Figure 3. The broinegrass breeding nunnery at Dover, July, 1956. Some of the 

 plants have been covered with bags in order to obtain self-pollinated seed. 



Ladino White Clover 



Ladino clover is the best pasture legume for New England. Since its intro- 

 duction into the region about 1930, the acreage has increased rapidly, and 

 it is now commonly grown on most dairy farms. It provides very palatable, 

 nutritious forage, has excellent ability to fix nitrogen, and makes a rapid 

 recovery after clipping in midsummer when many grasses are practically 

 dormant. 



Ladino will do well in most soil types providing there is a good supply 

 of moisture, and an adequate supply of potash, phosphorus and calcium. 

 A pH of 6.5 with annual applications of 75 to 100 pounds of phosphoric 

 acid and 100-200 pounds of potash per acre are generally recommended 

 for New Hampshire. Ladino is not suitable for droughty soils because of 

 its shallow root system. 



Relatively little work has been done on improvement of Ladino clover. 

 In 1953. a variety of Ladino clover was released by the United States De- 

 partment of Agriculture. This variety was developed from selections made 

 in the northeast, and was named Pilgrim. At present, this is the only 

 variety available. Various experiment stations in the Northeast have now 

 tested Pilgrim in comparison with other seed lots of Ladino clover, and 

 results since 1951 are presented for the New Hampshire Station. 



Materials and Methods 



On August 23. 1949. a Ladino test was seeded on the Bunker field in 

 Durham. This Charlton loam soil was limed at 1.500 pounds and fertilized 

 with 600 pounds per acre of 5-10-10 at seeding. Seven seed lots were 

 planted, including commercial Ladino. Pilgrim, and five lots from the 

 west, in a random block design with three replications. 



The plots were quite weedy in 1950, and yields were not taken. During 

 1951-1954. yields were taken for two to four harvests per year. Botanical 

 separations were made on a subsample from each plot for each harvest 

 to eliminate grasses and weeds. 



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