creston; J. P. Morgan, Nelson; R. Henson, Creston; M. L. Cole, Trail; Trail Meat Market, Trail; J. A. Mitchell, Creston; Mrs. M. H. S. Biddlecombe, Kimberley; W. M. Konkin, Salmo; L. S. Bradley, Nelson. Golden-Invermere.—E. Merrilees, Invermere. Northern and Central British Columbia.—C. R. Creasy, Vanderhoof; J. J. Watson, Smithers; Watson's Store Limited, Smithers; Gosse Cold Storage Limited, Prince George; G. R. Hawker, Vanderhoof; Interior Farm Products Limited, Prince George; P. N. Driedger, Southbank. Peace River.—Northern Meats, Dawson Creek; R. N. Machan, Fort St. John; D. Spittal, Dawson Creek; R. L. St. Dennis, Pouce Coupe; J. T. Lafond, Dawson Creek. Coast.—Burns & Co. Ltd., Vancouver; Bissinger & Co., Vancouver; M. Gilmore, Vancouver; M. Miner, Vancouver; E. L. Jones, Milner; Paris Tannery Ltd., Vancouver; J. L. McLeod, Cloverdale; J. Leckie Co. Ltd., Vancouver; J. Brothers, Langley Prairie. Vancouver Island.—H. W. Hubbard, Victoria; N. Adirim, Nanaimo; Mouat Bros. Ltd., Ganges; A. & C. Glen Ltd., Nanaimo; B. F. Nikkels, Victoria; G. A. Creetor, Victoria; H. H. Schulz, Black Creek. Outside British Columbia.—A. Wyman & Co., Edmonton; H. Myshyniuk, Edmonton; M. Mador- sky, Calgary; J. E. Love & Sons, Calgary; J. R. Johnson, Edmonton; R. Gale, Edmonton; S. Cochrane, Edmonton; A. Frew, Calgary; H. Soifer, Edmonton. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, 1950 BB 205 APPENDIX No. 12 Stock-dealers' Licences Cariboo.—R. C. Cotton, Williams Lake; Cariboo Cattlemen's Association, Williams Lake; Circle "S" Cattle Co. Ltd., Dog Creek; G. G. Graham, Forest Grove; T. A. Miller, Williams Lake; G. H. Felker, Williams Lake; G. A. Davidson, Williams Lake; H. J. Cripps, Big Lake Ranch. Kamloops-Nicola.—W. F. McLeod, Bestwick; A. P. Lancour, Merritt; E. L. Hickling, Kamloops; Diamond " S " Ranch Ltd., Pavilion; H. Weightman, Chase; Alexander & Smith Cattle Co., Kamloops; W. P. Sandy, Merritt; T. H. Palmer, Barriere; Kamloops Livestock Co., Kamloops; F. Butterworth, Kamloops; B.C. Live Stock Producers' Co-operative Association, Kamloops; E. Butterworth, Kamloops; H. H. Gallagher, Spences Bridge; R. Hook, Kamloops; G. C. Hay Ltd., Kamloops; D. C. Wilson & Sons Ltd., Vinsulla; A. Cameron, Ashcroft; C. A. Carlson, Chinook Cove; R. W. Reese, Sorrento; E. D. Campbell, Kamloops; J. A. Billwiller, Merritt. Okanagan.—J. H. Green, Salmon Arm; J. Powick, Kelowna; G. P. Jackson, Salmon Arm; M. W. Marshall, Kelowna; Salmon Arm Meat and Produce Co. Ltd., Salmon Arm; M. A. Casorso, Kelowna; R. G. Arnold, Salmon Arm; F. J. Murray, Armstrong; F. W. Dunn, Enderby; S. S. Johnston, Salmon Arm; J. U. DeLeenheer, Vernon; A. N. Jakeman, Vernon; G. H. R. McMaster, Enderby; F. Gaven, Okanagan Landing; C. E. Albright, Oliver; A. D. Booth, Salmon Arm; J. D. Miller, Falkland; A. M. Shannon, Armstrong; J. J. Mulholland, Vernon. Similkameen-Boundary.—C. A. Pennoyer, Grand Forks; R. D. Nickalson, Grand Forks. South-eastern British Columbia.—F. Placsko, Creston; Trail Meat Market, Trail; W. F. Earl, Cranbrook; T. J. Kleef, Nelson; N. N. Davidoff, Thrums; R. J. Dauphinais, Salmo; R. Buerge, Nelson. Golden-Invermere.