172 Report of THE DEPARTMENT oF BOTANY OF THE 
TROUBLES OF ALFALFA IN NEW YORK.* 
F. C, STEWART, G. T. FRENCH ann J. K. WILSON, 
SUMMARY. 
New York farmers are becoming much interested in alfalfa cul- 
ture and the acreage of this crop in the State (5582 acres in 1899) 
is rapidly increasing. ‘This bulletin gives an account of the various 
hindrances to successful alfalfa culture in New York. 
Undoubtedly, the chief difficulty is to get the crop established. | 
Several factors may be concerned in this: Poor seed, poor fitting 
of the seed-bed, sour soil, wet soil, sowing with a nurse crop, lack 
of nodule bacteria, lack of humus, weeds, leaf spot disease, close 
cutting and winter injury. Dodder is often a serious pest and leaf 
spot (Pseudopeziza medicaginis) is an important 
fungus disease. 
No alfalfa seed is produced in New_York. Much of the seed 
used here is imported and the remainder comes from the Westera 
States. farmers experience much difficulty in obtaining good 
alfalfa seed. It is aften impure, containing dodder, English plan- 
tain, wild carrot and divers other troublesome weeds. Sometimes 
it is adulterated with seed of yellow trefoil, bur clover and sweet 
clover. To avoid trouble from this source farmers should submit 
samples of their alfalfa seed to the Experiment Station for ex- 
amination. In 548 samples of alfalfa seed examined by the Station 
during the past two years 126 contained dodder. If dodder-in- 
iested seed is used it should first be sifted in a 20 x 20 mesh sieve 
made of No. 34 steel or iron wire. Dodder is a dangerous weed 
and no chances should be taken with it. Fields badly infested with 
dodder should be plowed up and reseeded. If there are only a few 
dodder spots they may be dug out or, better yet, burned out, using 
kerosene and hay for fuel. Dodder does not commonly produce 
seed in New York alfalfa fields. It is carried over from one year to 
the next chiefly by means of hibernating threads on the crowns of 
the plants; that is to say, dodder is perennial not annual 
as generally believed. The number of kinds of dodder occurring on 
alfalfa in New York is not known. Cuscuta epithymum 
is the most common species. Usually, the reseeding of dodder-in- 
*A reprint of Bulletin No. 305. 
