The Marietta journal and courier. (Marietta, Ga.) 1909-1918, 1916-06-30

to use lime for our experience proves
alfalfa will fail without the use of
lime.
N0I.'.G t sow alfalfa on land
that would not produce as much as
1000 lbs Of seed cotton per acre. the
better the land of course the better
your alfalfa will be, but in my opin-
ion it is not absolutely necessary to
have such rich land in order to grow
alfalfa successfully, nor is it essen
tial to spread great lot of manure
on the land. Very fair crops can be
produced on medium land and your
land will be storing up nitrogen and
getting better each year.
There are various ideas and opin-
ions as to the proper amount of seed
you ought to sow, some advising the
sowing Of from 20 to 80 lbs per acre,
but our experience on my farm has
been that 10 lbs when sowing in
the Spring, and 10 to 10 lbs. in the
fall sowing, when properly sown,
gives heavy stand and as these seed
usually cost about zoe per pound
this means a saving in seed cost.
We use a Cahoon seeder which
costs very little, $1.75 | think, and
it distributes the seed perfectly You
cant sow the seed satisfactorily by
hand. In fact it may be true that
when 20 to 80 lbs. of seed is sown
per acre the plants are entirely too
thick on the ground and being so
thick they haven't sufficient room for
development, the consequence being
that the following spring and sum
mer the crab-grass and weeds get
into the crop and destroys it.
However, we have found that the
old Gee-Whiz harrow equipped with
snake-head teeth is the very thing to
use in scarifying your alfalfa after
your second cutting. 1t not only pull
verizes the top of your soil and cul-
tivates the alfalfa plant but at the
same time, if crossed, destroys the
young crabgrass and weeds.
Most of those whom | have heard
discussing alfalfa say that it wont
live and stay with you long enough.
Well think they are mistaken about
this There are a number of old al
falfa fields in the North and West
and while that might be a somewhat
better home for the plant l see no
reason why we can't make it at home
here if we will treat it right.
Several of our farmers here in
Cobb have small fields of alfalfa that
| have noticed in different sections
and some of them look fine. They
cent better, but none of us have
enough OF it.
1t is a good yielder when properly
cared for and would pay upon any
of our farms. With reasonably good
! rainfall it should make from four
to five cuttings per year and a very
few acres would suffice to keep our
barns well filled all the year round
with the choicest of hay.
Nothing can surpass it for horses,
cattle, hogs or chickens, and l hope
to see the day when travellers coming
on their auto tours through our
country will never be out of sight of
good alfalfa field on any of our
roads.
AS nitrogen gatherer and storer,
as a soil builder, as a beautifier of
| the homestead, | know of nothing
else l would rather have. When this
valuable plant becomes common and
plentiful, high-bred cattle will be-
come plentiful and our farmers will
really be in the lead.
| hope every good farmer will be-
gin to lay his plans now to SOW
from two to five acres of alfalfa this
| fall and | have no douot he will even
tually be well repaid.
Very truly,
JOHN p. CHENEY.