41 



Dodder, which is often introduced in alfalfa seed, is a 

 thread-like, yellow vine, feeding on and destroying- al- 

 falfa. j\rowing and burning in place is the most conven- 

 ient of several remedies. 



The most successful method of combatting weeds 

 consists in frequent mowing during the first year, even 

 when the alfalfa plants have not attained sufficient 

 height for hay making. Kepeated clipping with the 

 mower during the first summer will do much to repress 

 weeds and to thicken the stand of alfalfa by making the 

 plants throw out a greater number of stems. 



Leaf rust on alfalfa, appearing in the fonn of small 

 black spots on the leaves, has been very destructive to 

 alfalfa on the station farm, especially during damp 

 weather. When it becomes serious, the best thing to do 

 is to mow the alfalfa, the new growth usually escaping 

 injury* for quite a while. 



A more fatal disease occurring on alfalfa on the sta- 

 tion farm is a sclerotial root disease, which, however, 

 the writer has not observed in other alfalfa fields. In- 

 deed this root disease has been the principal cause of 

 failure of our most promising fields of alfalfa, a large 

 proportion of the plants in certain fields being killed by 

 it. 



CLIPPING AND DISCING ALFALFA. 



After the young plants appear the most effective aid 

 that can be given them is to use the mower frequently. 

 Clip young alfalfa whenever weeds crowd it, and when- 

 ever it rusts or turns yellow from any cause. If the 

 growth is slight, leave the mown material on the ground 

 as a mulch and fertilizer, provided it is of a kind that 

 will not give trouble when hay is raked after a later cut- 

 tins;. 



