THE first step in a satisfactory forage-legume program on the farm T is the establishment of the legume. Success or failure here can mean the difference between a continued efficient rotation system and a financial loss. Many farmers have been reluctant to plow up old seedings at the proper time because of the cost of new seedings and the possibilities of seeding failures. Also, new seedings may appear successful in the seeding year only to be lost during the first winter. This paper is a report of 3 years' study at Ithaca, New York, on the use of herbicides applied pre-emergence to aid in the establishment of forage legumes without a companion grain crop. Seeding failures have many causes, not the least of which is competition from companion crops or weed growth in the year of establishment. In most areas seeding with companion crops to reduce weed competition is common. This practice, however, was developed because other effective methods of reducing weed competition were unknown. Most farmers could ill afford to lose production in the year of establishment. Today, through the development of selective herbicides for the control of weeds in forage legumes, alternative methods of seedling establishment may be available to the farmer and often a hay crop may be produced in the seeding year.