The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1909-06-08
RALEIGH. n. c.

a large part OF the fleId a failure
was to be expected. On another L.rf
there was a stand Of alfalfa, hut il.
too. was turning yellow, though talt
field, too, had been heavily lined. The
cause was evidently FAUST of The
mineral elements. [ had the yellow
alfalfa moved off at one and left it
on the land. The part where the al
faIfa had failed entirely was plom,d
and heavily fortified with acid pt,S-
plate and potash and resOWn,. and tn,
yellow part was divided into tire
parts for study.
One part received ground limest1n,
at the rate of fOur tons per acre.
another, 400 pounds of acid phosphate
and fifty pounds Of muriate Of pCt9s h
per acre; and the third was left 35 q
heck. Ny own opinion is that it vas
the Of the mineral et,-
mentS, but as many imagine that I1N-
ish use of lime is needed on ~alfaIca.
/ am using the ground linn heaN.
lily. The whole will be disced over this
spring.
Now, right alongside this last farm
is a farm where no lime has been
used in the memOr of man. EDt
there. on a field in fairly good hoart.
is a growth Of alfalfa that is all that
could be desired. AS yet, the land
furnishes what the plant needs. Eut
! have no doubt that if that tield is
continuously moved. there Will soon
be a failure of the alfalfa from it,
so heavily on the mincral e.r-
ments in the soil, and then some on
will say that its needs lime. WheE. i'm
fact. it Will need phospOric acid and
potash.
Now, in the case of my inquirer. /
lave advised him to NOV the yellow
growth and let it lie on the land, and
give the field a heavy application Of
acid phosphate and potash. He will
get all the lime needed in the form
of sulphate in the acid phosphate.
and [ believe that an alfalfa field that
is regularly top dressed every spring
400 pounds Of acid phosphate ana ftJr
pounds of muriate Of potash Will keep
in a perennial prOductiveness. Tn II
is no doubt that on most soils lime is
an aid to alfalfa, but that lime is tn
cure-al1 and that it Will supply the
rapid using up of the mineral matters
such as phOSphOric acid and potash is
a serious error. In fact, on the gran
ite soils where l AVE had most tA-
perience, | would rather trust to acid
phosphate and potash without hr1e
than to lime without potash and pEOS-
phoric acid, and this is still more trut
OF the limestone soils. But the NOR.
We study alfalfa, the more evident
becomes that each soil needs speE g..
study for its best growth.
The one most important thing after
,NNNii III SoI 1o1h p1ttt1S I1loCuld-FN
with the bacteria that live on aIfaIla
roots. is in keeping up the supply "t
plant food. A great deal has been stjd
about incubation, and many seeds
men are offering seed i%noculated VIII
artificial cultures of the bacteria,
Whlch are absolutely useless. 1t E.S
been we'll settled that the only reliabI.
way to inoculate the soil for alfalfa is
to use soil from a field in which aIfa-.t
mas been grown SuccesSfully AMI
which has become we'll inoculated
with the bacteria. Then, it it is reEN-
larry topdressed with acid phOsphtt,
ana potash, YOU will get alfalfa. H-1e
or no lime. Lime, on a granite SOL
Astounding in silicate of potash, Will
release some potash for the plant
put lime on q soil hat is deficient i'
potash Will only tend to the cNhat
uon OF the small store, and on amy SOL.
II there is ar abundant store suppl 49,
OF phosphoric acid and potash. "t
need less lime.
w. r. MASSEY