282 



STATE BOARD OF A( JRTCULTURE. 



Scptonibcr. October and November seedings, clover coiiijilete failure, some timothy and 

 many weeds. 



DccoiiiIkt. January. February and Marcli seedings about etiual in number of plants, 

 all small, though juomisc a fair catch. 



Ajiril seeding (li)OO), seeds just beginning to sprout. 



NOTES ox SAND LUCERNE. 



On April 20. 1S!»7, two small plots of one-tenth acre each were sown to sand 

 hicernc. using fifteen pounds of seed per acre. The soil was of a very light, sandy 

 nature, much of the surface having been hauled away to fill in around the College 

 barns. The sand was so light that when not licld dowii l)y a growing crop, it drifted 

 badly in a strong wind. 



The sand lucerne was given entire possession of the ground, though it did not produce 

 a crop until the second year, when it was mowed three times, producing a total on one 

 plot of O.SOn ]iounds per acre, and 5,017 from the other. By cutting it as soon as it 

 came to full bloom most excellent hay w'as made. 



The winter of LSOS and ISOH was a most severe one and k'lhd fruit trees, clover, 

 wheat, and other hardy ])lants. The s-and lucerne, however, withstood Ihc winter re- 

 markably well and gave an excellent yield in four cro])s amounting to 10, .ISO pounds per 

 acre on the better plot. The first cutting was made May 31. 



The sand lucerne is a legume so nearly resembling alfalfa that only a careful study 

 of the two reveals a slight dilTerence. Its remarkalile behavior on the College grounds 

 recommends it for light sandy soils where the moisture is a considerable distance below 

 the surface. 



So far as we know, the seed has never been produced in this country. The station 

 obtained a quantity this year and has distributed about one hundred and fifty samples 

 to farmers of the State, with in.structions for giving it a trial. 



WHEAT EXPERIMENTS — TEST OF VARIETIES. 



On the College wheatfields, varieties of wheat Avere sown in the fall of 1898. Each 

 variety was given a strip of ground 04 rods long and wide enough to make an acre or 

 more. These strips were of as nearly uniform character as could be selected for such 

 large areas, and comprised portions of low ground, together with an exposed knoll and 

 a considerable area of level ground. The test was made in two difTerent fields. The 

 Dawson Golden Chaff was sown in both, and in making the calculation of the yield in 

 field 14. where the soil was lighter and the yield much smaller, a computation bring- 

 ing the yield to the basis of Dawson Oolden Chaff was made as follows: In field 8 

 the Dawson variety yielded 30.12 bushels per acre, and in 14 the yield was 23.0, a 

 ratio of 1.2t) to 1. In fixing the yields of the varieties grown in field 14 the actual 

 yield was multiplied by 1.20. Below is a table giving the varieties, in their order, the 

 field number, the computed yield per plot, and the yield per acre: 



Xame of varietrw 



Golil Coin 



Dawson Golden Chaff (seed treated).. . 



International No. (i 



Dawson Golden Chaff (seed untreated) 



Itussian 



Fulcaster 



.Tones' Srjnare Head 



White Clawson 



Ru'ly 



Buda Pesth 



Red Clawson 



Long Amber 



Fultze 



Field. 



14 



8 

 14 



14 



8 



14 



8 



Area 

 of i)lot. 

 Acres. 



.913 

 .'.»13 

 .913 

 .913 



.913 

 1.166 



.913 

 3.018 



.913 

 4.072 



.913 

 1.338 



.913 



Yield 



per plot. 



Lbs. 



1,7.58 

 1,750 

 1,748 

 1,6.50 



l,6.'i8 

 1,9.59 

 1,474 

 4,486 



1,206 



.5,2.58 



1,117 



1,608 



86.5 



Yield 



per acre 



Ru. 



."^2.08 

 .31.9.5 

 .SI. 9 

 31.12 



29.9 

 28.01 

 26.9 

 24.07 



21.83 

 21.52 

 20.38 

 20.03 

 15.78 



