THIRTEENTH ANNUAL YEAR BOOK— PART XII 



657 



One hundred and twenty-eight practical men from all sections of the 

 state report an average yield of 3.5 tons per acre, while some report over 

 5 tons per acre as an average of several years. One man conducting a 

 co-operative alfalfa experiment with this department reports over 4 

 tons of well-cured hay per acre, for the first cutting of 1912. Two tons 

 of this sold as weighed from the field for $20.00 per ton. 



An indication of the possible production of this crop is given in the 

 yields secured at Ames upon land of only average fertility. The soil 

 was iLoculated, but it received no fertilizer other than from 8 to 10 

 tons of manure per acre which was plowed under before seeding. 



A field of 714 acres seeded in August, 1908, on the Iowa State College 

 dairy farm gave three cuttings in 1909 and again in 1910, with a total 

 yield of over 5^2 tons each year. In 1910 it also gave considerable pas- 

 turage. In 1911 the first crop was cut June 12th, with an average yield 

 of 2%. tons per acre for the whole piece. Three cuttings were made dur- 

 ing the season, and in spite of the very light rainfall, the total yield was 

 4.3 tons per acre. The first cutting in 1912 gave a yield of 2.95 tons per 

 acre, while 7.03 tons per acre were secured during the season. 



Sixteen seedings made on the experiment station field since the year 

 1903 have produced an average yield of 4.38 tons per acre. Yields of 

 over 2% tons at a single cutting have been quite common and over 3^/4 

 tons have been secured. One seeding yielded 714 tons per acre in a single 

 year, while another has an average for three years of 514 tons. 



Fig-. 4. — Alfalfa sown on Experiment Station fields, August, 1908, on 

 soil only medium in fertility, which received no special treatment except 

 soil inoculation. Yield for 1909, 1910 and 1911, 5 tons, 4.4 tons and 3.2 

 tons, respectively. Gradual decrease in yield due more to character of 

 season than to decrease in vigor of crop. 



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