892 



EXPERIMEXTAL FA RM S 



5 GEORGE v., A. 1915 



SUGAR BEETS, 



Three plots of sugar beets were sown on May 28 ami harvested November 1, 1913. 

 The soil was a friable sandy loam. 



Sugar Bekts. — Test of Varieties. 



ALFALFA, CLOVER, AND GRASSES. 



The grasses, alfalfa, and clovers came through the hard winter fairly well. The 

 warm weather brought them nearly two weeks ahead of the season of 1912. During 

 May and June they came on slowly, yet made satisfactory growth. During July the 

 crops thickened up wonderfully and as August was very favourable for haymaking, a 

 good crop of hay was saved in splendid condition. 



The Red Top grass led with a yield at the rate of 3 tons per acre. Kentucky Blue 

 grass was next with 2 tons 1,220 pounds, then Late Swedish Red clover, 2 tons 32« 

 pounds. The JMammoth Red gave 1 ton 1,181 pounds. Common Red 1 ton 580 pounds, 

 and Alsike 1 ton 820 pounds. 



ALFALFA. 



The experiments with alfalfa would indicate that the Grimm is superior in hardi- 

 ness to the other sorts tested. The test with different rates of barley sown as a nurse 

 crop with alfalfa would indicate that under favourable conditions the alfalfa does 

 much better without a nurse crop. 



The first cutting of the crops, on July 16, gave an average yield per acre of 1 toH 

 1,360 pounds, for Grimm. Other varieties gave an average yield of 1 ton 320 pounds 

 per acre. Those sown with nurse crops gave only an average yield of 1, 616 pounds 

 fyer acre. The land on which the alfalfa grew was tile-drained in midsummer, which 

 destroyed the records of the second cutting. 



RED CLOVER. 



On the rotations, tlie Common Red clover was a good, strong crop. On a few 

 areas. Mammoth Red clover was about equal to the Common Red. The average yield 

 -on 15-5 acres of the land owned by the Station, previous to 1913, was 2 tons 260 

 pounds per acre. On the new area acquired in 1913, a total of 9 acres was allowed to 

 remain for hay. This land had been cut for hay several times, apparently under no 

 rotation system, and most of it was in need of tile drainage. The average yield from 

 these areas was 1,622 pounds per acre. The difference in the quality of the hay was 

 «ven greater than the difference in the weights. That grown on the farm rotations 

 was largely clover, while that grown on the other areas was largely natural grass. 



The above would indicate that the shortening of the period that land is left in 

 hay and the use of systematic farm rotation would, in a few years, not only greatly 

 increase the yield of hay but would add materially to the percentage of clover that 

 may be grown on the same land by good cultural methods. 



KEW EXPERIMENTS. 



A further series of exijeriments was laid out ahd the plots sown on June 30. This 

 series include<l thirty-four different sorts of gras-^es and clovers. The plots were 

 ■sown in duplicate. 



Charlottetown. 



