The midland journal., 1916-07-21
ALFALFA OUR MOST
VALUABLE HAY CROP
Requires Good Soil For Successful
Growth And A Well Prepared
Seed Bed.
NICHOLAS sCHMITz
Maryland Agricultural Experiment
Station.

NO SOIL, regardless or type or Iocar
tion in the state, will produce fair
crops of alfalfa unless it is fertile;
producing at least 40 to so bushels
(or 10 barrelsl Of corn per acre in a
tilizer applied either before or after
seeding will make up for poor land
at the start. Moreover, starting al
falfa under such conditions is indeed
very. expensive. If the land is poor
it is far better to wait few years
and grow fertilizing crops, such as
cowpeas, crimson clover, soybeans and
red clover in the rotation before each
money crop. If manure Is available
the more used the better. In fact,
the supply of organic matter is a very
important factor in alfalfa production.
It is seldom that land very low in
Z humus grows alfalfa successfully.
Thus, the problem is one of supplying
the proper amount of humus as well
as supplying sufficient plant food,
Alfalfa requires Drainage.
Drainage must be. good Alfalfa re-
quires much more complete drainage
than do other farm crops. Land In
clined to be wet and springy in win
ter and early spring, although dry
enough during the growing season to
produce good crops of corn, wheats,
oats and grass, Is not drained well
enough for alfalfa. On such land al
falfa Is sure to be killed out sooner
or later by heaving due to the fire.
quent freezing and thawing so COM
mon some seasons.
Abundance OF Lime Needed.
Lining for alfalfa is absolutely nee
essary on practically all Maryland
soils-even In the natural lime stone
sections. It makes little or no diff
ference what kind of lime is used If
the proper amount of each is applied
1t is a question of cost and ease Of
handling rather than the effect upon
the alfalfa
The amount Of lime to use under
average conditions is one ton per acre
lump lime, ground lime or burnt oyster
shells. Hydrated lime should be used
at the rate of 1900 to 2,7O0 pounds,
and ground lime stone or ground
oyster shells should be applied at the
rate of $500 pounds to 2 tons per acre.
The best time to apply lime Is the
season before sowing the alfalfa. II,
however, this is not convenient or
impracticable, it may be applied just
before, or even after seeding, with the
assurance OF good results and no in
Jury.
Well Prepared Seed Bed.
K Alfalfa requires more than any other
7 farm crop, a thoroughly prepared seed
bed for successful termination and
= early growth. Sowing alfalfa upon
loose, freshly plowed land will, even
under the most ideal weather condi-
tions, result in little beyond dismal
failure.
An ideal seed bed Is one obtained by
plowing the land in the fall, then IN
early spring narrowing it until the sur
face is smooth and thoroughly pull
.verized to a depth of about inches.
Hence, where alfalfa follows small
grain, a clover, or timothy sod, the
land should be plowed as soon as pos
sible after, the crop has been removed,
thus allowing plenty of time for at
least one or two good soaking rains to
settle the soil we'll before seeding time.
1t must be remembered that frequent
surface workings between the time of
plowing and seeding are absolutely
necessary to conserve moisture, kill
weeds, and properly pulverize the sur
face.