The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1912-03-08
TIE VALUE OF ALFALFA
The Growing Of This Crop Should be
Considered

inc Growing OF This Crop should be
Considered
concluded from issue of Feb 23l
But in order to have alfalfa to- feed
to our livestock and that we may have
alfalfa with which to improve our soils.
it is necessary for us first to learn how
to grow it To get good stand OF
alfalfa and to insure satisfactory crops
III succeeding years, few important
details must not be overlooked.
THE first step in the prod uction OF
alfalfa is the choice of the soil on which
to grow it. Always choose soil that Is
well drained. IT it is not naturally
well drained it Iuust be drained arti.
ficially. Alfalfa is a great lover OF
water and uses immense quantities OF
it but it has been truly said that alfalfa
does not like wet feet
Il have seen many farmers in Michi-
gan and Wisconsin trying to produce
alfalfa on land where the water table
came within one foot of the surface.
There are few crops that will do we'll
on such soil and the alfalfa crop under
such circumstances is always doomed
to fail, As to whether alfalfa roots
will clog up the drains or not I must
say that the reports have on hand
concerning this important subject are
decidedly. contradictory. 1t will be
necessary to investigate further before
l can venture definite opinion on this
phase of the subject.
Having chosen soil that is well
drained, the next important work is to
manure it heavily with a good quality
Of manure. From ten to fifteen tons
per acre will usually be enough though
there is little danger Of adding too
much organic matter to soil on which
alfalfa is to be grown. In case no live
stock is to be kept on the farm and
stable manure can not easily be obtain
ed it is possible to add organic matter
by means of blowing under winter rye,
hairy vetch, or some other crop. On
the sandy lands of Michigan and Wis.
consin this will often undoubtedly be
the easiest way of supplying organic
matter to our soils. We are at present
experimenting with sweet clover as a
green manure crop to be plowed under
in preparing sandy soils for alfalfa.
The sweet clover will have one advant.
age over rye and hairy vetch in that it
inoculates the soil for alfalfa. Under
no circumstances attempt to grow alta
ia on soil that is. low in humus.
Pillow as deep as you ordinarily pillow
for corn and perhaps little deeper.
Fall blowing is preferred to spring
blowing though If you did not prepare
your land last fall you may prepare it
successfully by blowing in the early
spring.
Probably rs per cent of the soils of
Michigan and Wisconsin are in a sour
or acid condition, have come to this
conclusion after having made thousands
of tests in various parts of these two
states. As alfalfa will almost certainly
fail when the seed is sown on acid soil
we will find II absolutely essential that
the -scidity be corrected before the
alfalfa seed is sown. This is not q
serious matter, however, as soil acidity
is readily corrected by moderate sp.
plication of lime. To determine whe.
Their or not your soils are acid they
should be tested with blue litmus pa
per. This litmus paper may be obtain.
cd at any drug store and the test is 80
simple that any farmer can use it. To
apply the test, firmly pack moist soil
around sheet of blue litmus paper
and let it remain there for period of
about five minutes. If at the end of
this time the blue litmus paper is turn
ed red or Is covered with little red spots
the soil may be considered to be acid
and the acid condition must be correct.
ed by application of lime. To correct
the acidity of the soil lime may be used
in the form of burned lime, water
Stacked lime, air slaked lime, mari,
ground limestone, or the cheap lime re-
fuse from the sugar beet factories. Of
these various forms of lime the cheapest
and most satisfactory for use in this
section are mari, ground limestone and
the lime from the sugar beet factories.
If burned lime. water slaked lime, air
Stacked lime, or lime from the sugar
beet factories is to be used care must be
taken in applying it so as to give it no
opportunity to burn vegetation or to
burn the organic matter of the soil.
Mari and ground limestone are in the
carbonate form and under no circum.
stances can either of these burn vege.
tation or organic matter.
alfalfa growers in southern Wis.
consin are using mari and ground lime
stone as top dressing for their alfalfa
with good results How much lime to
use will depend altogether on how
much soil aciditv tbere Ia to ba corract