Crotalaria for Forage


is so slight, however, that it cannot be considered significant. It
is evident that the practical rate of broadcast seeding would fall
somewhere near 8 pounds per acre, and that the addition of
the 4 pounds more seed had no material effect upon the yield.

TABLE 4.-YIELDS PER ACRE OF Crotalaria intermedia ON PLOTS SOWN BROADCAST
 WITH DIFFERENT RATES OF SEEDING.
 Rate of Yield of Yield of Yield of Hay
 Seeding Green Oven-dry Containing
 per Acre Forage Forage 15% Moisture
 lbs. tons tons tons
 4 3.14 .89 1.05
 8 5.26 1.49 1.75
 12 5.03 1.43 1.68


 The plots seeded with 4 pounds of seed per acre produced
larger plants with heavier and more woody stems than the heav-
ier seeded plots. The leaves held well until harvested on August
31. The stand was not dense enough to hold the weeds and grass
in check, thus there was a heavy growth of native vegetation on
the plots. This was separated from the crotalaria and is not in-
cluded in the yield weights shown in Table 4.
 The plots seeded with 8 and 12 pounds of seed per acre grew
sufficient stands to crowd out the greater portion of the native
vegetation. These plots yielded much cleaner hay than did
those sown with 4 pounds of seed per acre. The plots sown with
12 pounds of seed per acre produced finer stemmed plants, but
due to intense shade, the lower leaves fell earlier than on the
plots sown more thinly.
 The plots seeded at the rate of 8 pounds per acre produced
coarser stemmed plants, but the leaves adhered to the plants
longer than on the heavier seeded plots. Although the plants
were slightly larger, the higher percentage of leaves produced a
finer quality of forage.

 SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS

 Replicated plots were sown to Crotalaria intermedia using dif-
ferent rates and methods of seeding. Higher yields were obtain-
ed from the areas on which the highest rate of seeding was used
in drills. The finest quality of forage, however, was obtained
from those plots seeded in drills 3 feet apart at the rate of 5.2 to
7.0 pounds per acre.