FIELD CROPS. 25 



time and method of harvesting them, and the essentials of silo filling. Records of the 

 cost of filling the silo, kepi by the station on 19 different farms in various parts of 

 the State, show a range of from 40 to 76 ets. per ton, the average being 56 cts. 

 The effecl of silage on the flavor of milk is noted elsew bere. 



Maimrial experiments on permanent meadow land i Harper-Adams I 



/>'»/. ?, pp. 8). I Hfferenl fertilizer applications were i pared on meadow land ol a 



stiff clay loam resting on :i deep bed of clay overlying red sandstone. The mosl 

 profitable returns were obtained from the use of 2 J cwt. of superphosphate and J cwt. 

 of sulphate of | >« »tasl i per acre. Nitrate of soda al the rate of If cwt. per acre was 

 ineffective, and K> tons of barnyard manure per acre was also unprofitable. The use 

 of barnyard manure reduced the quality of the herbage. 



Range management in the State of Washing-ton, . I. s. ( Ion i on U.S. De.pt. Agr., 

 Bur. Plant Indus. Bui. 75, pp. 26, pis. 3). This bulletin briefly reviews the history of 

 the ranges in the State, suggests methods for their improvement, and discusses the 

 management of pastures. The important species of forage plants growing on the dif- 

 ferent grazing areas are enumerated and their value briefly pointed out. 



It is believed that the winter pastures in the arid regions may be restored by pro- 

 tection from overgrazing during the season when the native forage plants are 

 producing seed, and by alternately grazing differenl sections so thai part of the range 

 or pasture may remain ungrazed during the \\ inter and in the spring when the young 

 plants begin to grow. Cases are cited which showthat improvement of the range 

 can be accomplished by this treatment. 



Experiments carried on for 3 years in the Rattlesnake Mountains, where the an mi; 1 

 precipitation is 13 in., have shown that hunch grass could be successfully grown on 

 cultivated land, and that alfalfa and hairy vetch are of value for that section. The 

 native grasses, such as bunch wheat grass, proved to be the best forage plants for the 

 region. The author believes that the restoration of badly depleted ranges on the 

 semiarid lands may be hastened by gathering the seed of hunch grass or giant rye 

 grass and reseeding the denuded areas. He suggests that the seed might he either 

 harrowed in or stamped in by sheep herded over the reseeded portions. 



The mountain grazing areas or summer pastures, owing to a greater rainfall, are 

 not aa difficult of improvement as the semiarid lands. Experiments conducted in 

 these regions for 2 years show that of the number of masses sown timothy, moun- 

 tain brome grassl Bromus marginatum), tall fescue, and brome grass, in the decreasing 

 order of merit, proved adapted to the conditions. This work further demonstrated 

 the value of harrowing in the seed, and showed that the use of the harrow also had a 

 very favorable effect upon the native grasses and forage plants, especially upon 

 Bromus marginatum, Stipa occidentalis, and Vicia americana. 



Alfalfa or lucern, R. A. Moore, A. L. Stone, and <;. A. Olson [Wisconsin Sta. 

 Bui. tSl, pp. 22, figs. 8). — A part of the work described in this bulletin has been 

 noted from another source | E. S. R., 16, p. 763). In addition a method of protecting 

 alfalfa with hay caps is given, and the results of comparative tests with alfalfa, clover, 

 timothy, and brome grass, together with a determination of the water, protein, and 

 fat in the green substance and the hay from these crops, are reported. 



The total of 4 cuttings of alfalfa gave 32,376 lbs. of green substance, 10,800 lbs. of 

 hay. 8,900 lhs. of dry matter. 1,996 lbs. of protein, and 288 lbs. ol lat per acre. The 

 weigh 1 of green forage obtained was approximately 2, 3, and 5 times that of clover, 

 timothy, and brome grass, respectively, and the proportions foi hay were nearly the 

 Bame. 



The analyses also showed that alfalfa yielded nearly .': times as much protein per 

 acre as clover, 9 times as much as timothy, ami II' times as much as brome grass, 

 while the dry matter and fat were also greatly in favor ol alfalfa. The average pro- 

 tein content in the alfalfa hay was is. 7 jut cent and in the green forage 6.4 per cent, 



