Yield records were again obtained on the ladino strain test at Durham. 

 It is expected that a source nursery of ladino will be established this fall or 

 next spring. Considerable emphasis will be given in the ladino program to 

 obtaining resistance to the stem rot organism (Sclerotinia trifoliorum) . 



Measurements were made for height, leaf width, and length, and leaf 

 to stem ratios taken for the timothy selections which had been made pre- 

 viously. The height, leaf length, and width values will be correlated with the 

 leafiness of the clones in an attempt to obtain information which will aid 

 in selection and breeding for greater leafiness. 



Since the succeeding generations of the original red clover plants found 

 under isolated conditions continued to persist longer than the usual two years, 

 a new lot of breeders' seed was gathered in 1951 under greenhouse isolation 

 conditions. This seed was further multiplied in the greenhouse and in the 

 field with the object of setting up replicated yield trials with other red clover 

 varieties in New Hampshire and other states. 



G. M. Dunn, F. S. Prince, L. J. Higgins 



Too Little or Too Much Boron for Potatoes? 



Feeding minor elements to plants is very often a ticklish problem. They 

 may be needed in only a few parts per million yet without this trace plants 

 may suffer serious diseases. On the other hand quantities only slightly larger 

 than those needed for normal growth may be toxic. Boron is a good ex- 

 ample of such a minor element. About one part per million in solution is 

 absolutely necessary for proper growth of potatoes but as little as 15 parts 

 per million is toxic. 



Some commercial potato fertilizers are being formulated with additions 

 of boron. Studies on a Worthington loam in the Colebrook area have been 

 underway to determine whether continued use of such a fertilizer might re- 

 sult in reduced yields of potatoes. In 1950, after using a borated fertilizer 

 containing 5 pounds of borax per ton for 5 consecutive years, a reduction 

 in yield of 44 bushels was obtained. In 1951, in the sixth year of the test, 

 there was no decrease in yield from the borated fertilizer although soil tests 

 have indicated a slow increase in the available boron content of the plots 

 which have been receiving the borated fertilizer. 



The cause of the difference in the effect of the borated fertilizer in the 

 two years is not known definitely, but it is thought that the relatively dry 

 growing season in 1950 may have resulted in a higher boron concentration 

 adjacent to the fertilizer bands, while in 1951, a relatively moist season, the 

 boron would not be as concentrated in the soil solution. 



As far as potatoes are concerned, it looks as though the farmer growing 

 potatoes continuously will have to be careful in his use of borated fertilizers 

 or too little may become too much. 



F. S. Prince, L. T. Kardos, P. T. Blood 



Ladino Clover Needs Both Lime and Potash. 



Field experiments on two important soil types, one in northern New 

 Hampshire and the other in southern New Hampshire, point out that lime 

 and potash go hand in hand in increasing the yield of ladino clover. 



In the Colebrook area in northern New Hampshire, on a Worthington 

 loam soil, when lime was used without potash the ladino yield was increased 



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