10 MASS. EXPERIMENT STATION BULLETIN 315 



average yields. Kansas and Utah common were generally the most productive 

 of this group. Among the foreign varieties, Hungary, Argentine, and Italian were 

 good yielders. Ladak, Turkestan, and Hairy Peruvian were definitely poor in 

 these tests. Poor yields generally were associated with weak stands developed 

 during the period of the experiment. 



Red Clover. During the period 1930-1932, 43 lots of red clover strains were 

 grown in three seedings. Results clearly show the supremacy of domestic over 

 foreign varieties, and of eastern domestics over western domestics. The highest 

 average yield for the strains of a given locality was 3.4 tons of cured hay. 



Crimson Clover. Tests of crimson clover sown alone and with oats, and at 

 different times from early May to the middle of July in 1932 and 1933, showed 

 that when treated as a summer annual this legume is not well adapted to this 

 (Connecticut Valley) section. The maximum yield when seeded alone was 1.3 

 tons of cured hay. 



Field Peas and Vetches. Several varieties of field peas were grown alone or in 

 combination with oats as a companion crop. In this section peas are subject to 

 the attack of several insect pests and fungous diseases, of which aphids are the 

 worst, and infestations of them occur with considerable regularity. Spells of hot 

 weather usually occurring in May or June also are a deterrent to the best develop- 

 ment of peas. Of several varieties of peas tested, Chang gave the highest average 

 yield (1.33 tons of cured hay). The maximum yield in the best year was 1.75 

 tons when the crop was grown without a companion crop. The use of oats as a 

 companion crop reduced the yield of peas, but increased the total yield, reduced 

 insect and disease injury, and is recommended as a practical method. Vetches, 

 likewise, did poorly. Of the spring-sown varieties, Oregon Pearl did best, and of the 

 fall-sown varieties, Oregon Hairy was slightly superior. As with peas, this crop 

 did best when sown with a companion crop; winter wheat was slightly better than 

 winter rye for fall-sown vetch, and oats were satisfactory for the spring-sown crop. 

 These tests have shown that field peas and vetches are not well adapted to such 

 conditions as prevail in the Connecticut Valley. They should be regarded pri- 

 marily as emergency forage crops, but not as permanent substitutes for red or 

 alsike clover, alfalfa, or soybeans, which yield considerably more per acre. 



Lespedeza. Two strains of Early Korean lespedeza were tested for seed 

 production in 1932 and 1933. These were grown in cultivated rows on a soil of 

 good fertility. Both strains set seed abundantly and matured them by the middle 

 of September. The plants attained a maximum height of about 10 inches. No 

 data on yield of forage were obtained. It has been suggested that this variety of 

 lespedeza might be successfully grown on acid, upland pasture soils. In the spring 

 of 1933 before the frost had come out of the ground, seed of both strains was sown 

 at the rate of 20 pounds per acre on the surface of a permanent pasture which 

 had been used for fertilizer experiments. The sod was quite thin in places. Early 

 in the season and before grazing had begun, a fair stand of lespedeza plants was 

 found on all plots, but at the end of the grazing season less than 1 percent of 

 lespedeza could be found on any plot. Such plants as were found were very small, 

 but had set seed. No differences were apparent in strain of seed, or fertilizer or 

 lime treatments. By the end of the grazing season of 1934 lespedeza had virtually 

 disappeared from the pasture. It seems that this legume cannot be established 

 in this manner on upland pastures of this section. 



Sweet Clover. Hulled and unhulled seed of biennial white sweet clover was 

 sown on the surface of plowed and harrowed soil at monthly intervals from 

 December to May. It was found that maximum stands and good yields were 



