The Yale expositor., 1913-03-13
ALFALFA GROWING IN MlCHl-
GAN

No. 271 Of the Michigan Experiment
Station. on The Growing of Alfalfa in
Michigan, and are furnished the EX-
position by the Yale State Bank, men,
bers of the agricultural committee of
the Michigan Bankers Association of
Detroit:
Il. Alfalfa is rapidly coming into
favor as farm crop in Michigan,
ninety-two per cent of the farmers re-
porting expressing a good or medium
opinion of alfalfa as a farm crop in
their respective sections"
80. The two principal causes of
failure in growing alfalfa have been
poor preparation OF the seed bed and
the lack of incubation. Among
other important causes of failure are
acid soils, light iniertile soils, poorly
drained soils, use OF nurse crop and in
case of late seedlings, winter killing"
80. Alfalfa is being grown success
fully on good many varieties of soil
types throughout the state. The ex-
act type of soil does not appear to be
of much Importance but soils that are
shallow by reason of the water table
or rock formation near the surface
and very light infertile soils should
be avoided. Farmers on light sandy
soils should seed on their best land
and may need to take some special
means of building up the fertility of
the soil. Farmers in the better agri-
cultural sections should as a rule seed
on the higher lands of the farm be-
cause this land is more in need of
improvement, because the alfalfa as
rule is productive on this land and
because the soil most productive in
corn and other crops is left for the
growing of these crops"
II. Alfalfa should not be seeded af-
ter a grass sod but may follow a cul-
tivated or small grain crop. The
preparation of the seed bed should be
thorough and extend over a period of
several weeks so as to secure a firm
and finely pulverized seed bed in
which the weeds and weed seeds have
been as completely eradicated as pos
sible. The most satisfactory way of
preparing a seed bed is to plow in
the fall or early spring and to harrow
every week until late spring or early
summer"
'5. The use of manure in seeding
alfalfa is advisable if applied some
time before seeding or after the alfalfa
has come up and made some little
growth. 1t is not advisable to turn
under heavy application on
quickly prepared seed bed, as this
tends to hold up the soil and allow it
to dry OUT or to apply as top dress
ing shortly before seeding, because of
the introduction of the weed Seeds"
"6. There are doubtless many con-
ditions under which commercial fer
tilizers, judiciously applied, may prof
itably be used to stimulate more
vigorous growth both in the new and
old seedlings, but the idea that is
more or less prevalent that CONNER
cial fertilizers may be used to i'm
mediately make any soil productive is
a fallacy, and until further data is
available at least, commercial fertll-
lzers should be applied in an experi-
mental way to learn what may best be
used under local conditions"
~. On many soils throughout the
state lime does not seem to be needed
but on others it is quite essential to
the successful growing of alfalfa. 1t
is well to apply lime on portion of
the field when seeding alfalfa for the
first time, especially if difficulty has
been experienced in growing clover,
or if there is any other indication of
an acid soil"
-. The presence of nitrogen fixing
bacteria are of utmost Importance in
the growing of alfalfa. Both the soil
and pure culture methods of inoccula-
ton have given good results and one
or both should always be used when
ever alfalfa is being seeded for the
first time in field"
80. The exact date of seeding is
not of so much Importance as the pre-
paration of a good seed bed and sew
eral other factors. Late spring or
early summer Is a favorable time on
the medium of heavy types of soils,
and early or middle spring is a good
time on the lighter types of soils"
10. The use of a nurse crop is not
advisable except on fields that are apt
to blow or wash and on seed beds that
are poorly prepared and are apt to be-
come very weedy."
q. The rate of seeding within GER
tain limits is not an important factor
in the seeding of alfalfa. A very light
seeding is satisfactory under ideal
conditions. Ten or twelve pounds per
acre should ordinarily be as good as
more and is a safe amount for general
recommendations"
~. There are no commercial var
ieties of alfalfa in the sense that we
have varieties of corn, wheat, etc. For
general use we must depend mainly
upon the American grown seed of the
common or the blue flower alfalfa,
though the Grimm and other selections
of the variegated alfalfa are very de-
sirable for planting under Michigan
conditions. Northern grown seed
should be purchased in preference to
that grown in the central and southern
states"
"13. New seedlings of alfalfa should
be clipped often enough to hold the |
weeds in check but not usually more
than two or three times during the
first season.
IA Alfalfa should be seeded on
practically every farm, all or a por-
ton of which is well drained, through.
out the agricultural sections of the |
state Its special places in Michigan