leaves. The seven sprays applied contained only a total phosphorus equiva- 

 lent to an application of 5.9 pounds of P2O5 per acre; therefore, its effi- 

 ciency of utilization was approximately 5.7 percent. On the other hand, 

 where 200 pounds of P2O.-, was applied to the soil as a fertilizer, its effi- 

 ciency of utilization was considerably less than 5 percent. The total phos- 

 phorus needs of the crop are more adequately taken care of by the native 

 soil- and fertilizer-phosphorus treatments since these tw-o together ac- 

 counted for more than 90 percent of the total phosphorus in the plant. It 

 appears improbable that foliar feeding of the potato crop wathout root 

 feeding can adequately take care of the plant's requirements for phosphorus. 



L. T. Kardos 



Potato Scab Easier to Prevent Than to Cure 



Five hundred pounds of lime per acre per year were applied on scab- 

 free potato soils with a pH of 5.09. Potato scab gradually built up as the pH 

 was raised by the use of the lime to 5.28, to the point where the potatoes 

 were not marketable. The lime was then omitted until the pH dropped to its 

 original 5.09, and even at this pH, scab incidence was 63 percent. By con- 

 trast, nearby plots at the same pH which received no lime continued to be 

 free of scab. This indicates that once the scab organism population builds 

 up it is a very slow process to get rid of scab. 



Adjacent plots in rotation which had received the same amount of lime 

 were scab-free. This means that it is important for a potato grower to use 

 soil-building crops in rotation in order to maintain a satisfactory level of 

 organic matter. 



P. T. Blood 



Legume-Grass Yields Highest without Nitrogen Fertilizer 



During the second year of harvest, the highest yields of a ladino clover- 

 bromegrass mixture were made with no nitrogen fertilizer. The best yield 

 was slightly in excess of three tons of dry matter per acre, and the fertilizer 

 treatment consisted of 120 pounds of P2O5, 240 pounds of KjO, 10 pounds 

 of borax per acre, and no nitrogen fertilizer. The lowest yielding plot re- 

 ceived onl}' 60 pounds of PoO-, per acre. 



Yields were in direct proportion to the amount of potash applied. The 

 percentage of ladino clover was decreased by the application of nitrogen fer- 

 tilizer, but increased by potash fertilization. 



R. L. Donahue, P. T. Blood 



Narragansett Alfalfa Proves Superior 



Xarragansett alfalfa maintained its superiority in yield over five other 

 varieties for the third consecutive year. This variety of alfalfa has also been 

 outstanding in other northeastern states. 



Yield tests were conducted in 1953 on alfalfa at Greenland, ladino 

 clover at Durham, and on smooth bromegrass at Dover and Colebrook. 

 Yield tests were established in 1953 for nine strains of ladino clover at 

 Dover and Colebrook. 



Certified Oregon Ladino produced somewhat higher yields than the 



ther strains in this test during 1953. 



17 



