130 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [P.D.No.4. 



Professor BiiooKS. The plant which has been held up by 

 the speaker, which somewhat resembles the wild strawberry, 

 is what we call cinquefoil, or, in English, five fingers. There 

 are several species of that, and this one is the most common. 

 The gentleman who brought it here in talking with me said 

 that he thought it had killed the alfalfa. I told him that 

 while he might be right, I thought it was probable it was 

 more a symptom than a cause; that it indicated an acid con- 

 dition of the soil, and that was the reason the alfalfa died. 

 ISTow, while I am on my feet — and I will say I hope there 

 is a representative of the 'New York, I^ew Haven & Hartford 

 Railroad present — I might say that while it is fashionable 

 to say a great deal against the ISTew Haven road in these days, 

 I haj^pen to know that its management has taken up this 

 matter of furnishing the farmers cheaper lime. I believe, 

 indeed, that I brought the matter to their attention among 

 the first. They are establishing a plant in western Connecti- 

 cut for grinding limestone, and they propose to sell it at the 

 lowest possible rate, and will give reduced freight rates to 

 any points reached by their lines. I am not able to say just 

 what the rates will be, but I know that that is their plan. 



Mr. Wing. That is splendid. 



Mr. Mayo. I would like to know if you think it is pos- 

 sible by hybridization to get an alfalfa plant which is more 

 drought resistant, a more vigorous grower and one that would 

 have more growth of foliage. 



Mr. Wing. Well, Professor Hanson is working on the 

 hybridization of alfalfa, and we will wait for him and see 

 what comes out of it. 



Mr. F. E. Peck. I would like to ask how you get the 

 lime deep enough. Do you plow it in ? 



Mr. Wing. We like to apply half of it before plowing 

 and the other half afterward. Then the half that is put in 

 before plowing is turned under, and the next half is mixed 

 with the disc harrow. 



Mr. Peck. Do you apply it again after the crop is es- 

 tablished ? 



Mr. Wing. Yes, we have done that, too, with fine results. 



Adjournment, followed by meeting of the New England 

 Alfalfa Growers' Association. 



