The land had previously been in a clover-timothy sod for several years. 

 It was manured at about 10 tons per acre and plowed in the spring, then 

 summer- fallowed until August. Approximately 600 pounds of a 5-10-10 

 fertilizer and 3 tons of limestone per acre were applied at seeding. 



A randomized block planting plan was used with 5 replications. The fol- 

 lowing alfalfa varieties were included: 



Ranker — A bacterial wilt-resistant variety released by the Nebraska 

 Experiment Station. 



Na? raiiansett — A variety released by the Rhode Island Station, dark 

 green, with superior seedling vigor and resistance to leaf diseases. 



Atlantic — A vigorous variety developed by the New Jersey Station. 



Buffalo — A wilt-resistant variety developed by the U. S. Department of 

 Agriculture and the Kansas Experiment Station. 



Ontario Variegated — A hardy variety selected in Canada. 



Grimm — A hardy variety long used in northern areas. 



These varieties were seeded alone at the rate of 15 pounds per acre. The 

 following additional plots were also seeded: five plots to a New Hampshire 

 selection of smooth bromegrass, and five plots to a mixture of New Hamp- 

 shire bromegrass and Ranger alfalfa. The bromegrass was seeded at 15 

 pounds and the alfalfa in the mixture at 10 pounds per acre. 



All plots were top-dressed twice each year during 1951-1955, once in 

 early spring and after the first harvest. Each top-dressing was at approxi- 

 mately the following rate per acre: Alfalfa alone. 500 pounds of 0-20-20 

 fertilizer; alfalfa-bromegrass. 500 pounds of 5-10-10; and bromegrass 

 alone. 500 pounds of 1040-10. 



The plots were cut for hay twice each year, on approximately June 15 

 and August 20. Botanical separations were made on a subsample taken 

 from each plot in order to eliminate undesirable grasses and weeds from 

 the yield estimates. 



Experimental Results and Discussion 



Results of this test for the five-year period are given in Table 1. The 



five-}ear average of each variety is given in the right-hand column. The 



bottom row of figures indicates the pounds required for statistical sig- 

 nificance between varieties. 



Narragansett alfalfa was the highest in yield for each of the five consecu- 

 tive years, and its five-year average was significantly higher than any 

 other variety. It has also produced outstanding yields in other northeastern 

 states. 



Some workers have indicated that Narrangansett is also superior to other 

 varieties on imperfectly drained soils. In this test, on well-drained soil, 

 Narragansett produced the highest comparative yields in the first two 

 seasons. 



This variety is susceptible to bacterial wilt, and should not be seeded 

 in areas where this organism is present. In this trial, there was no evi- 

 dence of bacterial wilt. 



