The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-02-12
Montgomery, Ala.

saving to the farmer and will enaple many to establish small fields of afalIa and inoculate the same almost imne- diatelyfh whereas, under present conai- tions they will be forced to walt for several months or possibly years De- fore they would be in position to do So.
 It now seems certain that the bacte- ria which live on the roots of sweet clover and thrive on alfalfa are elther identical or capable of living on either plant and developing in sufficient mum bers on the roots of these plants to insure the rapid inoculation of large areas Of soil. Sweet clover grows commonly throughout the sou1n anu ln ,a many sections 1t grows with rcmarknpls viRor. In some places 1t ts regarded as a pest--a veritabie nuisance, and the farmers idea is to devise a means or ridding himself of 1t. It is commonly found along roadsides, the banks Of streams and even in cultivated fields In some sections 1t is used for nay with fairly satisfactory results Wheh young 1t looks very much like alfalfa, .but as it grows older 1t becomes very tall, branches a good deal and pro- auoes a large number of white flowers, Sweet clover Is a biennial. whereas, al falfa is q perennial. For some years it has been observed that alfalfa grows well in sections where sweet clover IS little less than a common weed, but 1t was not thought for long time that there was any association between the two plants. Quite recently investlga- tions have shown that while sterlIlzed soil would not grow alfalfa satlsfac- tory that soil from field where sweet clover had been grown caused the al- falfa to make strong and vigorous growth from the beginning and the roots were found to be well covered with nodules, Extracts of water made from soil in which sweet clover was grown and added to the steriiized soil kave the same results. These inyesu- cations have been so carefully con ductea that there is no reasonable room for doubt any longer as to the virtue of soil taken from fields or along road- aides where sweet clover has grown Tor the purpose of inoculating alfalfa.
 TO secure soil for the inoculation or alfalfa 1t is best to scrape on the sur face earth to q depth of about two inches so as to get rid of as many or the seeds of sweet clover as possible: Then take the soil down to depth or about four inches. Fine carefully ana scatter over the land to be inoculated for alfalfa at the rate of 200 to 300 hounds per acre. Where the white clover grows abundantly the amount of soil used for inoculation should be liberal as 1t is more certain to insure the rapid growth and development of the alfalfa plant. Where sweet clover is scarce smaller amount may be used. Owing to the fact that sweet clover grows commonly throughout the south this certain means of inocuiating alral- ia will make 1t possible for many farm CTS to try this valuable plant without further delay.--Southern Agriculturist'
 
 Fre1seh Feed Many Cattle.
 The French farmers produce large quantities of beef and all sorts of ant- mals are used. from the two year old steer to the wornout dairy COW or work OK, says bulletin TT of the bureau of animal industry. By far the larg- est numbers are finished during the summer, especially where grazing IS possible, and some prominent farmers claim that were it not for the fact of the year winter feeding would pc abandoned in France. N
 To meet the regular demand more or less stall feeding is done. ana on some farms it is conducted on a very extensive scale. but where grazing ls practiced the general custom is to fln- ish the animals on grass alone. W hel the pastures are short some additional feed may be needed, when a ration or about three pounds per animal per day of cotton seed cake Is generalIy used Linseed eaks Is used to some extent. but is preferred for winter feed ing, and corn or a mixture of corn and cotton cake is used in some sections Light rations are given. When cattle are fed in the yard or stable In. the summer they are soiled on alfalfa clover. Tn some instances beet pulp which has been stored in long pits IS used with good results.
 In winter the grain ration consists of about three pounds per animal at the beginning and is gradually m creased eight or ten pounds, whleh Is considered a heavy grain allowance even during the finishing period. Practically alA>. feeders commend the use of succulent feed for winter reed ing. Compared with American systems the grain rations are much llshtsr-- less than one -half-and the amourts oI roughage fed is about double me grains per day are about two-thirds the amount obtained by the best Amer lean feeders-The stockmen and Far