42 



BULLETIN 1244, r. S. DEPARTMENT i»F AGRICULTURE. 



The average hay yields of brome grass and the wheat grasses range 

 from 1 to 1} tons at Mandan and Edgeley and about half a ton at 

 Hettinger and Havre. The Ardmore results are not shown in the 

 table, but the yield has averaged about 0.9 ton per acre. While 

 complete failures are not common, there are years when the yields 

 on the dry lands in the western part of the region are so low as 

 hardly to justify harvesting. 



There appears to be little difference in the yields obtained from 

 slender wheat grass, awnless brome grass, .and crested wheat grass. 

 but crested wheat grass compares favorably with other grasses. 

 Ordinarily, slender wheat grass gives its best 3^ields the first year or 

 two after sowing. 



In the driest sections these grasses sown in rows produce slightly 

 higher yields than in drilled plats, but the difference is seldom suffi- 

 cient to compensate for the greater labor involved in keeping down 

 the weeds. Furthermore, brome grass when sown in rows soon 

 spreads until it approximates a broadcast stand. There is also more 

 difficulty in harvesting the hay, which is likely to be dusty and dirty. 

 The row method of culture for perennial grasses has not offered suffi- 

 cient promise to make it popular. 



BROME GRASS AND ALFALFA. 



The opinion prevails that alfalfa and brome grass sown together 

 will give a better yield than either sown alone. It is also claimed 

 that when the alfalfa dies out the brome grass fills in the vacant 

 places and maintains the stand. For the purpose of determining the 

 advantages or disadvantages of such a practice, tests have been con- 

 ducted at various points. The results of these tests are given in 

 Table 24. 



Table 24. — Comparison of the hay yields of alfalfa sown alone, of awnless brome 

 grass sown alone, and of these two crops sown as a mixture, at three stations in 

 the Great Plains region in stated years. 



[Data in pounds per acre, field cured, except that the material at Moccasin was air dried in all years.] 



Station and crop. 



1916 



1917 



1918 



1919 



1920 



1921 



1922 



Aver- 

 age. 



Redfield, S. Dak.: 





3,190 

 4,660 



2,990 

 2,960 



3,900 

 2,350 

 1,350 



3,530 

 3,110 



1,443 

 1,144 



4,610 

 2,700 

 1,450 



2,650 

 2,390 





 



3,640 

 3,520 

 1,500 



4,470 

 2,420 



2,731 

 2,663 



1,770 

 900 



2,146 

 2,077 



4,575 

 3,750 



3,060 

 2,930 



3,364 

 2,872 



2,166 

 2,068 



5 125 







Moccasin, Mont.: 



Alfalfa alone 



2,795 

 2,700 



8,350 

 6,950 

 4,900 





Mandan, N. Dak.:* 











3 880 











2,300 











1 Data from the records of the Office of Dry-Laud Agriculture Investigations. 



The table shows that the yields of alfalfa alone have been appre- 

 ciably better than the mixture. The first year after sowing there is 

 not much difference in the yields; in fact, in some cases the mixture 

 yielded more than alfalfa alone. During the succeeding years at all 

 the stations the results favored alfalfa alone. It is true the mixture 

 cures more easily, but except in the extreme eastern part of the 

 region curing seldom presents any serious problems in the northern 

 Great Plains. 



The mixture of alfalfa and brome grass in plat tests gave higher 

 yields than brome grass alone at Mandan. 