—J. W. Tress, Parson. Northern and Central British Columbia.—C. R. Creasy, Vanderhoof; J. R. Burwell, Prince George; J. J. Watson, Smithers; R. W. Wiley, Southbank; W. Bickle, Grassy Plains; J. Price, Houston; H. G. Striegler, Vanderhoof; H. W. Peterson, Fort Fraser. Peace River.—Dawson Creek Co-operative Shipping Association, Dawson Creek; J. H. Fynn, Dawson Creek. Coast.—A. E. McConnell, Chilliwack; J. F. Staffen, Aldergrove; H. Aldrich, New Westminster; N. Meltzer, Vancouver; Seed & Pitts, Pitt Meadows; E. Carson, Aldergrove; F. Hoy, New Westminster; M. Merin, Vancouver; A. Wrayton, Surrey Centre; S. Tenbaum, Vancouver; T. F. Phillips, Vancouver; J. R. Turnbull, Abbotsford; Johnstone Meat Market, Ltd., Mission; C. C. Johnstone, Chilliwack; C. T. Campbell, Chilliwack; H. Baker & Son, Vancouver; J. E. Wellman, Milner; J. W. Armstrong, Chilliwack; J. M. Jensen, Vancouver; J. Brothers, Langley Prairie; Baird & Co., Ltd., Vancouver; Hay Bros., Vancouver; E. Steiner, Vancouver; W. L. Hossie, Vancouver; C. S. Pallot, Haney; H. Estrin, Vancouver; J. and J. B. Gibson, Langley Prairie; H. Bryde, Aldergrove; P. Arcand, Chilliwack; F. Somers, New Westminster; J. R. Simpson, Fort Langley; David Simpson, Langley Prairie. Vancouver Island.—A. & C. Glen Ltd., Nanaimo; M. D. Fisher, Glen Lake; D. Thomas, Saanich- ton; C. E. Price, Victoria; B. F. Nikkels, Victoria; G. A. Creetor, Victoria; F. J. McGrath, Victoria; W. O. Maki, Nanaimo; W. H. Lock, Glen Lake. Outside British Columbia.—M. Madorsky, Calgary; H. Evans, Okanogan, Wash.; H. Snider, Calgary; F. R. Loudon, Oroville, Wash.; R. Eales, Calgary; R. L. Martin, Oroville, Wash.; J. Pott, Jr., R.R. 1, Ellensburg, Wash.; P. Loudon, Everett, Wash.; L. B. Reiber, Edmonton; L. A. Thompson, Spokane, Wash.; V. E. Vance, Tonasket, Wash.; G. Roberts, Calgary; E. J. Rousseau, Calgary. APPENDIX No. 13 Horsemeat-dealers' Licences Coast.—G. Lubbock, New Westminster; Vancouver Rendering Co., Ltd., Lulu Island; G. Young (B.C.), Ltd., Vancouver; F. Hoy, New Westminster; J. F. Staffen, Aldergrove. Vancouver Island.—M. D. Fisher, Glen Lake. APPENDIX No. 14 Horse-slaughterers' Licences Cariboo.—H. G. Knauf, Fawn. Okanagan.—D. Schubert, Salmon Arm; A. C. Shetler, Westbank; D. Fuller, Salmon Arm; R. Dawson, Kelowna; G. T. Turner, Salmon Arm. South-eastern British Columbia.—A. Hosko, Natal; H. Yerbury, Camp Lister; H. Avis, Perry Siding; F. Lipovski, Natal. Northern and Central British Columbia.—A. Charbonneau, Fort St. James. Coast.—E. J. Jacobson, Haney; A. Jonson, Dewdney; J. F. Staffen, Aldergrove; E. A. Butler, Abbotsford; F. Hoy, New Westminster; G. Lubock, New Westminster; Vancouver Rendering Co., Ltd., Lulu Island; Gordon Young (B.C.), Ltd., Vancouver. Vancouver Island.—M. D. Fisher, Glen Lake. BB 206 BRITISH COLUMBIA APPENDIX No. 15 Beef-peddlers' Licences Cariboo.—H. J. Cripps, Big Lake Ranch. Kamloops-Nicola.—Q. R. Washtock, North Bend. Okanagan.—D. E. Cameron, Canoe; A. H. Haase, Kelowna; R. Gaven, Vernon; G. Smalley, Vernon; T. W. Marriott, Kaleden; J. G. Harris, Penticton; J. U. DeLeenheer, Vernon; S. S. Johnston, Salmon Arm. South-eastern British Columbia.