The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1906-08-10
INoculArINe EoR ALFALFA.

Since the Juror about the baeterias sup
posed to have been supplied at the instiga-
ton of the United States department of
agriculture through a commercial firm,
and in which several officials of tina de-
pslrtment are involved, it has been pretty
generally demonstrated that by far the
better way of inocIlating the soil in order
the get a stand of alfalfa is to use pre-
ferably soil from a field in which alfalfa
has beer successfully grown. or. IL this is
not feasible, to use for fertilizing manure
from alfalfa fed animals. The same result
is accomplished in either way. although,
As stated, the first plan is to be preferred,
provided the inoculated soil can be OBJ
tanned from reasonably nearby. DO not
Use a nurse crop, for this is one of the old
fashioned notions which has been es-
pIoded. AS a matter of fact, very few
grains or grasses, if they are hardy in the
section where the seeds are sown, need
what is popularity known as the nurse crop
and alfalfa is essentially one of those
| grasses that does not need the nurse crop.
Bear in mind that in order TO obtain a
stand of alfalfa the SOIL must be free of
acidity and if the lltmus paper test shows
an acid soil the application Of lime is the
remedial agent. If Mere is any question
about he quantity of lirae necessary, 1T
would be a good idea to apply 80 bushels
per acre and note the result; the second
season will Indicate whether that is sufti-
Client. Those who nave use foi-forage crop
! will find 1t we'll worth their while to go
to considerable trouble to get a stand of
~alfaafa, bearing In mind that it is the crop
that may be cut several times during the
season, and be afl the better for 1t, and.
unlike crimson clover. it is not easily win
ter killed when once 1t becomes estah
lfShed.
! POULTRY ROUSE DISiNFEcTANTs
i There seems to be some misunderstand-
ing as to what constitutes a disinfectant.
One of the correspondents of this Depart
ment has written the editor saying that
he had spent more money for carboltc acid
for disinfectant purposes than his poultry
was worth. If this is the case, he has
undoubtedly been using the refined car
bolic acid which is not a disinfectant but
is an antiseptic. For disinfecting purposes
the crude carbolic acid is used and this is
very much cheaper in price, even at ordi-
nary drug store prices, costing 80 cents a
pint. and 1t may be diluted fully 100 per
cent. and still be effective. On the editors
own farm the plan of disinfecting which
has been found most economical and at
the same time most effective is to clean
the houses Of all movable articles, such as
nest boxes and roosts and then, with the
help of a knapsack sprayer, saturate the
walls and the ceiling and especially the
notehes in the frame into which the roosts
set with a solution of 100 per cent. diluted
crude carboifc acid. This is done very
Y early in tho morning as soon as the fowls
are turned out, and doors and windows
left pen so hat the more or less objec-
tienable odor of the carbolic acid may
escape. While the nest boxes and the
roosts are out of the house they are thor
oHghly 6eansed with kerosene oil in full.
y strength. They may be put back in the
house before the birds go to roost at night
and then the next day the structure inside
is spread with whitewash, an addition OF
a tablespoonful of crude carbolic acid be.
ing added to each five gallons of the
whitewash. All nest material is burned
and before any new is put in the boxes {
layer of tobacco stems is placed in the
bottom of each box. BY this method o
cleaning it is possible to almost entirely rio
the house of mites and their eggs and thu
fowls themselves Of lice. We consider thi.
very necessary at his time of the year
fer the reason that the lice increase Yer,
rapidly under the influence Of warm humit
atmosphere.
PUT THE MANURE SPREADER AT
WORK.
We have more or less to say in thi
department about the advantages of get
ting the stable manure under the soil a.
soon after 1t is made as possible, and thi.
way of managing 1t applies just as forcibl,
to ummer made manure as to that accu
mulated in the winter, possibly more so
because of the fact that the ~cvaporat!o,
of the essential plant food clements is like
ly to be greater in the summer than in tn.
writer. If farmers would realize that TIL,
liquid excrenpent is the valuable portion o