Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1919-06-13
Alfalfa In Georgia

some this fall? There is no more
valuable crop which can be Guilt
waited in this section of the country.
Once it is established you may cut
it for hay five or six times a year.
If it is properly taken care of 1t
will remain on the land for a period
of to 10 years or even longer, and
yield profitable crops all the time
1t has made a record of this charac-
ter on the college farm here at Ath-
ems and on many of the demonstra-
ton plats established by the county
agents in various parts of Georgia.
There is no doubt, therefore, about
what it will do if given a proper
chance.
1t is a wonderfully fine thing to
be able to drive out on your alfal-
ia field at least five times every
year and cut down one of the most
beautiful crops that ever grew out
of the soil. Every time you cut it
and cure it you will find that you
have secured from three-fourths to
| one and one-fourth tons of hay
There is no finer hay in the world
than good grade of alfalfa. 1t
is worth on the market at present
about $40 per ton and upward. 1t is
one of the few hays that may be
made to take the place. of a very
considerable quantity of concen-
trates. In our own tests we have
found that nine pounds of alfalfa
may Sbe substituted successfully for
six pounds of wheat bran. Bran
normally costs a good deal more
than alfalfa per ton; enough in fact,
to make the alfalfa as cheap a
source of concentrate substitute as
bran itself. There is no other sin
gle crop which can be established
and maintained on the land through
series of years which possesses the
merit in this respect that alfalfa
does.
Under such = circumstances 1t
seems strange that this crop is not
cultivated very extensively in our
state. The reasons. however, are
not hard to find, because in spite of
all that has been accomplished up
to the present time comparatively
little is known, by the average in
dividual about why so many failures
with alfalfa are still recorded. In
other words. this is a difficult and
costly crop to establish and those
who have been farming along the
old haphazard lines are frequently
not willing to make the necessary
expenditure or to put the time and
effort into the preparation and fer
tilization of the land on a basis
which will insure their securing a
stand of alfalfa. On the other hand,
1t should be remembered that alfa1-
IA is not a. vigorous plant when
young, and therefore it is rather diff
ficu1t to establish. At other times
we have unfayorable seasonal condi-
tions to deal with, and then many of
our people fail to lime the land or
to inoculate the soil for this crop
and so make almost certain of it's
failure before they plant it.
In view of the wonderful richness
OF this plant in animal nutrients and
the large and uniform yields which
may be obtained through a series of
years, how should. one proceed in or
der to establish it on a permanent
and profitable basis? First of all, it
takes time to get land in shape to
plant to alfalfa. This is. one of the
factors that account for large num-
Der Of failures. Very frequently in
ceive large number of inquiries
asking about seeding alfalfa, the sup
position being that one may go out
and turn up any piece of land that
happens to be convenient, seed the
crop in a very Indifferent manner,
happen once in lifetime, but even
then it will be the exception and not
the rule. In the first place, alfalfa
requires soil which is well drain
ed and porous. The land must be
friable, and Of a good depth. Clay
tons will answer very well. This
crop can be grown successfully in all
the Piedmont section. 1t can also
be grown with advantage in many of
the heavier soils of the southern and
soHthwe stern-r~ part Of the statet
There are thus an abundant num-
Der of soil types on which it can be
profitably cultivated.
Many of these soils, however, are
deficient in vegetable matter and
l hnnan inn1in6p6 tn he
wet at certain seasons of the year,
and so constituted physically that
air does not work it's way through
| them freely. This defect can be over
come in most instances by proceeding
as follows: First, secure two tons
this uniformaly over the surface of
each acre of land which it is expect
ed to seed to alfalfa. Then break
the land as deeply, as possible with
turning pillow. Subsoiling should
not be attempted in the spring of
broken harrow it and. seed to cow
peas. Other crops, of course, may be
used, such as velvet beans. Velvet
beans require such a long season IN
which to mature, however, that they
are not so satisfactory as cover
| crop as cowpeas. Before the cowpeas
or velvet beans are sedeed fertilize
| with acid phosphate at the rate of at
least 800 pounds per acre. In nor
NAL times we would suggest the use
! of so pounds Of muriate potash or
zoo pounds of kainit or some other
| equivalent. carrier of potash. Under
! existing circumstances some potash
may be obtained from various
| sources, but possibly it's cost would
! hardly justify it's extensive use at
! present. However un1eached WOOD
| ashes can be used to considerable adj
| vantage and in case they are applied
they should not be mixed with the
acid phosphate. Scatter them over
! the ground separately at the rate OF
! $40 pounds and upward per acre, and
! harrow in.
we would prefer to drill in the
| peas, using about a bushel to a
| bushel and peck of seed per acre.
! A much better stand is obtained IN
! this way One advantage of cover
| crop of this character is to smother
out weeds. AS soon as the peas are
! in a suitable condition to- cut for
hay they should be cross-disked or
rolled and then plowed down. Turn
them under just as thoroughly and
completely as possible: Immediately
this is accomplished the land must
be rolled and narrowed. 1t should
| then be worked every week as a
fallow until the time for planting
| the alfalfa has arrived. In north
Georgia this will be between Septem-
! Der Is and october l, and In south
Georgia from October 1, to Is. I'M
they seeded alfalfa at much later
date and secured a beautiful stand
Probably they did; there are excep-
tions to all rules, but the man who
| tries this will almost invariably ex-
press his regret next spring. when
| he realizes he has sunk anywhere
from SIS to $50 per acre on his land
and failed to secure a stand of al
falfa. In a great many instances the
! failure to secure a stand is due to
the fact that the alfalfa was killed
out by freeze before it had prop
erly established itself. Why take a
chance of this character on an ex-
pensive and difficult crop to establish
! such as alfalfa? We cannot en-
phasize too strongly, therefore, the
: Importance of early seeding.
: A few days before seeding. another
, two tons of crushed raw rock should
;1l Net hut