The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1905-10-12
Treatment For an Alfalfa.


have one and two-thirds acres in alf-
s.lfa which was sown last October.
Four hundred pounds Of high grade
phosphate were used at the time Of
sowing. Four hundred pounds Of rich
alfalfa soil were also broadcasted over
the field. The stand was very scant
this spring, so about April 20 we
sowed 500 pounds of prepared lime
broadcast, cultivated and narrowed 1t
three times and sowed one bushel of
inoculated seed and again narrowed
two times. The seed came up and did
fine until the first part of June, when
it began to turn yellow. On June % |
sowed 200 pounds of land plaster over
1t broadcast. Do You think it Is all
right or what had I better toto help
IT,"
Answer: From the description con-
tanned in your letter you have treated
your alfalfa generously, and you
should be able to hold the stand, pro-
vided, of course, the subsoil is not too
tenacious. No doubt you realize the
Importance Of alfalfa making a fine
.oot development. The trouble you
experience at the present time should
hardly be due to an acid soil, though
you might test it with litmus paper
and then you would know definitely.
Get a nickeI's worth Of blue litmus
paper at any dug store; take hand
full of the soil an inch or two below
the surface, moisten we'll with rain
water and insert piece Of the litmus
paper. If the paper turn red the soil
IS undoubtedly acid, and lime should
be applied at the rate Of twenty-five
bushels per acre. You should first clip
the alfalfa and then broadcast the lime
and work in we'll with harrow. The
fact that a large number Of nodules
have not developed may be due to an
acid condition of the soil, and though
you applied 300 pounds Of prepared
lime, it may not have been sufficient
for the purpose.
When alfalfa turns yellow it is often
due to one of two things-either an
attack Of the leaf spot or rust or the
need of nitrogen. Judging from your
letter you did not apply any nitrogen
in the form of fertilizer and it is likely
that your land is low in humus or
vegetable matter. 1t would be almost
impossible to apply humus to the soil
in a satisfactory manner now. How
ever you might clip the alfalfa and
apply a top dressing Of farmyard ma
nure at the rate of ten to fifteen tons
Der acre, and an application Of nitrate
Of soda will also probably prove ef-
fective, say 100 pounds per acre, put on
as top dressing. 1t should be put on
when the dew is Off or else it may IRE
the leaves.
The leaf spot or rust which often at
tacks alfalfa, particularly in the East,
can generally be overcome by repeated
clippings during the first season OF
growth. Under any circumstances you
should clip the alfalfa frequently this
year and not attempt to get any hay,
and that will tend to throw the
strength Of the plants back in the
roots and insure their making a more
substantial growth. If you can only
get the alfalfa deeply rooted and well
established in the soil you should be
able to maintain it provided you feed
It literally. Alfalfa must have plent'
full supplies Of nitrogen, which 1t must
obtain through the bacteria living IN
association with the nodules on lis
roots or directly from the soil, and II
the nodules do not appear in large
numbers you can hardly hope to main
tain the alfalfa.
If you follow persistent clipping and
the suggestions made above and do not
get satisfactory results. plow up the
land this fall, top dress heavily with
farmyard manure. subsoil and reseed'
In my judgment farmers who attempt
TO grow alfalfa and fail to get salts
factory results the first year or two
should not give up. The bacteria &c
not take kindly to all soils, nor do they
develop as rapidly as many people I'M
agine. but I believe persistency for
several years will give satisfactory re,
sults.-Andrew NJ. Soule.