ANNUAL REPORT, 1942 11 



Potato Variety Trials. (Ralph Donaldson, Walter S. Eisenmenger, and Karol J. 

 Kucinski.) Based on fields of marketable size, the ranking of potato varieties 

 grown in plots at the college during the season of 1942 were Sequoia, Pontiac, 

 Green Mountain, Hounia, Red Warba, Russet Rural, Chippewa, Earlaine, 

 S-46592, Katahdin, Sebago, S-46000, and Irish Cobbler. 



Ryegrass as a Green Manure Crop. (Hrant M. Yegian.) The use of domestic 

 ryegrass {Lolinm sp.) as a winter cover crop and green manure is becoming more 

 or less a general practice on the better-managed vegetable farms. It is one of the 

 best all-round winter cover crops in this region, where the temperature during 

 the growing season in the fall is moderately cool. Ryegrass is easily grown, and 

 on fertile soil makes a complete cover quickly. Its heavy mat of roots retards 

 severe soil erosion from wind or rapid run-ofif of rain. It may be seeded, in most 

 cases, as soon as the previous crop is removed. With set 'onions, ryegrass may 

 be seeded at the rate of 20-25 pounds per acre, in the early part of August, after 

 the onions have been harvested and moved out of the field, although seeding 

 even as late as the early part of September has given a satisfactory cover crop at 

 this station. The yield (0.5-1.5 tons of dry tops) will vary, depending upon the 

 time of seeding and the amount of available moisture and plant nutrients during 

 the growing period. It is moderately winter-hardy. From 50 to 60 percent of 

 the plants will survive the average winter; so unless the ryegrass is completely 

 turned under in the spring during the plowing operation, volunteer plants may 

 interfere with the cultivation of the subsequent crop. Experience here has shown 

 that a very satisfactory seedbed for the set onion crop can be prepared by plow- 

 ing under the cover crop in early spring. 



Influence of Soil Fertility on Productiveness of Pasture Species. (Hrant M. 

 Yegian.) In 1941 a field plot experiment was started with thirteen species of 

 grass to determine their relative productivity and ability to winter over and to 

 recover from cutting. These grass plots were maintained in pure stand at dif- 

 ferent levels of soil fertility which were secured by the addition of lime (1000 

 pounds per acre) and 5-8-7 fertilizer in increments of 400 pounds per acre. Data 

 covering the second year of the experiment warrant the following statement: 



All the species continued to respond as well in their second year as in their 

 first, to increases in soil fertility levels. 



The soil fertility requirements of different species vary. There was a pro- 

 nounced or consistent increase in yield with additional applications of commercial 

 fertilizer, but the percentage increase in yield was not the same for all the species 

 at each level of soil fertility. Reed canary grass, colonial bent, orchard grass, 

 and Kentucky bluegrass produced proportionally more dry tops at the higher 

 soil fertility levels (800 to 1600 pounds of 5-8-7 fertilizer per acre); while timothy, 

 fowl bluegrass, red top, and meadow fescue produced proportionally more dry 

 tops at the lower levels (400 to 800 pounds of 5-8-7 fertilizer per acre); and there 

 were a few species, including meadow fo.xtail and smooth brome grass, that pro- 

 duced in direct proportion to the amount of fertilizer added. 



The perennial ryegrass was completely winterkilled in its second }-ear. Ken- 

 tucky bluegrass, reed canary grass, timothy, and smooth brome grass gave a 

 greater yield in their second year than in the first in the fertilizer plots; meadow 

 fescue, colonial bent, orchard grass, rough-stalked meadow grass, and meadow 

 foxtail produced less in their second year; while red top and fowl bluegrass main- 

 tained their yield at the same level both years. 



Experiments at Amherst with Hay and Pasture Seeding Mixtures. (W. G. 



Colby.) Additional data were obtained from three series of plots planted with 

 different hay and pasture seeding mixtures in 1940 and 1941. Details of the 



