EXPERIMENT STATION REPORTS. 215 



tlieiii are supei-ioi- iu yield to the Ked Rock. These strains must be further 

 increased and tested in tlie State before final results can be secured. 

 Five acres of the luiip roved Kobust bean Avere planted on the Station 

 Farm in 1922. This is a. selection from the Robust originally sent out. 

 It is apparently' a higher yielder and is equally resistant to the Mosaic 

 disease. 



A yield test series of lyes was ])lanted last fall. This has been needed 

 for IX number of years. AA^hen the Rosen rye was originally distributed in 

 1912 the tests on the Station ])lats showed that it was yielding about twice 

 as much as the ryes generally in use. Because of its superior yield and 

 quality it would have entirely replaced all original ryes, had it not been 

 that it, being an open fertile crop, was somewhat intercrossed with in- 

 ferior rye varieties in earlier years. Five years passed before the Mich- 

 igan Crop Improvement Association instituted field and grain inspection 

 in 1917, selecting only five per cent of the Rosen rye to continue as cer- 

 tified Rosen. The different growers, through selection from their strains 

 of Rosen, have produced dift'erent strains but nothing was known regard- 

 ing the relative yielding powers of these strains. Also, during the last 

 decade, considerable rye breeding has been done by other expei'iment 

 stations. As Rosen rye is now sold to buyers in nearW everj'^ rye growing 

 state, it was advisable for the Michigan Station to make a collection of 

 the rves recommended b}' other stations and conduct a complete varietal 

 test. "^ 



Professor F. A. Spragg has been assisted in the plant breeding work by 

 E. E. Down, Research Assistant and H. M. Brown, (Traduate Assistant. 



The alfalfa project, including the testing of forty-eight varieties from 

 leading commercial sources, which supply Michigan home-grown seed, 

 was a great help in safely guiding recommendations made during the 

 progress of the alfalfa' campaigns carried on during the year. These 

 tests showed markedly the advantage of Grimm, Cossack, and common 

 alfalfa from tlie northwest over varieties from southern states, or seed 

 secured from the Mediterranean countries and South America. The 

 Grimm and Cossack were better adapted and hardier than the common 

 alfalfa from the northwest. The Hardigan alfalfa, used as a check, was 

 a leader in the test. Extensive time and rate of planting experiments 

 with alfalfa were planted in the spring. Professor C. R. Megee directed 

 these tests. 



A state-wide alfalfa campaign was carried on throughout the year. It 

 is estimated that over 275,000 acres of new alfalfa seedings were planted 

 this spring, can-yiug the total acreage to over 500,000 acres for the State. 

 The spring season was very favorable and alfalfa seedings were unusually 

 successful. Michigan grown alfalfa seed was an important faetor in 

 increasing the acreage, over 150,000 pounds having been planted. The 

 summer season of 1921 was exceptionally dry and warm, the widespread 

 attention was called at that time to the unusually good conditions for a 

 seed harvest. This is the first year that Michigan grown alfalfa seed was 

 of importance. 



The clover work involved comparative tests of native grown and im- 

 ported clover seed. Michigan grown clover seed and seed from northern 

 states was shown to be much more valuable for Michigan than Italian 

 red clover or clover seed from southern states. Without doubt, these 



