Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1924-06-12
LACK OF SNOW CAUSES LOSSES

indications are that about 70 per
cent of Wisconsin's alfalfa was lost
last year through winter killing. The
southern counties, where about Is per
cent of the states alfalfa acreage is
located, were practically devoid of
snow. Periods of unusually low tenn
perature and an ice sheet of unusual
thickness and duration formed in Feb
ruary 1922, which caused the destruc-
ton of many thousands of acres of al
even the hardest strains were lost
The northern three-fourths of the
state, where there was an abundance
of snow, suffered practically no losses
from Winterkilling. The winter Of
1920-21 also was characterized by a
relatively light snowfall, but the al
falfa crops came through in splendid
shape for the reason that they were
not exposed to frequent low tempera,
lures, smothering sheets of ice, or
heacy fall and winter rains.
According to Mr.. GRADER, heavy fall
rains in 1921 stimulated succulent
late autumn growth which in some
varieties did not permit of the deyel-
opment of that protective dormant
condition which is now believed to be
so essential in the winter maintenance
of alfalfa. An excess of soil moisture
tends to increase the intensity of in
jury from alternate freezing and thaw-
ing. Furthermore, the favorable fall
growing weather resulted in great
deal of late cutting in September 1921
some fourth crops Of alfalfa were
even removed early in October,
dangerous practice in Wisconsin.
Low Temperatures Injure Alfalfa
Tests mccnducted by Mr.. GRADER and
Mr. Nelson with alfalfa plants from
four to sixteen months old Of the
Grimm, Turkestan, and common varie.
ties in greenhouses gave significant
results when exposed to low tempera-
lures "a degrees F.) twice in Deem
Der and three times in January. The
common variety was winterkilled to
much greater extent than were the
Grimm or Tul'kestan; and when ex.
posed to low temperatures, the young
er plants seemed to suffer less than
the older ones In these trials "a per
cent of the common plants were kill
ed while only 18 per cent of the Grimm
were lost.
When the injury of an ice sheet of
months duration was added to that
of low temperatures, the winterkilling
of all strains was very severe reach
ing 100 per cent in the case Ct common
alfalfa and over 80 per cent with the
hardy Grimm variety.
From these data it is evident that
the frequent low temperatures may
have winterkilled many bare fields of
common alfalfa before the ice sheets
occurred the latter part Of February
1922.
Heavy Fall Rains Help WinterkilI-
ing-Heavy rains in September, Octo-
Der, and November, 1921, compared
with the light rains for the same
months of the previous year seem to
have had a distinct bearing on the
winter injury of alfalfa during the
past year. 1t is apparent that the ac-
emulation of excess moisture in the
soil augments the injury from low
temperatures, alternate freezing and
thaW1ng, and heaving. In both expert
mental and field tests it has been
noted that the winter injury was de-
c1dedly less on the high land where
the surplus moisture could readily
drain away than it was on the flat
areas where the soil moisture accu-
INFLATED. The theory is held that
heavy fall rains and favorable grow
ing weather tend to prevent the alfal-
Ia from becoming dormant, in which
state it is apparently less susceptible
70 winter injury, especially the weak
er strains of common alfalfa The
nardler varieties,u such as the Grimm
Baltic etc. have a tendency to devel-