Alfalfa. 237 



Certain lessons seem to be indicated in Table 7 to which it may be well 

 to call attention, though this experiment alone will not warrant accepting 

 them as conclusions. It will be observed that whenever stable manure 

 was applied (plats 742, 745, and 748), the clover was abundant and grew 

 vigorously — contesting possession of the soil with the alfalfa. This 

 suggests the importance of using manure, if possible, free from seeds 

 that may act as weeds in the alfalfa. Comparing these manured plats 

 with those adjacent it seems that this crowding of the clover was more 

 detrimental to the alfalfa than was doing without the plant food the 

 manure supplied, except on plat 745 in which case the alfalfa plants 

 becoming abundantly inoculated through the use of soil from an old 

 field v/ere able to contest the ground stoutly with the clover and make 

 fair growth itself while it held the clover down to about one-half the 

 growth it made on plats 742 and 748. Comparing plats 742 and 743 it 

 seems that so far as the welfare of the alfalfa is concerned the inoculated 

 soil alone is far more effective for good than the manure alone. Compar- 

 ing 745 and 748 it seems that seed inoculation has been without benefit 

 in this case. Comparing plats 749 and 750 it seems that the application 

 of 500 lbs. per acre of a 4-12-4 fertilizer had no permanent beneficial 

 effect, though it will be remembered that this plat started out with much 

 promise at the beginning. It is believed that had inoculation been early 

 effected on this plat the showing would have been different. 



The yield of hay. These plats were mown for hay on June 17, 

 August 24 and October 13. 1905. At the first and second cuttings the 

 herbage contained much that was not alfalfa. Plats 742, 745 and 748, 

 which had received stable manure, produced mvich clover, the others pro- 

 duced some clover and more weeds. The yields of hay secured at these 

 cuttings do not represent the development of" the alfalfa on the several 

 plats at the time. Unfortunately in raking the hay of the second crop 

 the produce of the " limed " and " not limed " areas of each plat were 

 not kept separate for weighing. The respective yields of these areas, 

 however, were computed from the total yields of the plats and the 

 respective yields of the limed and not limed areas at the first cutting, 

 which is approximately correct. The third cutting was almost clear 

 alfalfa and the yields closely represent the relative condition of the 

 alfalfa plants on the various plats. This crop was gathered and weighed 

 green. 



Because of the weeds and clover in the hay of the first and second 

 cuttings these yields or the total yield for the season do not furnish a 

 measure of the vigor of the alfalfa on the various plats. The third cut- 

 ting taken alone is a better measure. Table No. 8 gives the yields of 

 the plats on June 17. August 24 and October 13, 1905, and the total 

 yields for the season : 



