The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1909-03-13

Of drought yet the growing will be
stunted by reason of inadequate
mois Uure either natural or artificial
the best authorities say that alfal-.
generally iequires yearly about
twenty inches Of rainfall, this being
the proportion for the middle ser
tons of the country. the south
land exactins more than this, and
the northern districts less, we'll
drained loamy soil, giving the roots
to extend their fun depth is always
favorable. Rank alkali soils are
injurious and the same may be
said of lands were there are too
much acidity, and heavy clay. ground
is not adapted for the g gow.mg Of
alfalfa.
Through THIS foreign clover Is a
great dry weather product, an ex-
cess Of water or moisture in the
soil is very injurious, and It will
prove a failure in attempting to
raise 1t on sterile lands, compact,
cold and moist soil Is alfalfa's
worst enemy, sandy ground Is none
Of the best, for the weed growths
Iare often very rapid and destrur-
tive. A wonderful feature about the
alfalfa plant, which is common 10
Iother legumes, are the nodules or
Itubercules upon its roots produced
by certain bacteria, by whose aid
the plants obtain a full supply OF
Iatmospheres nitrogen, and as they
decay these nodules become richer,
these organisms are present in the
SOIL the seeding plants are infected
or inoculated, where germ are not
already present 1t is necessary to
in,oculate the plants artific' ally In
order to produce the most sat.sfac-
tory results, and this may be nc
complished by scattering over the
field soil from an infected spot or
4 by placing TIE bacteria directly uDon
the seed before sowing, as alfalfa
Is free from creenilAg reefs Or stems
the plants will not spread ilka
Kentucky blue grass or Bermuda
grass, r..
Farley is claimed and excellent
nurse crop for young aTalfa but
II recommend two HUNDRED pounds
of pulverized green lime stone to
the acre be used with q fertilizer
dr!ll, 4 any thing is used at all,
many have had fair success end
used nothing, but where the Linn,
stone is used on loamy sell when
sowing the alfalfa seed good re-
suits viii be attained.
In broad cast sowing twenty
pounds seed pr acre Is about the
proper proportion, and where the
drill Is used fifteen pounds Will
suffice, yet in some instances five
CIR six pounds have been soWl1,
while the other extreme has been
A thirty to thirty-ive pounds, whica
seems rather excessive The seeding
month for alfalfa is June or July
when the ground can be gotten in
as 22od ,cn.iltion as for wheat or
corn.
In Utah the third cutting w-hich
occurred in October 10th, showed "a
iy'Cld Of SIX and a quarter tons Of
alfalfn hay to the acre, the aver
age yield being from five to eight
to cut alfalfa Is just when it he
gins to bloom, for after this period
the hay rapidly deterlcrates in nu-
'ritiye Value. In the north there
two or three cuttings each year, but
in southern California 10 Texas as
many as ten cuttings have been
reported.
Just here 1T may be said that
while alfalfa Is lg"eat pasturing
grass, its most valuable use comes
into prominence, when II is con-
vented In hay produT, dn the
process Of curng the hay should
be Of good color
Humid atmosphere, heavy dew,
rains and showers changes the shad,
from rhe bright fresh green, exact
ed by the market to dull yellow
O. brown, 1t may be just as nu-
tlTous but not 50 attractive, and
even the domestic animals that are
accustomed to the natural color, by
instinct seem to look ON the faded
product with Suspicion,
, Considerable ba1ed alfalfa hay -
now being exported 10 Hawaii
, Alaska and other trans-Oceanat
points, the average bale weighing,
about one hundred pounds,
| Alfalfa is one of the BEST knowa
/ and prolific pastultng plants, tht