NEw York AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. 19 
The results from more than 100 co-operative experiments in 
erowing alfalfa, located in over one-half of the counties of the 
State, indicate that where neither lime nor inoculation is applied 
the chance of a successful crop is not more than 20 per ct., or 
one chance in five. Where lime is added to the land at the rate 
of 1,500 pounds per acre the chance of. success is raised to about 
60 per ct., or about three chances out of five. Where both lime 
and inoculation are applied as above directed the chance of a 
successful crop is raised to about four out of five. 
Each farmer intending to try the growing of alfalfa should re- 
strict his seeding to a single acre and so arrange that acre as to 
determine what line of treatment is required by his field. 
These results, obtained during 1995-08, were rendered possible 
only through the active co-operation of approximately 200 
farmers. 
Milking machines The perfection of a mechanical cow 
milker would be a more important advance-in dairying than has 
occurred since the introduction of the centrifugal cream separator. . 
For the past three years milking machines have been in use 
in the Station dairy and some of our observations are given in 
Bulletin 317. These are confined to the effect of methods of 
handling the machines upon the germ content of the milk. 
Where the machines were given only a good washing each day 
the milk had a very high germ content and soured quickly. Keep- 
ing the rubber parts of the machine in a 10 per ct. salt solution 
-between milkings markedly reduced the germ content. When 
the machines were provided with sufficiently large air filters and 
these were properly filled with cotton the germ content was still 
further reduced. When both of these matters were attended to 
and the machines were handled carefully in all respects the germ 
content of the milk compared favorably with that ordinarily 
obtained under similar barn conditions. 
Bacterial soft rots of certain vegetables.— The common vege- 
tables are often subject to soft rots which are of considerable 
