May, 1937] Agricultural Research in N. H., 1936 11 



Valley, experiments -v^ith top-dressing old pastures, and a soil survey 

 of New Hampshire. The agronomic work in the studies is conducted 

 by F. S. Prince and P. T. Blood; the chemical phases by T. G. Phillips 

 and G. P. Percival. 



Hay on Neglected Haylands. The crop at the Whenal Farm in 

 Greenland was top-dressed in 1936 and harvested according to plan in 

 July. The treatments applied were: nitrogen alone, phosphorus and 

 potash, and nitrogen, phosphorus and potash. The differences for all 

 three treatments were positive, showing increases respectively over the 

 check of 1057, 370 and 1343 pounds per acre. These differences are 

 not so great as they were in 1935, reflecting lower rainfall. 



Legumes on Neglected Haylands. One harvest only was secured on 

 the 48 plots on the Whenal Farm. Although drought reduced yield and 

 served to iron out variations between most of the series the stimulation 

 of potash on alfalfa was apparent. It appears that at this stage of the 

 experiment the continued use of 150 pounds of muriate of potash per 

 acre increases the yield slightly more than one half ton of cured hay 

 per acre no matter whether it is used alone or in combination with 

 other fertilizer substances. Part if not all of this increase is due to the 

 fact that potash influences the longevity of the crop, and more alfalfa 

 persists where potash is applied. 



The stand of alfalfa has become reduced on these plots to the point 

 where it has been necessary to plow. The land will be planted in 1937 

 to an alternate crop before it is again seeded to alfalfa. 



In another series where alfalfa is being grown without manure, the 

 omission of nitrogen caused a decrease in yield in both cuttings, al- 

 though doubling the nitrogen caused practically no difference in yield. 

 Increasing the phosphorous and potassium content of the fertilizer 

 brought considerable increase in yield. It appears on this soil that min- 

 erals other than nitrogen are extremely important. It also seems that 

 with excessive minerals additional nitrogen is not so necessary. 



Dairy Farm Rotation on Worn-Out Hayland. A three-year rotation 

 of potatoes, oats and clover is in progress at the Lane Farm in Pitts- 

 field. All of the fertilizer is applied to the potato crop, the oats and 

 clover merely using any residue from the potatoes. 



This is the fourth year of the test, and the first year in which pota- 

 toes have been grown twice on the same land. 



Omitting the phosphorus and potash and leaving out the fertilizer 

 altogether caused significant decreases in yield in the potato plots. 

 Doubling the phosphoric acid and potash caused large yield increases 

 that are not significant according to the statistical methods used. This 

 is also true of the application of fertilizer in the hill and of the appli- 

 cation of one-half ton of double strength material. 



Lime at the rate of 500 and 1000 pounds per acre was applied two 

 years prior to planting the potatoes. No scab developed on these plots 

 in 1936, and the yields do not appear to have been affected by the 

 treatment although the soil had an average reaction before treatment 

 of about pH 5.3. 



