342 STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



and one bushel of peas to the acre. This was very rich land, but owing to 

 late plowing and the long drought, the crop did not make a very good growth. 

 Twelve acres of peas and oats were planted in the spring of 1920. One 

 and one-half acres yielded 8}4 tons green forage per acre and was put in the 

 silo. The balance of the field was cut for hay and fed out to sheep. 



SUNFLOWERS. 



One acre of sunflowers was put in the silo about Sept. 15, 1919. No dif- 

 ficulty was experienced in running the sunflowers through the silo filler. 

 The silo was opened about November 15th, and while about five inches of 

 the top was spoiled, the balance kept in an excellent condition. The cows 

 did not take readily to it on the start, but no more difficulty was experienced 

 than in breaking cattle into other silage. The silage was increased slowly, 

 until the milking cows were getting thirty pounds per day. They gave 

 every indication of wanting more, but owing to the very limited amount of 

 silage, it was not advisable to increase the amount. The cows gave an ex- 

 cellent flow of milk while the sunflowers were being fed, but no direct com- 

 parison could be made, owing to having but the one silo. 



In 1920, seven and one-half acres of sunflowers were sown on May 29th, 

 using nine and one-fourth pounds of seed per acre. The plants were a little 

 too thick. When they were about six inches high they were thinned to six 

 to eight inches apart. They were cut and put into the silo when about one- 

 third of the plants were in blossom and yielded 24.6 tons per acre. A frost 

 severe enough to kill potato vines did not hurt the sunflowers. 



On December 15th, the sunflower silage was finished, and an equal amount 

 of pea and oat silage was given. The cows seemed to object somewhat to 

 the change for the first few feeds, but soon were eating the pea and oat silage 

 apparently as well as they had the sunflower silage. 



On careful examination of the daily milk records, before and after the 

 changes of feeding the different silages, no appreciable difference could be 

 found. This short test would indicate that the sunflower silage is as good 

 as pea and oat silage for dairy cows. 



For the reasons that farmers of the Upper Peninsula need additional cul- 

 tivated crops to keep down weeds; that sunflowers produce a greater tonnage 

 than any other silage that can be grown, that it matures quicker than corn ; 

 that they can stand considerable frost without serious damage; and, that a 

 succulent feed for winter use is the feed most needed by livestock men, it 

 would seem advisable for farmers to look carefully into the merits of this new 

 crop and give it a trial, under their conditions. 



Potato Experiments.* 



Experimental potato work has been in progress at the Chatham Station 

 for the past several years. The investigations have included experiments 

 on method of planting, time of planting, cultural methods, seed treatment, 

 seed selection and other economic factors of potato production. The work 

 herein reported has to do with the work of the past two seasons. It is the 

 intention of the Station to include the evidence of the potato experiments 

 conducted, in a general field crops bulletin to be issued in the near future. 



*Mr. J. Wade Weston, Extension Specialist and Mr. J. E. Kotila potato disease specialist cooperating. 



