maturity of timothy more closely matches that of red clover and birdsfoot 

 trefoil than alfalfa. The chief disadvantage of timothy is the poor regrowth 

 following initial harvest in comparison to other cool-season grasses. 



Smooth bromegrass 



Smooth bromegrass (Bromus inermis) is a leafy, very hardy, perennial grass 

 which is also tolerant to drought and heat. It is a deep-rooted grass which 

 spreads by rhizomes to form a dense sod. It is fully as palatable, nutritious, and 

 high yielding as timothy in New Hampshire and merits wider usage especially on 

 the lighter soils in the southern part of the state. Its recovery growth following 

 the first harvest is often superior to timothy under these conditions. Timothy 

 has a more shallow root system but may, under certain conditions, out-yield 

 bromegrass especially in the northern part of New Hampshire where summer 

 rainfall is usually more evenly distributed during the growing season. Bromegrass 

 is more compatible than timothy in a mixture with alfalfa. 



Bromegrass does have some disadvantages in that the seed are light and 

 chaffy, resulting in some difficulty in sowing and establishment. Timothy can 

 usually be seeded somewhat later in September than bromegrass in southern 

 New Hampshire. A mid-August seeding of either of these grasses is preferred to a 

 spnng seeding, especially if the land can be disked frequently for 1-2 months 

 prior to seeding. Although bromegrass has been successfully established here as 

 late as mid-September, yields are greatly reduced in the first harvest year. 

 Seeding either bromegrass or timothy by August 15 is recommended if possible. 



METHODS AND MATERIALS 



Rainfall and. temperature data for the growing season are summarized in 

 Table 1. Data are from a standard weather station located about 2.5 miles from 

 the experimental plots. Winters were not severe; however, there was no 

 continuous snow cover during any of the years of the trials. 



The soil type for all the trials was Charlton fine sandy loam. This soil is 

 characterized as fairly deep and well drained, with a water table generally deeper 

 than three feet and with moderately rapid water movement through the soil. 



Alfalfa 



The experimental area was previously in corn (1971) and was 

 summer-fallowed in 1972. Two and one-half tons of dolomitic lime, 1000 lbs. of 

 0-20-20, 330 lbs. of 0-0-60, and two lbs/A of boron in the form of Solubor were 

 applied. Seed was inoculated immediately before planting. Twelve varieties of 

 alfalfa were broadcast-seeded without grass at the rate of 17 lbs. /A on August 

 10, 1972. Three check varieties ('Saranac', 'Iroquois', and 'Vernal') were 

 included. These are currently recommended varieties and serve as standards of 

 comparison. No herbicide was applied since a weed problem was not evident. 

 Each variety was planted in 5-x 16-foot plots and replicated five times in a 

 randomized block design. 



Characteristics of varieties entered are shown in Table 2. All varieties but 

 'Team' have good resistance to bacterial wilt, a soil-borne disease which is 



