The Lancaster news. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1905-current, 1913-08-12
AN ALFALFA ASSOCIATION
Formed at Enthusiastic Meet
ing at Court House Monday.
MIR. J. E. CRAIG, PRESIDENT.
Interesting Talk by Mr.. A. G.. Smith,
AgricuIturalist, on How to
Plant Alfalfa,

to have organized in Lancaster coun-
ty an alfalfa association have been
crowned with success. According
to appointment, Mr.. A. G. Smith,
agriculturist, working under the di-
rection OF the United States depart
ment OF agriculture, met a good
gathering of farmers and others in
terested in farming, in the court
house Monday and gave a most in
teresting talk on the method Of
growing alfalfa.
He said that alfalfa had been
grown in South Carolina as early as
1896, by the grandfather of Mr.. w.
G. Whitner of Rock Hill and in one
or two other counties between the
years 1865 to 1870. And the reason
why the planting of it had not been
extended was because it was not
known how to plant 1t intelligently;
that he had been demonstrating the
manner OF growing 1t for the past
four and a half years; that he had
organized three associations in this
state, one at Rock Hill with 113
members, one at Yorkville with Al
members and one in Lee county with
13S members; that Mrs. John Black
nine years ago from which she had
gathered forty-one cuttings.
Mr.. Smith stressed the matter of
careful preparation OF the land and
of closely following the directions
for manuring and seeding as abso-
lutely indispensable to success in
raising alfalfa. Said he, "A careless,
slipshod farmer had better not plant
alfalfa" He said that it is some
- IL.
bred stock, which would look puny
and delicate when young along side
OF even scrub stock, but when full
grown were superior to the scrub
variety in every way. There is no
question, said he, about the raising
OF alfalfa successfully on clay land,
like that around Rock Hill, Winns-
boro and that on the Cunningham
place, where Mr.. ]. Roy Cunning
ham has some ten acres in the crop.
but land with a pipe clay subsoil, he
said, would not do.
Mr.. Smith remarked that he as yet
had not had much experience with
light colored and sandy land Ordi-
nary bottom land would do, provided
1t was we'll drained. The most fer
tile land is the best upon which to
grow a crop.
Two cardinal principles are neces-
sary in the successful growing OF
alfalfa First, the use of ground
limestone, and second, the inocula-
tion of the soil. Mr.. Smith said as
a general thing the land in South
Carolina was badly In need of lime,
that acid phosphate had been used
uninterruptedly for so many years
that the land had become soured
and that lime was necessary to cor
tho api1ftU IN coil 10 1I
vised the use Of ground limestone
containing 95 per cent of calcium
carbonates and fine enough to pass
through a twenty-mesh sieve. He
told his audience to be sure and not
use caustic lime or burned Stacked
lime. He advised the buying OF
ground limestone comparatively;
that 1t ought to be laid down in Lam
caster at cost not exceeding
$3.50 per ton; that in Illinois, where
the state ground 1t, the cost was as
low as 81 per ton. He advised the
use of from three to five tons per
acre either for alfalfa or for other
crops. That one application would
do for five years. That crop would
yield from three to six cuttings per
year and each acre should yield from
three to six tons. He said there was
no better feed for cows and as a pas
ture for hogs IL could not be beat
The following directions were given
for planting alfalfa by Mr.. Smith:
Select well-drained, fertile
field, free from noxious weeds.
'Plow the land and apply at least
three tons Of ground limestone per
acre.
apply ten two-horse loads OF
barnyard manure and work into the
sonl Immediately after applying. II
the alfalfa is planted following cow
peas. the pease may be chopped fine
with disk and piowed under,
"Fertilize with 1000 pounds OF
basic stag, 400 pounds OF cotton
seed meal or its equivalent, and
1000 pounds OF kainit per acre, or
its equivalent
"lnoculate with soil from field
where alfalfa has grown successful
~, using a two-horse wagon load
per acre, Take this soil TO a depth
not to exceed eight inches and keep
II out of the sunlight as much as
possible from the time 1t is taken
from the old field until IL Is worked
into the new one. The soil must be
covered Immediately after spread
ing. Cultures such as are furnished
by the department of agriculture, or
which are sold or the market, may
be used instead OF the soil.
"Put the 4and in perfect condition.
"Sow 30 pounds Of good seed per
acre. In sowing broadcast, SOW half
the seed one way across the field and
half the other TO prevent skips.
Sow preferably IN the month Of
September. In seeding after October