42 Experiment Station Bulletin 367 



originally seeded to one of the grasses named, with Ladino clover. The 

 harvests represent either this mixture, or just the pure grass in cases in 

 which Ladino was winterkilled or reduced by overgrazing, or the grass 

 with Ladino and any other grasses such as Kentucky blue grass or bent 

 grass which may have volunteered into the stand. 



In regard to seasonal distribution of forage produced, smooth brome 

 has given the highest early yields, with tall fescue producing much high- 

 er autumn yields than any other grass. 



Comparisons between complex seeding mixtures, including Ladino 

 and one of the large grasses with Ladino, are available on two farms. In 

 each case, the pastures were seeded in 1942. The 1945 harvests show a 

 difference of 1400 pounds of dry matter in favor of the simple mixture 

 with Ladino. This superiority is due, principally, to the greater freedom 

 which Ladino enjoys in the simple mixtures by not having so much com- 

 petition with red top and other sward forming grasses. 



Two rate-of-seeding tests with orchard grass indicate that good 

 stands and satisfactory yields may be secured on carefully prepared land 

 with as little as three pounds of seed per acre, although heavier seeding 

 rates up to 10 pounds have given slightly higher yields of dry matter. 



F. S. Prince, P. T. Blood 



The Improvement of Ladino Clover, Red Clover, 



And Timothy by Selection and Breeding Ladino Clover 



Twenty-four plants were propagated clonally in a seeding with new 

 orchard grass in 1944. Their behavior varied to the extent that many 

 new ones will be selected for developing a new strain rather than those 

 originally chosen. These will be caged in 1946. 



Twenty seedlings from each of seven parents grown under a cage 

 in 1944 were produced in 1945 in rows with Ladino for comparison. On 

 the basis of observation and scoring, six of the seven were distinctly su- 

 perior to Ladino, but these do not represent necessarily the best material 

 from the breeding program. 



Seventy-four plants of white clover and 90 of Ladino clover were 

 grown in spaced rows from seed received from the Pasture Laboratory 

 in April, 1944. While these plants exhibited some variation, they repre- 

 sent very desirable material on the whole. Some of these have been 

 brought into the greenhouse for intercrossing with a few of the more 

 desirable New Hampshire Ladino families. 



Red Clover. Over two dozen vigorous red clover plants have been 

 potted and placed in the greenhouse for hand intercrossing. These plants 

 are descendants of the 12 original families that lived and produced seed 

 for four or five seasons. Weak plants and those that show susceptibility 

 to disease are being discarded. 



Comparative trials with perennial red clovers from other sources are 

 under way. During the past season, about two bushels of seed of the New 

 Hampshire perennial strain were produced. This will be distributed to 

 other stations and used for comparative farm tests throughout the state. 



