132 STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



soil or liavo continued in not getting a catch of clover, I would strongly 

 recommend sand lucerne. 1 have a table showing the results of experi- 

 ments Avith sand lucerne. 



Shall we grow alfalfa? Yes, but begin in a small way and experiment. 

 If it does well, increase gradual! v. 



DISCUSSION". 



Q. Where can we get seed of sand lucerne? 



Prof. Towar: Wernich Seed Company, Milwaukee, has the seed for sale, twenty 

 cents a pound. Use from 15 to 20 pounds per acre. 



Q. Is sand lucerne better than clover? 



Prof. Smith : By all means raise clover if you can. 



Q. Do you have to fertilize for sand lucerne? 



Prof. Towar: No. The field where ovirs is growing has had no fertilizer since 1S97. 

 Moreover, it was a piece of ground where the surface soil had all been scraped off. After 

 plants had been growing two years on this soil we endeavored to see how far down -the 

 roots went, and seven feet below the surface we found roots one-eighth inch in diameter, 

 and we quit digging. 



Q. How long will sand lucerne stay in the soil? 



Prof. Towar: Forever. 



Q. Is it being grown in this State? 



Prof. Towar: Yes, it is growing successfully in Ogemaw, Antrim, Grand Traverse, 

 and Otsego counties. 



Q. When do you sow it? 



Prof. Towar: In the spring. Do not pasture it. Mow it very early in the spring so 

 as to cut the weeds. 



Q. What does it yield? 



Prof. Towar: In 1898, the first season for ours on the college farm we got three 

 crops. The yield for the season was at the rate of G,000 pounds per acre : the next year 

 atl the rate of 10,.580 pounds per acre: and in 1900 we got four crops with a yield at 

 the rate of 12,310 pounds per acre. It grows from two to three feet high and has a 

 purple blossom. Sometimes it can be cut the iirst season but not usually. 



Q. Can it be grown on muck? 



Prof. Towar: In Lapeer county Mr. Ferguson sowed on muck and got, a ton and a 

 half per acre that same fall. He sowed six acres last spring. It might not stand the 

 winter on muck. It is not intended for heavy clay nor for any land where the water 

 table is high. On such soils we should use grasses. 



Mr. Raven : I have a piece of muck land that was burned over. I want to seed it to 

 pasture. Mr. Clark of Wisconsin reeonnuended timothy and a little Alsike but my 

 cows do not eat Alsike. ^^'hat would you advise me to do? 



Prof. Smith: Sow red top. Get fine recleaned seed. This seed costs more and is 

 hard to sow but germinates better. 



The question was asked, will cows eat Alsike? Nearly every one said yes but Mr. 

 Raven, who said that Alsike grown on muck in his neighborhood was not eaten by the 

 stock. There seems to form a sort of gum on it. Horses and sheep won't eat it. It 

 seems to cause slobbers in horses. One or two others reported the same experience. 

 Mr. Wilcox reported that it was just as bad on sand as on muck. 



Prof. Smith continued his talk as follows: Besides silage and legumes, 

 feed cotton seed meal this winter. This is the cheapest form of protein. 

 Do not mistake this for linseed meal. Cotton seed meal is constipating 

 and makes hard butter. Linseed meal is loosening and makes soft butter. 

 A good ration can be made up of bran, clover hay, and silage, with a little 

 cotton seed meal added, or if you have no silage, you can use corn stalks 

 mixed with hay and corn and you can add linseed meal. (Iluten meal is 

 a cheap form of protein, but it makes butter sticky and hard to churn. 



