The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1902-07-13

increased by annual top dressings Of
| acid phosphate and potash, and an occa-
sional dressing of lime. In fact lime
seems to be one of the essentials to its
successful growth and the reason for the
| successes in the arid regions lies largely
| in the fact that the lime has not been
washed down in these soils as 1T has been
by the heavy rainfall of the eastern part
! of the country. Mr.. G.. l.. Ciothler. OF
| Manhattan. Kansas, in the report men
| toned, says that the most desirable SOIL
for alfalfa is fertile bottom land. we'll
drained and not subject to overflow. Any
soil where water stands on the surface
AZ hours after a rain will not do for
alfalfa. 1t will grow on any good corn
soil and on many soils where corn Will
not grow. A soil formed from decom-
posed limestone IS an ideal one for al
falfa. 1t will also grow in a soil almost
pure sand if its root can reach to per-
manent moisture, and the mineral foods
needed are supplied. The difference in
| its growth on upland and bottom land
is not entirely due to the superior fer
tility of the bottom soil but to the fact
that its roots can there reach to per-
manent moisture. While in some parts
of the west the seed has been sown
| among the prairie grass and chopped IN
with disk harrow, this plan is not ad-
| vised but on the other hand the most
thorough blowing and preparation OF the
land is urged. If the subsoil is hard
and needs the loosening effect of the
subsoil pillow, this should be done the
year before seeding, and it will always
pay to subsoil where the lower soil is
of very compact nature. In the red
clay uplands of the Southern Atlantic
States this is particularly needed, for in
the experience of the writer on such
soils it is difficult for the alfalfa roots
to penetrate in the hard red clay deep
enough to get away from the influence
of the summer droughts. In a fairly
porous soil, a vigorous alfalfa plant a
month old will have a tap root fifteen
to eighteen inches long, and the soil
should be in such filth that it will be
easy for the roots to penetrate, and the
surface should be as fine as an onion
bed. IN soil deficient in humus, prev
ious crop of COW peas plowed under at
maturity will be of great help, or a coat
Of barnyard manure plowed under when
subsoiling will be of ASSISTANCE in the
early growth of the plants. Alfalfa
should never be Sown on freshly plowed
land. If to be sown in the fall, the plow-
| ing should be done early and the land
narrowed and rolled and compacted for
month or more before sowing time. If
to be sown in the spring it should be
| plowed in the fall, and made fine with
| the disk narrowed in the spring early
enough to allow of seeding in the Mid
/ die States, in April, or in the Upper
! South in March or late February. In the
South the best place to sow the alfalfa
| is on a piece of land that has been we'll
cultivated in tobacco during the sum
! mer After the tobacco is OFF prepare
| the surface finely with the disk harrow
and roller and seed the alfalfa in early
| September. A good stand had at that
| time will be less troubled by weeds, and
| will be in condition to NOW the following
summer On land that has never grown
alfalfa it would be a good practice to
get some soil from land where it has
been grown successfully and scatter
over the field to inoculate the soil with
the bacteria which live on the alfalfa
roots. Prof. King makes the following
| report in this regard from Mr.. George
H. Patch of Stevens Point. Wis. Our
soil is sandy jack pine land, and badly
run out of nitrogen and humus. | sowed
two and a half acres to alfalfa. securing
an even stand. which at first looked
very promising. After slow growth,
it seemed to come almost to stand
still, with sickly, yellow appearance.
Before seeding, a strip of perhaps half
an acre, was given a liberal dressing of
lime When winter set in the plants had
reached an average of six inches, while
on the unlimed portion they would aver
| age scarcely more than two inches.
searched in vain for tubercles on the
| roots. When Prof. King saw the field ne
offered to send some earth from the
| alfalfa field at the Experiment Station
/ 1t wintereG with but a slight covering
of snow, enduring, on two nights, tenn
perature of 48 degrees below zero. When
the earth arrived from Madison, I sowed
some of it broadcast: some 1 trailed in
straight lines across the field, and some
placed in contact with the roots of
| selected plants. In about two weeks the
| plants Tin spots adjacent to the places
of inoculation) began to take on q
healthy, dark green color and more
vigorous growth. Digging about the
plants 1 soon found tubercles. as 1 did
earth was placed against the roots
Some of the plants had reached height
of IS to 20 inches in July, when it was
cut BY fall the bacteria had evidently
| spread over all the lined portion. but
did not seem to spread much into the
! unlimed part, which is again wintering
at a height of only two Or four inches
Our soil is evidently unfit for the profit
able growing of alfalfa, containing al
most no lime and too much iron" This
| report is from one of the poorest Sec
lions of the Northwest. the jack pins
| lands, and in all the sandy pine bar
rens" of the South there is no land sc
poor. But ] quote. this report as show
ing the Importance of soil infection
with bacteria and the Importance o
lime to the crop. The Importance o.
lime in the growing of alfalfa wa!
brought very forcibly to my attention
on a visit to the grass test farm fol
Peter Henderson & Co.. on the Hacken
sack River in New jersey. There l say
very luxuriant plat of alfalfa. l was
told that the plat started very feebly
and that in hauling lime to anothe