The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1907-1917, 1913-07-17
PAGE TWO THE JE
Alfalfa How to Grow It
How to Cure 1t

ploWed: don't pillow unde4 any cir,
cumstances- with cutaway har-
row, and in about five days after
wards coating of 600 pounds OF
acid phosphate, 800 pounds Of bone
meal and 100 pounds of potash
should be scattered broadcast, and
this thoroughly disced in the soil,
running a tooth harrow over the
land after the discing is done.
In five to ten days after the fer
tilizer has been applied with the
third discing Of the soil fine pow
dered seed bed will then be made
and your land is then ready for the
seed. Ten pounds of inoculated
seed should be sown per acre, with
a Cahoon Seed Drill, or any seed
drill, and a tooth harrow at about
As degrees angle should be used to
cover the seed. Then you should
turn in the opposite direction and
SOW another 10 pounds of seed per
acre, 20 lbs all told, and run the
harrow over it also. On loose, sandy
land run a roller or drag over after
planting. These seed should be
treated the night before sowing with
a bottle of Inoculin, which can be
had from Southern 1noculin Labora-
tory, P. O. Box SAL, Atlanta, Ca,
at cost of $500 per bottle, or
enough for five acres can be had for
$500.
1t is also a good idea if it can be
had to SOW just ahead of planting
the seed from two to five hundred
pounds Of dirt off of some alfalfa
field This dirt, and also the inocu-
latiOn Of the seed makes it doubIy
sure that you will get sufficient bac-
terra in the soil to make splendid
growth, and for this bacteria to act
Immediately when the seed begin to
terminate. If inOculated peas are
planted on the land it is not neces-
sary to use the dirt.
The lime and Inoculin bacteria
are the two most important things
to be looked after in the planting of
alfalfa, as alfalfa, as a rule, can not
thrive and groW as it should unless
this Inoculin bacteria is furnished,
any more so than you could sue
cessfully make lightbread without
yeast cake. The lime answers the
purpose Of sWeetening the soil and
keeping down the crab grass which
seems to be our worst enemy in our
soils, simply because they have too
much acid in them, and are not sweet
enough
There is another important detail
that causes many people to fail with
alfalfa, and this is because the
ground just previous to being planted
has been broken too deep Alfalfa,
to successfully terminate and make
a good start, must have a good firm
seed bed, we'll filled with moisture
and nitrogen, as the little fine hair
roots must have the firm soil to take
root in and supply moisture to the
plant. The land where inocuIated
peas have grown will have more than
$4,000 worth Of nitrogen and mois-
ture in each acre. Alfalfa will start
quickly on such land immediately
after it terminates. Loose, fresh.
deep-plowed soil is SO porous that
1T does not hold the moisture close
enough around these fine roots, and
this one cause has kept many from
succeeding by planning on fresh,
deep-ploWed ground. The soil. of
course, should be deeply plowed and
We'll broken a few months before
the seed is sown, which is usually
done when the peas are planted, and
with the peas Oh the land they have
kept the land shaded and given it a
chance to FIJI back up with moisture
few months previous to planting
the alfalfa and making a firm root