26 EXPERIMENT STATION BULLETIN 351 



Advanced Alfalfa Nursery Trials 



In 1941, two varieties and four new trials of alfalfa were planted at 

 the Whenal Farm, Greenland, New Hampshire. Each of the alfalfas were 

 replicated five times in randomized plots. During the following season, 

 1942, there were three harvests. In each instance the three middle rows 

 of each plot were cut and weighed green and the two outside ro\^'s were 

 discarded. The per cent dry matter was calculated from randomized 

 samples and dried in a steam-heated drier. 



Grimm gave the largest yield, 3.94 tons, and Michigan A-99 the 

 least, 3.69 tons, a range of only .25 tons. The resulting yields in tons per 

 acre follow in descending order: 



FORESTRY 



Propagation of Sugar Maples 



During the spring of 1943 some 60 trees were tested in eight towns 

 in various parts of the state. Five different sugar places were visited, and 

 the project was discussed with a number of operators. Random sampling 

 was tried on three different occasions, and the results were so unsatisfac- 

 tory that efforts were confined to those trees reported by operators to be 

 somewhat sweeter than the average. This was the plan followed in visit- 

 ing other parts of the state. 



The sugar content for 48 of the 60 trees tested was between 3.0 and 

 5.9 per cent of the sap. In two instances, the sugar content was below 3.0 

 per cent and in one instance it was above 9.0 per cent. 



It will take at least another season to determine whether or not high- 

 testing trees are really as sweet as present figures indicate. It is also 

 planned to carry on a series of daily observations to determine the effect 

 of weather on the sugar content. Statements of different operators do 

 not agree. 



The plant physiologist of the station has taken cuttings from a num- 

 ber of the better trees and will use them for propagation experiments. 



Seeds were collected from two trees on the campus in the fall of 1942, 

 and 27 tests of the results of different methods of storage were carried on 

 during the following winter and spring. Preliminary results indicate that 

 it may not be possible to break down the rest period of apparently four to 

 six months required by sugar maple seeds. Temperature, moisture, and 

 time are the three elements involved. Temperature requirements are not 

 yet clear, but it is probable that seeds should be kept below 40°F. during 

 most of the winter. Present tests do not give sufficient data on this point. 

 It also appears that a certain amount of moisture must be present for the 

 seeds to germinate successfully soon after planting. Although many of 

 the seeds stored over winter, under conditions in which they did not pick 

 up any moisture, seemed to have retained their viability, as indicated by 



