430 ANNUAL. REPORT OF THE Off. Doc. 



adaptability and to illustrate the great possibilities of this remark- 

 able plant. These experiments, in the beginning, met with indiffer- 

 ent success — in many cases spring seedings failed and fall seedings 

 failed; good soils and poor soils, ap[)nr('iiMy, did not possess the pro- 

 per characteristics; good seed and poor seed did not germinate or 

 grow; good preparation and poor were equally useless in securing a 

 good catch and a permanent stand ; in many cases, too, these failures 

 were attributed to anything but the true cause, and it was not until 

 alter many years of study that it was possible to indicate methods 

 by which success might be positively assured, and even now no method 

 of ipractice is likely to be surely successful in securing a catch and 

 permanent stand on new lands that does not include inoculation. The 

 first experiments were mainly to determine the best time of seeding, 

 and seedings were repeatedly made in every growing month of the 

 year; the results are conclusive in showing that for the State of New 

 Jersey, as a whole, and probably for Eiastern Pennsylvania late sum- 

 mer or fall seeding is far preferable to spring seeding. 



Further experiments were conducted also to determine the soils 

 best adapted for the plant and the fertilizers and manure that should 

 be applied, and it was found that the main point in reference to soil, 

 was good physical character and that it should be naturally dry. We 

 have grown the crop successfully upon hilltops, meadows, side hills, 

 everywhere on good soils, poor. soils and soils of indifferent fertility, 

 when physical character and natural drainage were satisfactory. 



It was also shown by these experiments, that the feeling that many 

 had in the beginning of the work, that soils should be well supplied 

 with yard manures, at time of seeding and afterward, is not always an 

 advantage, in fact, in many cases a positive disadvantage — manures 

 are all right, but they should be preferably applied to preceding 

 crops. 



An experiment was, therefore, begun in 1906, on two acres of land, 

 in which these principles were put in practice — that is, a well drained 

 good soil, which Avas well supplied with organic matter from previous 

 manurings. This area was seeded August 20th, 1906, and four cuts 

 obtained in the next season of 1907, which made a total yield of 6.25 

 tons of hay; in the summer of 1908, 7 tons of hay were obtained from 

 four cuts, or an equivalent of 6.62 tons of hay per year for the two 

 years. The cost of seed and fertilizer for two years totals but $16.60, 

 or an average per ton of hay of |1.25; the fertilizers used the first 

 season consisted of one ton of lime and 500 lbs. per acre of a mixture 



Ground bone, 200 lbs. 



Acid phosphate, 200 lbs. 



Muriate of potash, 100 lbs. 



and in the summer of 1907-08 there was ai)plied a dressing of 



Acid phosphate, 150 lbs. 



Muriate of potash, 50 lbs. 



per acre. There is at present a splendid stand of alfalfa and one which 

 promises large yields for several yeais to come. Th<^ manure made 

 •from the feeding of this hay is not returned to the alfalfa field, but 

 is being utilized upon crops which have no power to gather nitrogen 

 from the air; thus the enrichment of the soil of other fields is a part 

 of the value of the crop. 



