1446 FORAGE CROPS, MEADOWS AND PASTURES 



From the results obtained the following conclusions are drawn : 

 i) By a simple harrowing the crop of forage is increased on the ave- 

 rage by 56.8 per cent. 



2) Harrowing and manuring give an increase of nearly 300 per cent. 



3) Harrowing, manuring and seeding give an increase of 350 per 

 cent on the crop, causing at the same time a considerable modification in 

 the flora of the cultivated peat bogs. 



4) Complete cultivation, with deep ploughing, manuring and seeding 

 gave an increase in crop of 600 to 900 per cent. 



5) Experiments with weeded areas gave results of little promise, 

 though not absolutely discouraging. 



6) The increase of crop which follows the cultivation of peat bogs 

 is determined by the following factors : 



a) Increase in the nutritive capacity of the soil, which results in 

 an increase in the number of plants per unit area and also in better develop- 

 ment of the individual plants. 



h) The light and worthless species disappear from the hay and are 

 replaced by more valuable grasses and leguminous plants which are heavier 

 and more tufted. 



7) The importance of the cultivation of peat bogs is therefore not 

 only quantitative but also qualitative, because with improved cultural 

 methods the poor and useless species of the flora disappear ver}^ rapidly 

 from the bogs and are replaced by useful species which, with favovrrable 

 soil conditions, show good development of aerial parts as well as of under- 

 ground parts. 



With regard to the economic side of the experiment, the expenses in- 

 curred in the cultivation of peaty meadow were completely repaid during 

 the second 3"ear, cost of drainage etc. being taken into consideration. 



1076 -Chemical Composition of Alfalfa as Affected by Stage of Maturity, Mechanical 



Losses and Condition of Drying. — Sw.'VNSON, C. O., and 1,atshaw, W.I<. (Chemical De- 

 partnieul, Agricultural Experiment Station, Manhattan, Kansas), in The Journal of Indus- 

 trial and Engineering Chemistry, Vol. 8, No. 8, pp. 726-729. Easton, Pa., August, 1916. 



Experiments on the chemical composition of lucerne (alfalfa) have 

 been carried out for two years running, 1914, with a moderatel}^ dry sum- 

 mer and IQ15, with an unusually wet season. The lucerne to be analysed 

 was cut from duplicate and triplicate o.i acre plots, at the time of budding, 

 one-tenth bloom, full bloom and at seed formation. As soon as cut, a sam- 

 ple was tajcen and spread in an attic room to dry. When the hay cut in 

 the field was dry enough to stack it also was sampled, and the sample was 

 taken to the same attic room. When the green sam]:)le was partially wilted 

 a subsample was taken, and the proportion of leaves to stem was determined 

 on an air-dry basis. Samples of alfalfa cut at the same stages of matu- 

 rity were also obtained at the time of feeding. 



The analytical figures show that lucerne cut at the time of budding 

 contains a maximum proj)crtion of ash and crude protein, together with a 

 minimum of crude fibre and nitrogen-free extract. The latter increase 



