The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1907-1917, 1913-07-17

am thoroughly convinced that today
it is the most promising and salts
factory crop that can be grown in
this section, and l do not believe
today there is any one thing that
means as much to the future welfare
and especially to the financial inter-
est Of the farmers of Georgia as the
growing Of alfalfa. It has made
every State rich and more prosperous
that has encouraged and taken up
the growing of this wonderful plant,
and if the farmers of this State would
pay more attention to this crop and
plant more of it they would eventu-
ally not only stop the output of mil
Iions of dollars for food that is now
being poured into other States out
of our cotton money, but save our
lands from washing away and make
them more profitable than any other
crop that could possibly receive the
attention Of the farmers.
Alfalfa will make poor land rich
quicker than anything | know OF,
and will make rich land produce the
most profitable crops Of anything
that can be planted. Following al
faIfa, three to five times as much can
be made in one year as during pre-
yious years on ground before the al
falfa was planted. In other words,
while building up the land with al
falfa, the grower is not only making
a crop Of as much profit as most any
thing else they can plant, but after
it has been in alfalfa several years,
the ground can be cultivated in corn,
cotton, potatoes, grain or vegetables,
or anything else and usually as large
a yield taken off in one season as
would have been made in three to
five years Of cultivation before the
alfalfa was planted.
Alfalfa will draw and store more
nitrogen in the soil from the air than
any other known crop. IT is the
cheapest and best way to secure nj
trOgen, and every farmer knows
that nitrogen is undoubtedly one of
the most important fertilizers that
can possibly be had.
Alfalfa will not only do this, but
will subsoil the land with its won
derful roots, as they go to water re-
gardless of how deep it is, and better
than any ploW can do so. 1t will
leave in the soil many tons of vegeta-
BILE matter that will keep your land
in the finest Of filth and open so the
air and water can penetrate the soil
and make your land easy to cultivate
for years afterwards.
Alfalfa will stand more dry wealth
err, also more wet weather than any
other crop that can be planted, and
when the necessary things are fur
nished for the successful growing Of
this crop, no one need ever make
failure of it, but without these things
applied to the average soils in GeOr-
gia, you can not hope to get the
best results, and in most cases make
a failure. The best time to plant is
in the fall, from Aug. Is to Nov. IS,
in the South, and March LIST to May
LIST for spring planting.
Lands that have been in beans,
vetch, peanuts, and peas are ideal
to start your alfalfa, as it rarely ever
fails to do we'll following a pea crop,
if the following details are carried
out: AS soon as the peas are ripe
enough to cut they should be cut
high above the ground, and as soon
as the hay is cured and removed from
the land, from two to twelve tons of
fine ground lime rock should be
spread broadcast over the pea stub
BILE. This lime rock can be had at
from So to So per ton delivered to
most any point in Georgia in carload
lots.
If it is not convenient to get the