Newark post., 1913-07-02


easily put IL sEape By disktlg- Where
, III early efoP Goes MT prseaIs alfalfa, It
I Il wsI 30 pIa7r the land in spring, rosk
i down tkorozghIg, AM harrow az IL
fsrTaLs 1f = week, Or altar eseh rain
Until seecizg ttrAe. This r1ec50I t.e4s
the land Of weerI. and serves 10 retain
moisture. IL any ezse land irten1eG 2or
alfalfa ahoa.1 BE- pIowed several rseks BE-
fare s@e!ing. The early potato crop
Lszves The soil II spIenIid condition for
Alfalfa, a. considerable fertilizers are
gseI On the potatoes.
! Lime.-Al soils in this IoeaIity re-
. q1ire lime for the bess deveIopnent Of
alfalfa, 1t is useless TO attempt 10
grow The crop without lime. ANY form
Of line may be used At Ieass one ton
Of burned, prepared Or hydrated lime
should be applied. Ground limestone, IN
burned, should be applied in double the
| quantity Of prepared lime, OF a. the rate
Of TWO ton. per ARE. The ground lime
stone il al effective in sneetening the
soil a. the burned form. Of lime, but
aets little more slowly. Ground or
burned oyster shells will serve the pgr-
+ po.e also. If the prepared lime is used,
apply 10 the soil week Or ten days be-
fore seeling aE1 harrow into the soil
thoroughly.
! Fertilizers. Stable manure il one Of
the beet fertilizers for alfalfa, but should
oe pIo7eI under in the spring before
seeNng in August. The application Of
stable manure 1t the time Of seeding IL
likely 20 rss1lt in wee1y stand. Where
red clover Or crimson clover s01 has been
turned do~n in the spr.ng, a mixture Of
( 500 pounIs Of add phosphata and 100
pounIs Of mariate If potash pr ARE is
. ra~omnen lei for fairly fertile land.
After early potatoes one.haIf the above
quantity il n .cient. Where no stable
manure Or tod has been turned under re-
Gently, fertilizer containing some nitro
gen viii be necessary. \ 2-s-7 fertilizer
applied at the rate Of 800 to 800 pounds
. per ARE viii give gooI results. In most
cases, if the soil has been thoroughly
prepared, no nitrogen need be used in
starting alfalfa. Fertilizers should he
applied Immediately before seeding.
noculation.-Inoculatio is absolute
! Iy necessary for successful results with
alfalfa. The lime prepares the soil for
the Development Of the bacteria, which
forms the n0dules on the roots Of the
plant. These bacteria aid the plant in
securing it's nitrogen from the air. Near
" all soils require incubation, as the bar
terra common to alfalfa are not found
On other cultivated clovers. Inoculation
may be accomplished in two ways: First,
By means Of soil taken from field
where alfalfa has been successfully
glown. Two or three hundred pounds is
gu .cient 10 inoculate an acre. Even
distribution is facilitated by mixing the
inoculated soil with an equal quantity Of
other soil in order to increase the bulk.
The mixture may then be applied with
| fertilizer distributor. It is important TO
harrow the land Immediately after the
inoculated soil has been applied, so that
the sunlight may not injure the bacteria.
The inoculated soil should be applied just
before sowing. Second, incubation may
be introduced by the use of cultures,
prepared commercially or by the United
States Department Of Agriculture. Cen
orally they will be furnished by the de-
partment free Of charge together with
directions for use. These cultures are
applied in solution to the seed, which
is sown at once.
| The Seed.-Care should be taken in the
| selection Of alfalfa seed. Pure seed Of
strong vitality is essential. Good seed is
indicated by its plumpness and greenish-
yellow color. Rusty or dull brownish
seed is likely to be too old for the best
termination. Dodder seed is common
| impurity. The dodder is a parasitic
plant that twines about clovers and al
| faIfa, feeding on their Juices and final
ly killing the plants. Samples Of seed
suspected of low termination or impuri-
ties should be sent to the Department Of
Agronomy for examination.
Time Of Seeding-In Delaware alfal-
ia should be sown from the 10th to the
| Goth Of August. During normal season
| the alfalfa will make from 6 to 10 inches
growth before frost, which will insure the
plants passing the winter in good con-
dition. Spring seeding cannot be rec
commended. Be careful to see that the
soil has plenty of moisture at the depth
Of one inch at the time of seeding. If
the soil has been properly managed dur
ing the summer, as described above,
moisture conditions will be satisfactory.
1t is best TO SOW after a shower Of rain.
If the land is somewhat dry at the sur
face when seeding, follow with roller.
Rata Of Gca1inp-The usual rate of