No. 4.] ALFALFA IN NEW ENGLAND. 157 



couraged to plant again a year ago. I put in only half an 

 acre, but it succeeded pretty well; got a good stand; went 

 through the winter in good shape, and up to July 1 I felt 

 proud of it and invited people to come and see it, but then 

 the blight struck it and lessened the yield. I am wondering 

 what will happen next spring — whether that blight is going 

 to destroy the whole crop. The seed I bought is ordinary alfalfa 

 seed. I did not inquire as to the name or where it came from. 

 I feel a great deal encouraged by the speaker's remarks. I have 

 read all the pamphlets and bulletins and heard all the speakers 

 that have come in my way, and they have all seemed to em- 

 phasize promptness and an exact period at which we may cut 

 our crops. They say to wait until one-third of blossoms are 

 out; that we must watch the little crowns at the base and not 

 cut too early, and I had made up my mind that there must 

 be only thirty minutes between too late and too early, and 

 that I would have to get up from the table before I finished my 

 dinneF to go out and cut alfalfa; but now I learn from the 

 speaker that we may take a little more time. But what may 

 I expect in regard to my leaf spot? 



Dr. H. J. Wheeler. Was that the second crop that had 

 leaf spot? 



Mr. Bates. Had it on the second and third crops; the first 

 crop was disease free. 



Mr. Jeffers. We have had some of the leaf spot, but not 

 enough to injure a field seriously. I remember one field in 

 particular where we had rainy weather at the time of the first 

 cutting and were delayed about ten days getting the hay off. 

 That field became quite spotted with leaf spot, and it showed 

 in the next crop, but after that it was all right. We thought 

 that was due to running on the field when the shoots were 

 coming up, but we never had enough to be a serious trouble 

 to us. 



Mr. Sanborn has spoken of hardpan soil. Where I was born 

 and brought up the hardpan comes up to the third rail on the 

 fence and sometimes they have to move the fence higher to 

 get rid of the hardpan. We have tried out alfalfa on those 

 soils in northwestern Pennsylvania; when you get a real hard- 

 pan soil it seems difficult to get the alfalfa to stand a great 



