920 



EXPEIUMESTAL FA RMS 



5 GEORGE v., A. 1915 

 EXPERIMENTS WITH GRASSES, CLOVERS, AND' ALFALEA. 



More interest is being taken each year in grasses and clovers. This is hirgely due, 

 first, to the increased price of live stock enticing more people into this line of farming, 

 and therefore the problem of producing fodder becomes important. Second, in the 

 districts that have been producing wheat year after year, the fields are becoming 

 infested with weeds and the soil depleted in fibre and plant food. As grasses and 

 clovo'.'s will help jemedy this condition, more of them are being sown each year. The 

 question is often asked, which is the best to sow? Experiments with the different 

 grasses and clovers has been under way on this Farm for a number of j'ears with the 

 following results:— 



Grasses and Red Cloveu. 



Variety. 



"WebttTii Rye Gr.iss, Red Clover anil Timotliy 



] 'ronie (iiass ^ 



* Western Rve (irass and Red Clover 



Red Top '. 



luiirlisli Blue (irass 



Red Clover 



Year 

 Sown. 



1!)07 

 IS!)!) 

 11)0 t 

 1!)('8 

 liHlS 

 1910 



Yield in 

 1111.3. 



Tons. lb. 



10 



340 



710 



220 



1,7150 



1.5S0 



A verage 



Yield for 



Four Years. 



Tons. lb. 



785 



no2 



1)2!) 



220 



1,010 



Timotliy and clover li.'ive jiractically all killed out in the above plot.s. 



Cloveks. 



As the clovers and alfalfa are the only protein or muscle-building forage crops 

 that can be grown to any extent in the West, and as their renovating effect on the soil 

 becomes better known each year, there are larger numbers inquiring as to which is 

 the l)est variety to grow. While there is no doubt that alfalfa is best adapted to our 

 conditions, it does not lend itself so readily to a short rotation as do the true clovers. 



The question then arises, which of the clovers will thrive the best in our climate. 

 The following gives the result of those most promising: — 



Variety. 



T^ate Red Clover (from Sweden). . . . 

 Coninujii Red Clover (from Sweden) 

 Alsike (from Sweden) 



Yield per 

 Acre. 



Tons 



lb. 



1 1,480 

 1 7G0 

 1 610 



Alfalfa. 



Alfalfa is recognized the world over as a dry-land plant, but it is only within 

 recent years that it has received much recognition in Western Canada. It was 

 thought for a long time that it was iiot hardy enougli to thrive in the severe climate 

 of the West. Tests that were started some years ago disprove this. The question now 



Indian Head. 



