Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1920-07-27

son for this is self evident upon a
little reflection because lime sinks
rapidly into the soil even under the
most unfavorable conditions. Thus
1t may soon get beyond the reach of
the roots of growing plants. The
land should now be worked once
week from the time the cowpeas have
been plowed under until the date for
September IS until November !;
Much depends on the location and
the season. Our results have been
invariably best when early planting
was practiced. Our idea would be
to seed, therefore. as near to Octo-
Der as possible. This gives the young
alfalfa plants considerable time in
hard freezes occur. Practically
every stand we have ever lost has
been killed by frost. In our dry au-
tumns it is often hard to get the
crop out of the ground at the right
time. termination frequently takes
place rather late in the autumn. The
plants are young and tender, and Sc
we're frosts frequently destroy the
greater part of them, thereby neces-
stating the reseeding of the, crop
sown on a rather dark, quiet day.
1t is not desirable to plant before
Il violent rainfall as this generally
washes and gullies the field and pre-
vents the attainment of uniform
stand 1t is best to seed in the eve
ming because inocu1ac;On is neces-
sary with this crop. One may of
course use either cultures or the
soil from a field where it has been
grown successfully in the past We
be given preference. They are cheap
err, relatively speaking, than the use
of soil would prove to be. and, if
the directions sent with them are
carefully followed, good results are
almost, certain to follow. Where
the artificial cultures are used there
is no danger of conveying to the land
fungous diseases which may prove
Injurious either to the alfalfa or to
the other crops cultivated thereon
prefer and recommend the use of the
cultures which are now manufac-
tured by large number of reputa-
BILE concerns and can be purchased
without difficulty at a fair price.
Sow about twelve to twenty
pounds of recIeaned seed That OBJ
tanned from the western part of the
United States has proven to be more
satisfactory in our tests. 1t is
cleaner and freer from weeds and
on that account, it is less likely to
cause infestation with undesirable
crop or plant dieases, many of which
nave come to us from foreign coun-
lilies. o6Su the alfalfa IN SuCn man.
ner as will insure the uniform dis
ground. A barrow seeder is a good
type to use for this purpose. Brush
the seed into the ground with
weeder. 1t is not any use to plant
moisture to insure it's rapid and
uniform termination. After stand
is obtained, keep animals off the land
during the winter. After a stand is
obtained, keep animals off the land
during the winter. You cannot af-
ford to Craze a new stand of alfalfa.
The crop should be fertilized when
it is planted with 800 to 1000
5 IL to 4 per cent nitrogen, to
10 per cent phosphoric acid and to
) per cent potash. We would prefer
before the alfalfa is seeded. 1t
should be we'll mixed with the sur
face soil by means of a harrow.
Alfalfa may be cut for hay the
following. spring, and, under nor
cured as high as six tons of cured
hay from an acre, and we have had
alfalfa produce an average of five
tons of cured hay per acre for eight
years and upward in succession.
With hay worth $50 per ton, what
to prove more profitable than an
area of alfalfa? 1t would be alb
surd and foolish, of course, to adj
vocate the general cultivation of
this crop to the exclusion OF other
crops; but there is room and urgent
patch of from five to ten acres. of
the most profitable and permanent
hay crOD we can undertake to grow
in this state.