118 Thiety-Fifth Annual Report of the 



This next spring the department have asked me to leave the 

 first crop for seed. If I had done that last year I would have got 

 a good crop of seed, but the second growth rusted badly. 



Q. How do you get you seed in and how do you get it 

 started ? 



A. The reason I started to grow it was the government 

 sent me some seed and asked me to try it. They sent to Turkes- 

 tan, Asia, for seed, where the climate is safer than in Ver- 

 mont. 



I planted two acres of it and tlien, just for my own satis- 

 faction I planted two acres of native alfalfa beside it. I made the 

 mistake of sowing it in rows, I never would do that again but 

 they were anxious to get the best results and thought that if it was 

 cultivated they would be better able to get clean seed, but [ 

 think that is a mistake. I prepared the ground thoroughly ; 

 manured it thoroughly and planted it in rows eighteen inches 

 apart. 



It came up in the first place and the first season I cut 

 eight tons. I cut it nearly all green, but I had three cuttings. 

 I could not see any difference in the imported seed and the 

 native seed, but the next spring I could tell just as far as I could 

 see it where the imported seed was, it came up so much earlier 

 in the spring and grew so much faster and produced a heavy 

 crop, which I cut green as it blossomed. That is about all the 

 experience I have had with it in Vermont, I have grown it in 

 other places. 



Q. Did you inoculate the soil? A. No. The seed that 

 came from the department, part of it is inoculated and part is 

 not, and I do not think when the next growth comes up you can 

 tell where the inoculated crop is growing. I had two of the 

 same kind of clover, one being inoculated and the other not, and 

 I planted it side by side, and with the first crop it was very easy 

 to tell which was inoculated and which was not. I sowed it as 

 early in the spring as possible and should advise some farmer 

 who has a piece of light porous soil, not hard pan, to put a little 

 piece down to alfalfa, there is no question but what it is going 

 to he a success when we know how to grow it. The main thing 

 is in getting it started the first year so the roots will get estab- 

 lished. You can buy the seed from any seed man. 

 O. Did you get a crop the first year? 



A. I got eight tons to the acre the first year and had three 

 cuttings. 



O. How early in the spring did you put the seed in ? 

 A. As early as I could walk upon it. I might say I gave 

 this piece of land extra care. I wanted to give it all the chance 



