Part I Fertilizing Alfalfa Page 3 



Part II Top-Dressing Hay Page 11 



Part III Chemical Analysis of Soil Page 17 



SUMMARY 



Alfalfa 



Alfalfa can be grown successfully on adapted worn-out hay lands if 

 the soil fertility requirements of the crop are met. 



Manure has given constant and significant increases in the yields of 

 alfalfa hay over a five-year period in this experiment. 



Potash appears to be the most necessary element to prolong the life 

 and add to the yield. 



FJiosphorus exhibits conflicting results but is certainly not as neces- 

 sary as potash in stimulating yield and maintaining longevity of alfalfa 

 on this soil. 



Nitrogen does not seem to be so necessary for alfalfa as the other two 

 elements studied. 



The use of more than two tons of lime on this soil has not been justi- 

 fied during the period studied. 



Excellent crops of alfalfa have been produced from soils with a pll 

 value of not more than 5.6. 



The yield of alfalfa is influenced directly by the amount of rainfall 

 during the spring and summer months. 



An analysis of the alfalfa crop for nitrogen content in 1928 revealed 

 no significant differences due to treatment. 



Timothy 



Nitrogen exerted the greatest influence on the yield of timothy. 



Manure benefited the crop, largely because of the nitrogen it contains. 



Phosphorus aided in getting a stand on plots where it had been ap- 

 plied and increased the yield markedly the first year. This increase 

 was not maintained, although additional increments of phosphorus were 

 applied. 



Lime benefited the timothy crop, indicating that the pH level of the 

 original soil was too low for optimum timothy growth. 



Chemical analyses of these soils for nitrogen, phosphorus and potas- 

 sium indicated relatively large supplies of these elements. 



It would appear that worn-out hay fields such as this owe their de- 

 cline in yield to a lack of available plant food, to a declining supply of 

 rapidly decaying organic matter, and to lessened bacterial activity 

 which would normally render native plant-food stocks available. 



This condition is doubtless aggravated by high acidity in the soil. 



