28 The Peace River District

The Dominion Department of Agriculture has established experimental
stations at Beaverlodge, Fort Vermilion and Grouard, where much _ useful
experimental work is being conducted.

The following table gives an idea of the climatological conditions to be met
with in the Grande Prairie district.

METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS AT BEAVERLODGE, GRANDE PRAIRIE, ALBERTA,
FROM ApriIL 1, 1920, ro Marcu 31, 1921

s
&| 38
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I g jek a || SaaS rs
Months z 2 iS 3 2 3 Ss mea 35 3s

eo ca Wee led ite eS eo So Were c(h Oe S| et ele Berane

3 & a 3s =) 3 B 2 a g | 5h} 3a) sa] 8

= = (oni = iq Qa 4 a) [4] mn a Zz 23 A
April 36-50) 18-53) 17-96) 27-51) 50-0) 18th |—12-0] 3rd 1-42) 4-00} 1-82 7| 0-70) 20th
May....... 52-66) 32-64) 10-01) 42-64) 69-0} 7th | 20-0} 1st P15) 1-15 6} 0-75) 28th
Tune ee arene 62-37) 40-70) 21-68) 51-54) 76-0 paths 31-0) 11th | 3-17]...... 3-17 13] 0-67| 6th

29th
July 75-37) 50-43) 24-93) 62-89) 89-0] 16th | 40-0) 3rd | 2-52]...... 2°52 7| 1:07) 22nd
August....................] 69-74) 45-88] 23-85] 57-80] 86-0] 15th | 32-5) 29th | 2-48]...... 2-48 10} 1-37) 17th
September.......... .-.+.| 56-15) 35-30) 20-85) 45-72 72-0} 8rd} 28-0] 15th EES) 1-80 16} 0-38) 25th
October........ .| 44-80) 27-70] 17-09] 36-24) 58-0] Ist 13:0) 19th | 1-55) 1-00) 1-65 7| 0-58) 7th
November.... : .| 81-93) 15-29) 16-64) 23-61) 52-0) 2nd 0-4) 24th |...... 4-30) 0-43 4) 0-18) 22nd
December..... -seecees| 17-41) > 3-79) 13-62} 10-60} 37-0) 4th }—20-0] 26th |...... 7-50} 0-75 3} 0-50) 27th
January..... : ...-| 18-19/—1-32] 14-51) 5-93] 40-0) 1st |—26-0] 17th |...... 14-00} 1-40 9} 0-30) 5th
February...... .-.+.| 28-32] 9-85) 18-46] 19-08} 48-0 ae —22-0) 20th | 0-17} 8-00! 0-97 5} 0-30) 2nd
25t
March......... ; ..| 28-93} 9-09] 19-83) 19-00} 48-0} 8th |—22-0] 12th |...... 12-00} 1-20 7) 0-40} 18th
SOLE E RR AON GAB alt aceiin] meine na oeocl ta ariel Bactsaciel lament esal Eaeebetel aaricase 14-26] 50-80) 19-34 94

The Superintendent at Beaverlodge, Mr. W. D. Albright, states that the
wettest month of the year ending March 31, 1921, was September, rain falling on
no less than sixteen days. Snow fell on the 7th October, and the lowest tempera-
ture for that month, 13° F., was recorded on that date. The potato harvest was
finished by October 15 and grain stacking was completed by the 22nd. The winter
was very mild, the lowest temperature being 26° below zero on January 17th.

Crop yields at the Station were excellent. The best plot of barley (O.A.C.
21) yielded 70 bushels to the acre, while the heavier seedings of Ligowo oats
yielded no less that 103 bushels to the acre. Huron wheat, which was badly
frosted, produced 38 bushels per acre.

Continuing, Mr. Albright says, each succeeding year “emphasizes the wisdom
of having featured forage crops in the early experimental work at Beaverlodge.
Most crucial of all is the problem of seeding down to hay and pasture crops.
Preconceived opinions on this, as on nearly every other phase of northern
agriculture, are discounted by the peculiarity of climatic conditions. Among
these may be enumerated:

(a) A limited and irregular precipitation, averaging perhaps 15 to 18 inches
per annum, but running as low as 10 inches, with a tendency very. often to
drouthy conditions in spring and early summer, the period when hay crops need
plenty of moisture.

(b) Conditions that ordinarily result in quite a rank growth of cereals,
which thus become “smothering” rather than “nurse” crops to grasses and
clovers seeded amongst them.