^^^ Illinois State Dairymen's Association. 



killing. There was fully as much winter-killing among the plots 

 sown in the early part of August as among those sown around the 

 1st of September. The proportion of winter-killing, however, 

 was alarmingly large and it appears that the winter and early 

 spring weather are very important factors. It must be remem- 

 bered in this connection that the past season was very unusually 

 severe and that ordinarily very much less damage might be ex- 

 pected. 



Out of fifty-two experimenters who reported on the spring 

 condition, twenty-three (44 per cent) reported less than ten per 

 cent of damage by winter killing; eleven (21 per cent) reported 

 from ten to thirty per cent of damage, in two of which cases the 

 damage was largely due to standing water and ice. Out of 38 

 plots on clay and clay loam soils reported in spring, eleven (29 

 per cent) showed no appreciable winter-killing, twenty-four (63 

 per cent) showed less than thirty per cent, and fourteen (34 per 

 cent) showed over thirty per cent of winter-killing. Of 14 plots 

 on sandy and sandy or gravelly loam soils reported in spring, six 

 (43 per cent) showed no appreciable winter-killing, ten (71 per 

 cent) showed less than thirty per cent, and four (29 per cent) 

 showed over thirty per cent of winter-killing. It will be seen 

 from this that while there was more or less winter-killing on all 

 types of soils, there was relatively less on the lighter soil. The 

 difference, however, is not very great, and some of the heaviest 

 clay soils gave quite satisfactory results. 



Concerning the effect of type of soil on the initial stand se- 

 cured, the reports show that 13 pure clays all gave good or fair 

 stands, 38 clay and clay loam soils gave twenty-eight (74 per 

 cent) good or fair stands, and 15 sandy or sandy loam soils gave 

 fourteen (93 per cent) good or fair stands. 



The preceding crop had no appreciable effect upon the results 

 secured, except in the case of standing corn. In 3 cases of sowing 

 in standing com, one gave a good stand, but it dwindled away 

 and the failure was attributed to dry weather and excessive shad- 

 ing by the corn ; one gave satisfactory results, and the other gave 

 a poor stand, and that dwindled away on account of dry weather. 



Concerning the effect of special fertilization, the reports show 

 that in 12 cases where manure was used, five were in good condi- 

 tion in spring, six fair, and one was in poor condition. One plot 

 where commercial fertilizer alone was used was in good condition 



