The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1907-05-17
RAISING ALFALFA
WOOSTER EXPERIMENT STATION
BULLETIN TELLS
About the Crop In This stste-Various
Experiments Tried.

/ ''lCN-
(By C. G. Williams and c. II. Kyle.)
Wooster, o., May l4.-In the spring
of 1903 this Station put out an alfalfa
test of four acres in which the value
OF lime, manure, various forms OF
commercial fertilizers and incubation
were studied. Forty tenth-acre plots
were used In this work. The ground
was new cloyer sod, one year from
| seeding, II was plowed early In April
and seeded May 1st, at the rate of "a
lbs. of alfalfa seed per acre, without
a nurse crop. The weather remain
ed exceedingly dry for rs days after
seeding and the alfalfa came slowly
and somewhat unevenly. The foxtail
proved stronger competitor for the
ground than the alfalfa. The field
was clipped four times between June
nth and August 3lst, but the clipping
only served to diminish the number
Of alfalfa plants and to increase the
yigor OF the foxtail.
Caustic lime was used at the rate
Of 500 fbs. per acre upon half OF the
area, applied just previous to seeding.
Half the area was inoculated by the
use OF an application Of 200 ibs,-nf soil
per acre from the oldest alfalfa field
In the state (sown in the eighties).
Different plots received an application
OF eight tons of stable manure per
acre. but the various sorts OF treat.
ment seemed of no avail. The fox.
tail took the ground save here and
there little patch OF a few square
feet. The treatment did not afford any
explanation for the existence OF these
patches. Examination made Septem.
Der 18th for the presence of bacteria
working upon the roots OF the alfalfa
revealed the fact that there were none
save on an occasional plant in the
inoculated area. II was as near 10
tai failure as could well be.
1eo4-Owing to the failure OF the
first years seeding, the plots were
all plowed up in the spring OF 1904
and seeded again May 10th. No chang
es were made in the fertilization and
lining The seed was sown crosswise
OF the plots, thus permitting a test OF
nurse crop and seed incubation
without interfering with the limo
and fertilizer test. Upon a portion OF
the area nurse crop of oats was seed
ed at the rate OF 2S quarts per acre
and a portion OF the alfalfa seed used
was treated with inoculating material
received from the United States De-
partment of Agriculture. The seod
came up quite evenly and for the
first two months the area seeded
without a nurse crop led In growth.
but by fall there was no noticeable
difference as between nurse crop and
no nurse crop. There were no appar
ent results from the inocdlation OF the
seed.
The greatest difficulty in the way
of securing a stand this year, as last.
was the foxtail The lined portions
showed very much better stand and
larger growth Of alfalfa than the un-
bt ioNi'i Nap obChe 90 b't1N
a failure as the year previous. II was
quite evident that the greatest need
of this soil was lime, and In somewhat
larger amounts than the application
used viz, 500 ibs. per acre.
II was decided to leave a norton OF
each OF the 40 plots tone end) for the
harvest Of 1905, but to plow the larger
part, lime all more thoroughly and
seed at different times in order that
the effect of seeding might be studied |
In relation 70 weed competition.
1905
The plowing FOR the seeding OF 1905 |
was done April 26th. The plots were
lined May ist. For the amounts APP
piled soc Table Ill. The amounts as
given represent the total application !
to date. The plots were narrowed !
thoroughly and one-half of each of the
40 plats was seeded May Gath without
nurse crop. The nnaeeded portion
OF these plots WAS narrowed at inter
walls OF two ar three weeks until July
9Th. when the second seeding was