—Mrs. Mary Bailey and Michael Fraitzl, Nakusp; E. Pratt, Thrums; L. Bourgeois, Crescent Valley; A. Michiels, Slocan City; L. Facchina, Shoreacres; G. Duncan, New Denver. APPENDIX No. 16 Permit to Transport Horses for Range Purposes Cariboo.—M. Cecil, 100-Mile House; W. P. Studdert, Gang Ranch; B. E. Spencer, Dog Creek; D. C. Dorrell, Clinton; J. R. Pigeon, Clinton; Cariboo Land & Cattle Co., Hanceville. Similkameen-Boundary.—B. Allison, Keremeos; G. E. Willis, Keremeos; P. Wright, Princeton; W. R. Forrester, Grand Forks. Kamloops-Nicola.—D. Corbould, Heffley Creek; F. A. Devick, Heffley Creek; Kamloops Indian Residential School, Kamloops (two permits); P. A. Parke, Cache Creek; W. P. Sandy, Merritt; J. W. Lauder, Quilchena; L. Turcott, Kamloops; Nicola Lake Stock Farm, Ltd., Nicola; Douglas Lake Cattle Co., Ltd., Douglas Lake; T. A. Bulman, Kamloops; D. C. Wilson & Sons, Ltd., Vinsulla; C. Coburn, Chase; Bostock Ranch, Ltd., Monte Lake. APPENDIX No. 17 Permit to Transport Stallions for Breeding Purposes Kamloops-Nicola.—E. L. Burt, Monte Lake. APPENDIX No. 18 Cattle and Hide Shipments, 1950 District Cattle Cariboo— Williams Lake - 7,839 Lac la Hache, Soda Creek, Quesnel 1,887 Clinton, Lone Butte, 100-Mile House, Lillooet, Pavilion, Bridge Lake, etc. 5,693 Bella Coola 15,419 Kamloops, Nicola, etc.— Kamloops, Chase _ 11,382 Nicola — 7,360 Ashcroft, Lytton, etc 4,500 Salmon Arm _ 1,417 24,659 Okanagan District—■ Vernon, Lumby _ 2,724 Armstrong, Enderby _ 2,616 Kelowna 1,174 Penticton, Summerland ~ 328 Oliver, Osoyoos 2,239 9,081 Hides 381 371 182 78 1,012 3,513 1,808 778 2,104 354 740 5,784 District Cattle Similkameen— Princeton, Keremeos, etc 2,125 Grand Forks, Greenwood — 1,514 Central British Columbia- Prince George, Vanderhoof. Smithers, Telkwa, etc. - Burns Lake 3,639 963 778 1,197 2,938 South-eastern British Columbia— Rossland, Crescent Valley 541 Nelson, Creston, etc 2,294 Cranbrook, Fernie, etc 3,463 Invermere, Golden 744 7,024 Peace River— Pouce Coupe, Fort St. John, Dawson Creek _._ 3,208 Hides 211 840 1,051 1,096 641 211 3,948 5,416 2,146 DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, 1950 BB 207 APPENDIX No. IS—Continued Totals Compared District 1950 1949 1948 Cattle Hides Cattle Hides Cattle Hides 15,419 24,659 12,720 7,042 6,146 1,012 3,513 6,835 5,416 4,094 18,638 22,907 10,798 3,543 4,176 1,100 3,342 6,750 5,494 3,690 26,814 24,737 10,536 4,307 4,026 1,637 4,479 8,137 6,337 Central British Columbia and Peace River. 4,595 65,986 20,870 60,062 20,376 70,420 25,185 VICTORIA, B.C. Printed by Don McDiarmid, Printer to the King's Most Excellent Majesty 1951 1,495-151-4679
Legislative proceedings
J110.L5 S7
English
Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library
Victoria, BC : Government Printer
Images provided for research and reference use only. For permission to publish, copy or otherwise distribute these images please contact the Legislative Library of British Columbia
Original Format: Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. Library. Sessional Papers of the Province of British Columbia
PROVINCE OF BRITISH COLUMBIA Department of Agriculture FORTY-FIFTH ANNUAL REPORT 1950
Text