The Prescott daily news., 1914-08-17
LETTER OF COM
 MISSIONER JOHN H. PAGE
Alfalfa Money and Feed Crop. Farmers in Northwest Arkansas Having Great Success
 With this Crop.

There is no question about the val ue of alfalfa as both a money and feed crop, but there is some question as to whether it will grow in all sec tions and under all conditions. Many of our farmers in Northwestern and Northeastern Arkansas have been great success with alfalfa without lmuch preparation and without inocu- lating. And many in all sections have failed and have come to the conclusion that alfalfa is not adapted to their soil. In most cases We find the fail ure due to indifferent preparation, lack of lime, too many weeds, failure to inoculate either the soil or the seed or failure to select a well drained fertile piece of land Sometimes one of these necessary steps is left out, and sometimes another and unusually that farmer can report failure with alfalfa. All necessary and before you can say you have given alfalfa fair trial you must be able to say you have diligently met with all of the above requirements.
 On some soils there may not be a need for lime but in the great maiori- ty of cases there is need for lime when alfalfa is planted in Arkansas soil. Sometimes farmers have been successful without inoculating but it is best to inoculate and be on the safe side. If alfalfa is such a valuable crop it is certainly worth giving a fair trial.
 We began last spring to getting ready for an experiment with alfalfa this fall. We manured the land sow ed oats, turned under the stubble, drilled COW peas and worked them clean and turned under the stubble. the soil was lined and now is being thoroughly prepared for the seed which will be inoculated The seed will be sown the first good season af- ter the first of September, and in my opinion nearly every one of the 2000 | farmers who agreed to give alfalfa a fair trial have done all of these things, and if alfalfa fails with all of these essential things done. we can then truthfully say that alfalfa is not adapted to our soil. There will be but few of these farmers who have taken all the necessary steps that can say next July that they have failed with alfalfa.
 l am getting a number of requests daily to be put on the alfalfa list It is too late now to properly make the experiment. l have already had the lime shipped out and have mailed out the culture for inoculating the seed and all proper steps have been taken in getting the land ready. The seed will be mailed out this week to those farmers who requested them last spring and have made preparation. It would hardly be fair to alfalfa for a man to undertake the experiment now without having time to get ready.
 If you want to try little expert ment now, l would advise you to se- lect a small plot of land on which there has been a clean cultivated crop. Select a well drained fertile soil. Give it good application of barnyard ma nure and work we'll into the soil, and give the soil q thorough preparation. Then lime it and work the lime into the soil and either inoculate the soil with sod from an old alfalfa field or inocuate the seed with commercial culture. You can get the seed from any seed house And SOW about 20 to 25 pounds of seed to the acre about the first good season after the first of September. But do not try alfalfa and expect success without taking all of these steps. At any rate do not be sure that it will not grow on your land until all of the necessary things have been done.
 ] JOHN II. PAGE