Agricultural Research in New Hampshire 21 



A Dairy Farm Rotation in Southern New 

 Hampshire with Sweet Corn as a Cash Crop 



Current activities involve methods of application of fertilizer rather 

 than the usual fertility variations studied previously. The plan involved: 

 (1) a series of plots on which all of the fertilizer was plowed under; an- 

 other series on which half was plowed under and half applied with the 

 planter; (3) a third series on which 700 pounds were applied with the 

 planter and 500 pounds were side-dressed at the second cultivation; and 

 a fourth series on which all the fertilizer was applied with the planter. 

 Twelve hundred pounds of 5-10-10 fertilizer were used in each series. 



The corn yields (green ears per acre) follows: 



All fertilizer plowed under 6.85 tons 



Half plowed under, half applied 



with planter 7.26 tons 



700 pounds with planter, 500 pounds 



side-dressed 7.41 tons 



All applied with planter 6.17 tons 



Plot observations during the growing season indicated that plots on 

 which the fertilizer was all applied with the planter made more growth 

 early than those on which the fertilizer was plowed under, were taller at 

 midseason, but yielded .68 ton less at harvest. There were no other ap- 

 parent differences. The plots on which all the fertilizer was plowed 

 down yielded .41 ton less than where half was plowed down and half ap- 

 plied with the planter but the highest yield was secured by applying part 

 of the fertilizer as a side dressing. 



The season of 1945 was one of relatively heavy rainfall, a condition 

 probably favorable to side dressing and unfavorable for plowing fertilizer 

 under. 



F. S. Prince, P. T. Blood 



The Relation of Potash Levels 



To the Persistence of Clover in Hay Stands 



Yield data and botanical analyses of the two series of plots harvested 

 in 1945 are completed. Plots 1-46 were seeded with red clover and timo- 

 thy, in 1942. All plots, except those to which borax was applied, received 

 an annual application of superphosphate and nitrate of soda. Manure 

 was applied only at seeding time in two levels, 10 and 20 tons per acre. 

 Potash was applied annually in the muriate form at levels of 100, 200, and 

 300 pounds. All treatments increased the yield over the check averaging 

 about 1000 pounds per acre. The highest yielding series was the one re- 

 ceiving borax. 



Lack of variations in yield for potash levels is undoubtedly due to 

 winter-killing of clover in the winter of 1943-44 and perhaps in part to 

 annual applications of nitrogen which appear to be inimical to clover 

 volunteering into the stand. The slight variation in percentage of clover 

 on the potash plots is probably not significant. 



