Experiments in Growing Alfalfa at the Ontario Agricultural 



College. 



A considerable amount of experimental work has been conducted in 

 the growing- of Alfalfa in the Department of Field Husbandry at the 

 Ontario Agricultural College. The College farm is located inland about 

 thirty miles from Lake Ontario, sixty miles from Lake Erie, and seventy 

 miles from Lake Huron, and at an elevation of 740 feet above the level 

 of Lake Ontario, and 1,100 feet above the level of the sea. The average 

 rainfall at Guelph is about sixteen inches for the six months from April 

 to September inclusive, and the total precipitation about twenty-seven 

 inches for the entire year. The mean annual temperature is 43.5° F. 



The fifty-acre field, in which most of the experiments were conducted, 

 is what might be termed an average clay loam, and ha 3 a gentle slope 

 towards the southwest. Part of the land is underdrained with tile, and 

 the remainder has a fairly dry subsoil. The character of the subsoil varies 

 somewhat in different parts of the experimental field from a fairly stiff 

 clay to a combination of clay and gravel. Alfalfa thrives well on all parts 

 of the field, except on the low land, which will not permit of being under- 

 drained to a greater depth than about eighteen inches. On this low land 

 with a wet subsoil the Alfalfa does not usually live for more than two, 

 or possibly for three, seasons. 



Thirty Cuttings of Alfalfa in Ten Years. 



The following table gives the yields per acre of the different cuttings 

 of both green fodder and of cured hay of the Alfalfa crop, as produced in 

 the Experimental Department of the Ontario Agrcultural College in each 

 of ten years : 



Years 



Green crop (tons). 



First 

 cutting 



Second 

 cutting 



Third 

 cutting 



Fourth 

 cutting 



Total 



Hay (tons). 



First Second 

 cutting l cutting 



Third Fourth 

 cutting cutting j 



Total 



1896 

 1897 

 1898 

 1900 

 1901 

 1902 

 1903 

 1904 

 1906 

 1907 



Aver. 



lOvrs. 



9.96 

 12.04 



9.71 

 11.93 



9.70 

 13.35 

 13.10 

 12.45 



9.78 

 14.55 



6.47 

 5.61 

 5.85 

 6.00 

 2.20 

 8.69 

 8.53 

 9.35 

 6.60 

 3.95 



4.06 ! 2.06 22.55 



4.43 ! 22.08 



2.64 18.20 



1.60 j 19.53 



7.49 19.39 



2.96 25.00 



2.75 ! 24.38 



4.00 25.80 



4.85 1 21.23 



18.50 



11.66 ; 6.32 3.48 



.21 



21.67 



3.08 

 3.59 

 2.30 

 2.33 

 2.03 

 2.50 

 2.50 

 3.40 

 2.55 

 2.95 



2.72 



91 

 56 

 75 

 47 

 00 

 02 

 09 

 50 

 13 

 05 



1.65 



6.93 

 6.38 

 4.68 

 4.60 

 4.53 

 5.06 

 5.25 

 6.98 

 4.26 

 4.00 



5.27 



The foregoing results were obtained from different seedings which 

 took place in various parts of the experimental grounds, mostly in com- 



