April, 1935] Agricultural Research in N. H. 5 



in tomato plants as soon as potassium deficiency could be recognized. The 

 deficient plants were found lower in ash in per cent dry weight and in potas- 

 sium, and higher in calcium, magnesium and phosphorus. They were also 

 found lu'gh in solid, reducing sugars and insoluble nitrogen in ])er cent fresh 

 weight and reducing sugars in per cent dry weight. The determinations 

 gave no evidence of deranged nitrogen metabolism at this early stage of 

 potassiuiu deficiency. Results of this study have been published in Tech- 

 nical Bulletin 59. (T. G. Phillif's, T. 0. Smith and R. B. Dearborn — Adams 

 Fund.) 



Efficiency Studies in Dairy Farming 



Twenty-five dairy farms in the Colebrook area have been mapped and 

 possible crop improvements have been planned for five of these. A double 

 rotation seems to work out to the best advantage. The best tillage land under 

 this program is set aside for a three-year rotation of potatoes, oats, and 

 clover. The remaining tillage, preferably in the nearby fields, is operated 

 with a longer rotation for roughage. On these fields hme can be applied 

 without disadvantage to a potato crop, and a five-year rotation of corn, and 

 oats, and three years of hay is recommended. 



Detailed chore records have been taken on twenty farms. It was found 

 that one man spent 472 minutes daily caring for 34 cows, 15 heifers, 7 calves, 

 and one bull — the equivalent of 74 animal units, and an average of 10.2 min- 

 utes per animal unit. {H. C. Woodivorth, C. IV. Harris, S. Colby, and A. 

 Hangas — Purnell Fund.) 



Dairy Herd Replacements in Southern New Hampshire 



The majority of farmers in southern New Hampshire raise all or a part 

 of their replacements, according to a survey of 201 farms for the year end- 

 ing May 31, 1933. Only six of these farmers were purchasing all of their 

 replacements compared with 45 raising young stock for income in addition 

 to maintaining their herds. 



The average feed costs of raising a heifer to age of freshening, exclusive 

 of pasture costs, was $67. This represents abovit two-thirds of the total 

 costs. Hay amounted to 54 per cent of the feed costs. Farmers admitted 

 that they could buy cows cheaper than they could raise them, but felt that by 

 raising them, the maintenance expense was less noticeable, they knew what 

 they were getting, and disease was less likely. They estimated that over a 

 period of years 6 cows out of every 10 purchased proved satisfactory com- 

 pared with 7.2 out of every 10 heifers raised. The average price paid for 

 cows was '^77, $71 for grades, and $95 for purebreds. 



There were 60 heifers for each 100 cows on May 1, 1933. The survey 

 shows that this number was adequate for maintaining the herds. There 

 were approximately one-half as many cows purchased during the year as 

 there were heifers freshening for the first time. The average age of heifers 

 at first freshening was 30.3 months. 



There were fewer heifers under one year old at the end of the year than 

 at the beginning. However, 66 farmers stated that they were raising more 

 heifers in recent years than they had previously; only 11 farmers were rais- 

 ing fewer heifers. Others had made no definite change. 



Farmers estimated the total carrying capacity of their pastures to be 

 3,296 cows or their equivalent in a normal season. This was 94 per cent of 



