HORTICULTURAL NOTES 57 



lighter-pruned trees invariably gave the higher averages in early 

 and generous fruit bearing. 



Orchard fertilization. Fertilization experiments are now being 

 planned for the young apple orchards at the Clermont, Hamilton, 

 Mahoning and Washington County farms, and for the substation 

 farm in Meigs County. Fertilization work also will be begun at 

 the Belmont County farm within the next year. 



Landscape improvement. Improvement of residence grounds, 

 in connection with the county and district experiment farms, also 

 is a part of the horticultural department's service. Measuring, 

 mapping, planning and planting are being accomplished as rapidly 

 as limited time, scarcity of help and widely scattered farms will 

 permit. There are twenty-one separate residence grounds at the 

 ten county and two district farms at which some planting has been 

 done. A single visit to all of these farms necessitates very nearly 

 800 miles travel. 



From the horticultural viewpoint the county experiment farms, 

 so recently established, could not reasonably be expected to be pro- 

 ductive of much interesting data for some years ; but, when results 

 begin to appear, these farms surely will be a source of abundant 

 material for illustrative and educational purposes. 



COSTLY CLOVER SEED AIDS ALFALFA CULTURE 



The high price of red clover seed is likely to cause farmers to grow more 

 alfalfa, according to specialists at the Ohio Experiment Station. Alfalfa seed 

 costs about the same as red clover seed but when a good alfalfa stand is secured 

 it will produce abundantly without reseeding for three to five years and a larger 

 tonnage of hay to the acre may be grown generally with alfalfa than with 

 clover. 



Alfalfa thrives well where good drainage is provided, where there is plenty 

 of lime in the soil and where the soil is in a fair state of fertility. 



Alfalfa culture methods differ. In the western part of the State the alfalfa 

 is frequently sown in regular rotation similarly to red clover. In eastern Ohio 

 it is generally sown as a regular crop in midsummer last of June to the first 

 of August and allowed to remain 4 or 5 years or as long as the stand will 

 justify. 



Ten pounds to the acre of seed at the Ohio Experiment Station has given 

 better results than when sown at the heavier rate. The seed should be inocu- 

 lated. 



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