June, 194UJ AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH IN N. H. 23 



another is fall plowed, while the third is fall plowed and harrowed. 

 Another plot has been established temporarily on the experimental 

 plots at the Lane farm in Pittsfield. The comparison of these two 

 soil conditions will provide data on the infiltration rate, the efifect of 

 frost, the value of different kinds of cultural practices, the time of 

 year when erosion takes place, and the amount of soil removal. 



(Purnell Fund) 



Pasture Species under New Hampshire Conditions 



During- the spring of 1939 about 2500 individual plants were grown 

 in Hats in the greenhouse and later transplanted to a nursery on the 

 university farm. These plants represent 15 species and strains, al- 

 tht)Ug'h the major portion of them consist of but 3 species, timothy, 

 red clover, and wild white clover. The first objective is to isolate 

 certain promising native strains of these three species. 



In addition to these individual plant propagations, about 60 small 

 plots were seeded to some of the "improved" grasses and clovers 

 that have been developed in other parts of the world. Strains from 

 Wales, Scotland, Sweden and Canada, as well as from various points 

 in the United States were used. 



Plots which had been seeded in 1936 to mixtures containing Lad- 

 ino carried 26 per cent of this clover at the end of the three-year test. 

 Plots within this group that had smooth brome or orchard grass as 

 components of the mixture carried considerably more Ladino than 

 those in which reed canary grass had been used. 



Kentucky bluegrass, although seeded in Init four of the 64 plots, 

 appeared in all plots except four at the end of the period, averaging 

 slightly over 30 per cent of the stand in those plots in which it ap- 

 peared. This suggests that the ultimate pasture on this soil and in 

 this climate and under close clipping or grazing will be composed 

 largely of Kentucky bluegrass with such Dutch or wild white clovers 

 as are able to compete with it. 



With respect to the strains used, neither timothy nor brome grass 

 will survive for anv considerable length of time under close grazing- 

 or chi^pmg, at least until strains better adapted to pasturing or for 

 the climate are secured. 



Tests were made by the department of agricultural chemistry on 

 the protein content of various grasses. In the majority of the grass- 

 es, the protein content v.-as fairly high. However, the grasses were 

 row-grown, cultivated, and well watered. (Bankhead-Jones Fund) 



Variations in Cooking Quality of Potatoes 



Two articles have been published on the influence of variety and 

 fertilizer treatment on the cooking quality of potatoes. In addition 

 to these, it is proposed to publish a resume of this work together 

 with similar tests on the 1939 crop in a bulletin dealing with potatoes. 



The method used to determine potato quality is based on the 

 promise that potatoes with a high specific gravity are mealy and 

 presumably higher in starch content than those with a lower specific 

 gravity. (Purnell Fund) 



