The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1918-06-21
WEEKLY NEWS NOTES
by Glenn S. Hensley, County Agent
Alfalfa

Alfalfa
1t is common thing to hear farm
ers say that alfalfa will not grow in
this county. 1t may be true, but /
must yet be shown. l have seen a
dozen of as pretty fields of alfalfa as
one could wish to see right in this
county.
The Farm Bureau has two expert
mental fields of alfalfa. One on j. W..
Bucks farm and one on Charles
Flannory's farm near Doe Run. Both
of these fields contain plots treated
with acid phosphate, with barnyard
manure, with both acid phosphate and
manure, with lime and incubation,
and with lime and no incubation.
These plots were seeded last fall.
A close study of the plots this spring
showed the plot treated with $50
pounds of acid phosphate to be just
about the same as the plot treated
with 5 tons of barnyard manure.
Where both were applied to the same
plot the alfalfa seemed to be just a
little thicker. The plot not treated
with any fertilizer was smaller and
thinner, especially in spots, than the
plots fertilized. The lined plots did
not show up much better than those
not lined which was due very likely
to the fact that the soil proved to be
sweet when tested last fall. The
treatment which brought out the
most pronounced difference in the al
falfa was incubation. The plots in
oculated all looked thick and had a
dark green color. The alfalfa on the
plots not inoculated, yet having the
same fertilizer treatment and laying
right next to the inoculated plots was
very small and thin and had a pale
yellow color. Mr.. Buck estimated his
average yield to be about / 1-2 tons
per acre, while the uninoculated plot
only yielded about Ia ton per acre.
The County Agent has not gotten
Mr.. Flannery's figures on his first
cutting of alfalfa, but feels that they
will be very similar to those of Mr..
Bucks.
Ford Tractor Distribution.
Through the efforts of Mr.. Jewell
Mayes, Secretary of the State Board
of Agriculture, arrangements have
been made for apportioning one hun
drcd of the new Fordson Farm Trac-
tors to Missouri for distribution at
cost price.
1t does not matter what motives
people may choose to assign to the
Henry Ford Company for distribut-
ing these tractors at cost price, the
farmers of the State are primarily in
terested in the fact that they are CIV
en- an opportunity to purchase this
tractor at a price with all profits off.
The method of distribution has not
been decided upon yet by the COM
many, but very likely will be through
the State Board of Agriculture and
the College of Agriculture.
The Farm Bureau will be given
full information on the subject as
soon as the details are worked out.
Wheat Joint Worw.
The wheat joint worm seems to be
unusually bad this year. The joint
worm is found in the stalk down near
the first joint. The eggs are laid by
the adult wheat joint worm fly in the
tender stalk early in the spring. The
SGEo ldbSll OuG IllC ybullS SIuD
feeds on the sap Of the wheat until
they mature, which is about the time
the wheat ripens. They live through
the winter in the old wheat stubble.
The infected portion Of the stalk is
always hard and has a knotty APP
pearance. The stalk is often weaken
ed so it breaks over and one or two
joints rest on the ground. The in
jury done by the joint worm is not so
serious where the stalk does not
break over, although the heads can
not possibly fill so well where a part
of the vitality of the plant is taken up
by these worms. A good field of
wheat examined yesterday showed a
1926 per cent infestation of joint
worm.
We can control the joint worm only
by destroying the old wheat stubble,
either raking it up and burning it or
using for stable feeding or blowing it
under. Even then people must CO.
operate in destroying the stubble for
the adult fly will travel for about a
milo