11 



would do if a very severe attack of leaf blight struck your 

 alfalfa, — whether you would cut it or leave it. 



Mr. Wing. Dr. Wheeler, I would never cut it, even with 

 leaf blight, until the shoots appeared. By the way, the leaf 

 blight, in my experience, comes very little if a man has his 

 soil chemically right and if he hasn't been trespassing on it 

 in some way. I found some places where the fishermen had 

 made a path through the alfalfa, as they went down to fish, 

 and the kuif blight followed along where they went; and 

 where the teams turn around in the alfalfa, where the corn 

 fields join onto it, it also appears; but in the 100 acres we 

 have in alfalfa at Woodland Farm we have no blight except 

 in spots like these. But even if I did have it, I would not 

 cut the alfalfa until the little shoots come. I might feel 

 awfully sorry, but I wouldn't cut. 



Professor Wpieeler. In the case of long protracted 

 drought, with, say, three weeks of no rain, it becomes woody 

 and the leaves drop. 



Mr. Wing. I believe even then, even with the long 

 drought and the leaves dropping off, I would wait for the 

 little shoots. I would be afraid to cut before they appear. 



Mr. Palmerton. Why do you recommend muriate of 

 potash instead of sulphate ? 



Mr. Wing. Because it is cheaper with us, that's all. T 

 should think one would do almost as well as the other, would 

 it not. Professor Wheeler ? 



Professor Wheelek. I think the muriate has the ad- 

 vantage of being the more soluble, and if you put in enough 

 lime you will be ahead of the game by using the muriate 

 instead of the sulphate. 



Secretary Wheeler. I would like to ask what kind of 

 seed you use. 



Mr. Wing. That is very important in ISTew England. In 

 !N^ew England I would not use the imported seed, because you 

 are likely to get the Turkestan, which is not very productive 

 under your conditions ; and may even get something worse, 

 such as that from Algeria, which will not stand the winter 

 here; and you might get various kinds of weeds. I would 

 rather get the seed for here from Montana, the Dakotas or 



