'BuBEAu OF Ageicultuee. 371 



quiries from farmers as to the treatment. I explained 

 the cause as per the directions of the State Experiment 

 Station, and recommended the pruning and the destruc- 

 tion of the affected branches. 



We have had some valuable demonstrations in the 

 growing of crimson clover, as to its different uses. One 

 plat of four acres was used as pasture for hogs and cat- 

 tle, and afforded the best early pasture to be seen in 

 the county. This plat was afterwards turned under, 

 and planted to rape for hog pasture. Another plat of 

 crimson clover was cut for hay, and made a yield of two 

 tons per acre, the hay being cut just as the clover began 

 to bloom. This plat was turned under May 15th, and 

 planted to com which will yield seventy bushels to the 

 acre. 



There has been sown fifty acres of crimson clover 

 in the county for cover crops and soil-bidlding, as the 

 result of two demonstrations. I have urged the use of 

 legumiuous crops for the restoration of soil fertility, 

 and have had quite a number of successful demonstra- 

 tions in sweet clover, red clover and soy beans. Our 

 demonstrators have been only partially successful with 

 alfalfa, owing to the extremely wet season, which made 

 it practically impossible to keep the spring-sown alfalfa 

 cleaned from weeds and crab-grass. 



Those demonstrators who have been able to keep 

 their alfalfa plats clean have grown splendid crops; 

 some of them cutting as many as three crops from April 

 sowing. All alfalfa demonstrators used the inoculating 

 culture prepared by the Department of Agriculture at 

 Washington, D. C. The fall sowing of alfalfa has done 

 exceedingly well in the county this year, and quite a 

 number of those who failed on the spring sowing, have 

 splendid crops of alfalfa now growing on the same plat. 

 I have paid special attention to induoiug farmers to sow 

 cover crops this fall. Crimson clover and rye seem to 

 be the best for us here. 



Very little commercial fertilizer is used by the 

 farmers of the county, and I have recommended the use 

 of home mixed fertilizer in preference to the ready- 

 mixed. One of my demonstrators in tobacco used a fer- 

 tilizer of four hundred pounds of acid phosphate, 16%, 

 and one hundred pounds of nitrate of soda to the acre, 



