14 MASS. EXPERIMENT STATION BULLETIN 449 



while an adjacent plot was left undisturbed as a check plot. Spring wheat, 

 white sweet clover, winter rye, and buckwheat were grown on fertilized and un- 

 fertilized portions of these two areas. The decrease in yield due to top-soil 

 removal ranged from 63 to 81 percent for the fertilized areas and from 91 percent 

 to complete crop failure for the unfertilized areas. 



The Investigation of Beach Grass. The native or American beach grass {Am- 

 mophila breviligulata) found commonly on Cape Cod has been used successfully 

 in the stabilization of beach areas and coastal sand dunes. A heavy type of 

 transplanting machine which has been developed recently is capable of planting 

 about six acres a day. The use of this niachine has made it economically feasible 

 to transplant beach grass and has created a demand for large quantities of trans- 

 planting stock. There are some indications that fertilization of natural beach 

 grass will tend to increase the stands and thus provide more and better propa- 

 gating stock per given area. 



Studies are in progress to determine what response beach grass will make to 

 fertilization and liming, in the natural state and after it has been transplanted. 



Investigations with Various Winter Cover Crops for Onion and Potato Fields 

 in the Connecticut River Valley. The date and rate of seeding and kind of cover 

 crop used depend somewhat on the preceding and succeeding crop. For several 

 years such crops as winter rye, barley, oats, buckwheat, domestic rye grass, and 

 Italian rye grass have been seeded at weekly intervals from the beginning of 

 September through the last week in November. Winter rye, oats, and barley 

 produced excellent cover when they were sown in September and early October; 

 fair to medium cover when seeded from middle to late October; and poor cover 

 when seeded during November, especially during the last week of November, 

 when growth was considered unsatisfactory. Not very much stooling resulted 

 when these crops were seeded after the middle of October. Italian or domestic 

 rye grass and buckwheat do well when seeded in early September. Rye grass, 

 when planted early, produced a thick mass of fine roots, which may be superior 

 to the coarse roots of the cereal plants for the prevention of water erosion. Some 

 rye grass may survive mild winters, and this should be taken into consideration 

 if seedings are made in fields to be used for certain crops like onions where it is 

 not the custom to plow in the spring. Barley and oats, which winterkill yet 

 produce a desirable protective mat cover, may be used in onions and other small- 

 vegetable fields. The mat thus produced can be easily disked and will not inter- 

 fere with the preparation of the field in the early spring. Buckwheat can be used 

 as a green manure crop, catch crop, or cover crop, but is not satisfactory as a 

 winter cover crop. It is killed by the first light frost, and the mat produced on 

 the soil surface is not a sufficient protection against erosion. 



The rate of seeding for oats, winter rye, and barley' is 1 3^ to 2 bushels per acre, 

 and the larger rate should be used if seeding is made during October. For Italian 

 or domestic rye grass, when used as cover crops, 25 pounds per acre has been 

 found to be a desirable rate of seeding, and for buckwheat about 35 to 40 pounds. 



Use of Snow Fencing in Controlling Wind Erosion. Farmers in the Connecticut 

 Valley have the problem of protecting their soils and crops from wind damage. 

 The winds which occur during early spring result in losses of soil, seed, fertilizer, 

 and young crops. This damage usually occurs at particular areas on a farm, 

 called "blowouts." To control these local "blowout" spots temporarily until 

 the crop has established itself, some form of windbreak may be used. Trials 

 have shown that snow fencing is satisfactory for this purpose. The cumbersome 



