Mountain advocate., 1920-04-02

preference how many timcs the field
Is narrowed, dragged and rolled be
fore being seeded II is essential that
the subsurface Of the soil he com.
pact, and then be thoroughly fined be.
fore seeding. The seed should be
'eowD preferably in special alfalfa
drill, ms II is necessary not to bury
the seed too deep. a mispractlce which
often results where an ordinary grain
is used. Where the alfalfa seeder is
not available, a wheelbarrow or hand
seeder may be utilized. The rate Of
seeding will vary in dIffernt local..
ties. As a rule, from Is to 20 pounds
of good quality seed to the acre are
deemed sufficient, although in some
localities as high as 25 pounds of seed
are sOwn. A weeder is an excellent
implement for covering the seed after
broadcastlng, but II II Is not available
n spiked-tOoth harrow may he used.
Soils Must Be Well Drained.
3 All soils designed for alfalfa cul-
ture must, of necessity. be free from
surplus soil moisture, that is TO say,
well drained, while they also must be
slightly alkaline. The simple lltmus
paper test which can be made by any
farmer will indicate whether or not
the soil is acid If acIdity exists, II
is essential to apply lime In whatever
form Is most practical and readily
available. Burnt lime, hydrated lime,
finely ground limestone, ground or
burnt oyster or clam shells and high
grade marls are all valuable for cor
rectiOn Of acid conditions. Very much
larger applications Of ground lime
stone and mari are necessary than Of
burnt or hydrated lime. As good re-
suits are obtained from all the forms
of lime, price and availability will
usually determine which form to use.
If the farmer is not familiar with the
subject It would be well for him to
apply To the director of his state OK
pertinent station and the United States
department of agriculture for litera-
ture and information on special points.
incubation Of alfalfa fields is essen
tial. The best and most simple Sys-
TEN is to transfer some inoculated soil
from an old sweet clover field TO the
new stand. This is best done i'm the
afternoon of cloudy day, the soil be-
ing distributed by shovel in the amount
Of about 300 to 400 pounds to the acre.
This work should be done i'm the alb
SnnRn nf gtInIirhf IN thn SIM
the bacteria which induce incubation.
Local incubation cultures are also
supplied by the various state expert
ment stations and the federal depart
ment of agriculture upon request.
Grower Should Know Variety.
Before buying alfalfa seed the pur-
chaser should inform himself fully re-
garding the variety best suited for his
section and the quality of the seed
with regard to both termination and
purity. In choosing a variety or
strain 1t is well to bear In mind that
he quiCkgrOwing alfalfas, because of
their tendency to produce heavier
Yields, should be used as far north
~ ivy VIII survive lHt NlhNtlS' III
the northern sections the variegated
including the Grimm, the
Baltic, and the Canadian varieties, have
proved most successful in withstand
Ing winter killing. In sections having
very mild winters. Peruvian alfalfa
has proved more profitable than long.
pr strains, owing TO its ability to pro
luce considerably heavier yields Usu-
ally 1t can be grown to advantage only
IN sections where minimum tempera-
lure is not lower than 10 degrees Fab
renheit, and where ordinary alfalfa
will succeed. Throughout Maryland
and Virginia all the common strains
If alfalfa which have been developed
n Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas and I'm.
Ter similar conditions, give the most
results.