DIVIffTON OF FORAGE PLANTS 935 



SESSIONAL PAPER No. 16 



The efforts made by the Station during a number of years to overcome the diffi- 

 culty of raising profitable perennial hay crops on non-irrigated laud have so far 

 resulted in the development of a method which seems to be promising. The principle 

 of this method is simply to plant the hay crops in rows and cultivate. 



By growing the hay crops in rows a sufficient distance apart, the stand will be 

 much thinner than if the seed is sown broadcast or in drills close together, but as the 

 amount of moisture and nourishment awarded the plants in the rows is larger, the crop 

 generally grows high enough to allow cutting. The cultivation also produces a mulch 

 which aids in conserving the moisture. It also prevents weed growth. 



There appear, at the present time, to be only three permanent forage crops worth 

 considering, for dry land farms. They are Alfalfa, Western Rye grass, and Awnless 

 Brome grass. 



Of these, alfalfa no doubt is the superior one. 



Western Rye being of a bunch grass nature and not inclined to make a thick sod 

 is better for hay than is Brome grass. It should be cut soon after it heads out; other- 

 wise, it is apt to become woody and unpalatable to stock. 



For pasture, Awnless Brome grass is superior, it being of the same nature as 

 couch or twitch grass, i.e., spreading from underground root stalks. It is, however, 

 difficult to eradicate. 



This is especially true on rich, moist soils where it is really a most serious pest 

 when it once has established itself. 



ALFALFA IN ROWS. 



On account of the reasonably good success obtained on the Station by growing 

 alfalfa in rows, both for hay, but more particularly with the object in view of raising 

 seed, quite a few farmers in the district are beginning to sow small areas in this way. 

 It has been found advisable not to have the rows much less than 30 inches apart if 

 grown for hay. If seed is to be raised, 3 feet or possibly 3^ feet apart is probably 

 better. 



In view of the fact that an increasing interest is being taken by many farmers in 

 the question of sowing alfalfa in rows for the production of seed it might be well to 

 call attention to the importance of starting with seed of the Grimm variety or some 

 other equally hardy strain. Although, in the Lethbridge district, practically all 

 varieties of alfalfa seem to be sufficiently hardy, it must be kept in mind that this is 

 not the case in other districts in the province of Alberta. Consequently, from a general 

 point of view, the importance of producing seed only from the strains that have proven 

 to be particularly hardy is quite apparent. 



The yield of seed is always uncertain as it is governed to quite a great extent by 

 climatic conditions at the time the seed pods are forming. This year our yield of seed 

 was light, averaging only about 70 pounds per acre. 



Seed selection in a small way has been begun by collecting seed from a few indi-" 

 vidual plants that seem to possess the most desirable qualities, i.e., earliness, leafiness, 

 an upright growth, -and a free-blooming character. Rows from the seed of individual 

 plants collected in 1912 were planted the following spring and the plants were thinned 

 out to three feet apart each way. Seed was collected this season for further work 

 along this line next year. 



MIXTURES FOR PERMANENT PASTURE. 



A large number of small plots were laid out and planted in 1912 with different 

 grasses and clovers and with various mixtures of the same. These were cut during 

 the summer as often as the growth was a few inches high and a record was kept of 

 the yield in each case. As this record is for one season only, another year's work will 

 be required before it will be of much value. 



Lethbridge. 



