Le STORRS AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION, 
ALFALFA INVESTIGATIONS. 
For the past two years we have been experimenting with 
alfalfa. In cooperation with the Division of Agrostology of the 
United States Department of Agriculture, alfalfa seed has been 
distributed in small lots to many farmers in the state. Soil for 
inoculating purposes has been secured from central New York, 
and has been sent to many who received alfalfa seed. 
While definite conclusions cannot yet be drawn, still as a re- 
sult of our experiments up to the present time we are com- 
pelled to say that alfalfa as a crop is not generally adapted to 
Connecticut conditions. We believe, however, that in time in- 
formation will be secured as to the special needs of the crop in 
this state; but until this information is secured, farmers of the 
state should sow alfalfa only in an experimental way. They 
should not be disappointed in case of failure, and the proba- 
bility is that by persistent seeding of the same ground to 
alfalfa year after year and by fertilizing liberally with stable 
manure, a crop of alfalfa will finally be secured. The neces- 
sary bacteria for alfalfa growth seem to establish themselves 
gradually where the same ground is seeded to alfalfa year after 
year. 
SPRAYING POTATOHS. 
In the fall of 1903, from 25 to 50 per cent. of the potato crop 
of Connecticut was lost by rot resulting from potato blight. 
In many cases where potatoes had been sprayed with Bordeaux 
mixture they did not successfully resist blight. 
As a result of investigations covering a period of eight years 
we are led to believe that if potato spraying is to be effective 
as a preventive of blight, it must be done more thoroughly 
than it can be done by the automatic spray carts of the present — 
time. Hither the spraying must be done by hand, the nozzles 
being held so that all parts of the potato vines will be thor- 
oughly covered with the spray, or the spraying machinery must. 
be greatly improved. 
CHEESE INVESTIGATION. . 
One important line of work which has been actively entered 
upon during the past year relates to the manufacture of soft 
cheese. At the present time nearly all of the cheese used in 
