
» lanting for 

Grasses and Legumes 
In spite of a late cold spring and a dry, hot summer, G.L.F. 
has been able to accumulate adequate supplies of seeds with 
the exception of Medium Red Clover and Ladino Clover. The 
major Red Clover seed-producing area is located in the heart” 
of the Corn Belt, which, during the summer of 1947, suffered 
most severely by the drought which greatly reduced the seed 
set. As a result the Red Clover price is very high and supplies 
are smaller than last year. To meet this situation, it is sug- 
gested that where possible more Alfalfa be used in the mixture 
inasmuch as it is relatively cheaper. Where Alfalfa is not 
adapted, part of the Red Clover may be replaced by some 
Alsike Clover. Good seed bed preparation and shallow sowing 
will make possible a lower rate of seeding to conserve 
supplies. 
The Ladino Clover seed crop is slightly smaller than last 
year and demand from farmers in the Midwest has made a 
smaller supply available to the Northeast. As a result, the 
G.L.F. supply of Ladino Clover is smaller than last year and 
somewhat inadequate for the increased demand. Many of the 
college specialists feel that from one half to one pound of 
Ladino per acre is sufficient to give good stands. 
In G.L.F. territory most seedings are made 
with spring sown crops like oats and barley 
that are harvested for grain. However, many 
seedings are made on winter wheat and winter 
barley. Still other seedings are made in August 
after the harvest of wheat, oats, potatoes, and 
such crops as canning peas. This last method is 
quite successful in the areas where there is 
sufficient time before cold weather for the seed- 
ing to become established. 
Irrespective of whether the seeding is made 
with a nurse crop or alone after a crop, the 
seed should be given only shallow coverage. 
One-quarter to one-half inch is ideal. Seed cov- 
ered an inch or déeper is largely wasted. Firm 
seedbeds are very desirable for small seeds. 
Much seed that falls in front of the hoes or 
disks of grain drills is covered too deeply. Dis- 
tributing the seed back of the hoes or disks is 

OOO 
SEED SUPPLY 
Hybrid Corn 
Fortunately, G.L.F. Hybrid Corns were grown in favorable 
areas this year and an adequate supply of all Hybrids is 
available. Lancaster Sure Crop and West Branch Sweep 
Stakes, the leading open pollinated varieties, are in ample 
supply and of unusually high quality. 
Oats 
There is a revolution in oat varieties. New varieties resist- 
ant to our worst oat diseases ... leaf and stem rusts and 
Helminthosporium blight . . . have been developed. The de- 
mand for these new oats is such that a very large percentage 
of the oat seed purchased this year will be either Clinton or 
Mohawk. The breeding of these two varieties is very similar. 
They are almost identical in appearance and performance 
and they can be used interchangeably. There are plenty of 
Clintons. The supply of Mohawks is limited. “If Mohawks are 
not available,’ recommend the Departments of Plant Breed- 
ing and Plant Pathology at the New York State College of 
Agriculture, “growers are urged to obtain Clinton. In Cornell 
trials during the past three years, Clinton has given all- 
around performance similar to Mohawk.” 
a better practice. Covering it then with a culti- 
packer or roller is adequate. 
On wheat. or barley the seeding should gener- 
ally be made early, during the freezing and 
thawing period and certainly before the wheat 
or barley shows much growth. 
Nurse crop smothering is a frequent cause of 
poor seeding and many failures. Heavy yield- 
ing crops of wheat, oats and barley make tough . 
competition for the seeding. They deprive the 
seeding of needed sunlight, moisture and plant 
food. Where this occurs, in long season areas, 
seeding after the harvest of the nurse crop is 
usually successful. Reducing the rate of sowing 
of the nurse crop will usually be helpful in 
other areas. 
One of the most successful methods of estab- 
lishing seedings is to pasture off the nurse crop. 
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