Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1916-07-14
MANY ALFALFA PLOTS
County Agent Tells What is Being
Done in Demonstrations
Grasshoppers Again Doing Much Dam.
age-Some Infestations as Bad as
Last Year.


sued by A. w. Swceton, Windham
county agricultural agent, contains
much interesting information. Mr..
Sweeton has the following to say about
alfalfa demonstration plots, grasshop-
per infestations and summer meetings
and trips:
Alfalfa demonstration plots-For
the last three years we have been
watching the work that was being
done with this crop in Windham coun-
ty. After careful study of the meth
DDS used we feel confident that alfal-
fla can be grown successfully on we'll
selected fields, with very little extra
attention that would be necessary to
get good stand of clover. The soil
slope to carry off all surface water i'm
mcdiately. The field must be well
MANFRED and lined to take out the
acid. The seed must be northern
grown and must be well inoculated,
and all evidences up to date are that
seeding in midsummer after oats and
peas is preferable to spring seeding.
The Grimm alfalfa is said to be the
most hardy variety, but on account of
its high cost it is almost prohibitive.
On two variety tests that have been
running since August, 1914, two va
rictics of common alfalfa grown in
South Dakota have wintercd as well
and have yielded larger than the
Grimm. We had hoped to pick a best
variety for Windham county and pro-
vide means for our farmers getting
that variety, but owing to the scarcity
of all northern-grown seed in 1915
about the best that can be done is to
get common Idaho alfalfa. E. r. An
drews, Putney, has several hundred
pounds of this seed, which was sent
by mistake and which he will distri-
butte to any parties who are putting
in alfalfa this summer.
BY the first of August we hope to
have fifteen alfalfa demonstration
plots scattered about the county. Most
of these plots will contain about a
third of an acre and will be divided
into three parts One part will have
Grimm seed and will be lined and in
oculated. A second will have common
seed and be lined and inoculated. A
third will have common seed and will
not be lined or inoculatcd These
plots should show the necessity of
lime and incubation and the relative
value of Grimm and common northern
grown seed for this section. These
plots will be located as follows: Val
ley fair grounds G014 plot), Brattlc-
boro; L. II. Pratt G915 plot, East
Dover; Memorial hospital, Brattleboro;
Everett Corbett, West Brattleboro;
Albert Austin, Brookline; S. A. Merri.
field, Williamsville; Nal Bemis,
Athens; Gerald Albee, Brookline; w.
II. Hescock, West Brattleboro; c.. A.
Faulkner, Jacksonville; Arthur Howe,
Newfane; George Corson, Wilmington
Gerald Adams, Marlboro.
We wish to express our appreciation
to those men for offering to cooperate
in this work, and we hope that four
or five more plots may be secured
Most of these are on the highway aad
will be marked with appropriate signs.
Grasshopper Infestations For the
| last three years there have been seri.
Gus outbreaks of grasshoppers on
many of the farm lands along the Con.
nccticut and West rivers in Windham
county. 1t was hoped that the rainy
weather during last fall and this
spring would Kill them out and end
the trouble. 1t has not been so. how.
ever, and there are areas in Putncy
Brookline, Townshend and NewfalC
where the infestations are as bad as
last year.
In looking over the infested areas
it has been very noticeable that there
are very few hoppcrs on the farms
where the fields were treated thorough.
| ly last season. The same results have
been obtained in the Mcrrimack valley
in New Hampshire, demonstrating
that taking care of the hoppers thor
oughly one year keeps the farms free
from them for several years provided
the infcstations on ncighboring farms
are taken care of.
For the last two weeks the county
has been very fortunate in having the
services of Harrison f.. Smith, who il
a specialist of the United States bu
reau of entomology and has charge of
| the United States chronological labo
ratory at West Springfield, Mass. Mr.
Smith has the whole of New England
as his territory, but he offered to put
in two weeks of his time in Windhan
county if all the farmers on the ad
joining farms in the infested areas
woull cooperate in treating the hop
pers. Heretofore some men woulC
spend considerable money clearing NJ
their farms while ncighbor would
do nothing and the hoppers would
come right back in again, while if al
cleared up the trouble would be dont
away with for several years to come
Farmers on the Putncy meadows, rep
resented around 200 acres, and anoth
or group in the southern part of Town
shcnd have co-operatcd and all the in
Tested farms are being treated. Al
soon as these areas have been treated
others will be taken care of and Will,
it has taken considerable of you
agent 5 time it is hoped that thil
work will have lasting check on THU
lpest, which has cost Windham count,
thousands of dollars in the past few
l years.
We are much indebted to the Unite,
States department of agriculture, ant
TO Mr.. Smith in particular, for tn,
time and help that have been given Ii
in connection with this very important
insect problem.
Summer meetings and trips Thu
four county field meeting in Weston
was the first of a series of field meet