No. 6. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 759 



A Member: Why not any barley? 



MR. WING: I am not acquainted with other barleys, but this 

 beardless spring barley is short strawed, early maturing, beardless 

 and matures with wheat. The other method would be to seed with- 

 out a nurse crop, except if you are pestered with crab grass. Do 

 you know anything about crab grass in this State? 



A Member: Yes. We have some in the eastern part of the State. 



MR. WING: Where you are bothered with that, plow as suggested, 

 early, and disc along until say June or July even, and then seed at 

 the rate of fifteen pounds per acre by itself, or if you had a season 

 like this I wouldn't see why you couldn't plow up a clover field or 

 oats stubble too and seed after those crops. Whether you seed 

 with a nurse crop or without, it will be necessary the first year to 

 clip the weeds off if the weeds appear. Rake them off. The first 

 year it won't look like it is going to amount to anything. When the 

 fall of the year comes around do not be tempted to pasture it the 

 first fall. Let it have all its growth; it will be much stronger. Let 

 it go through the next winter and next year the hay will pay you 

 for keeping the stock off that first year. 



Another word about seeding. In selecting your seed, darker seed 

 is an indication that the seed is heated in the stack or after it is 

 thrashed some time. Select the bright yellow seed and if a few 

 green seeds should appear in it that does not hurt. It merely sig- 

 nifies that the seed has been grown in the northwestern rather than 

 in the southwestern part of the country, and the notion is the north- 

 western seed should be the better seed. I do not think you will 

 notice any difference, but it is just as well to be on the safe side. 



I have got conceit enough to think I can come here into Pennsyl- 

 vania and raise alfalfa. I may be wrong. Now, I just want to tell 

 you a little bit of what alfalfa has done there at our place. About 

 fifteen years ago the gross receipts of our farm were f 800. When we 

 started to feeding lambs we were able to fatten there about a single 

 deck load. Then we got a double deck load, or about 250. After 

 we fed the 250 carefully saved all that manure and put it back on the 

 place. This winter we are feeding 1,400 lambs and a hundred head 

 of fine sheep, and cows and horses that go with the place, on the 

 same amount of land that fifteen years ago produced a net revenue 

 of $800. In addition Ave have sold 150 tons of hay off the place. If 

 you desire to ask any questions I will gladly answer such as I may be 

 able. 



A Member: Can you tell us anything about alfalfa meal, manu- 

 factured as concentrated meal? 



MR. WING : I cannot tell you anything you probably do not know 

 now about alfalfa meal. 



A Member: You say your lambs doubled in weight. 



MR. WING: Yes. 



A Member: How heavy are they when you get them? 



MR. WING: From 42 to 52 pounds. 



