The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1923-06-21
Lime, Alfalfa, Cows, for Sand
Land Farms


Coon Creek, June 16-Some seven
hundred farmer folk from fourteen
counties in which there are consider
able areas of sandy land gathered at
Coon Creek Saturday to study the
results of experiments carried on by
the University Department of Agri-
culture to determine how to make
farming on sand lands pay. They re-
ceived convincing answer in luxur-
liant crops of alfalfa growing on
land which would not under exactly
similar treatment produce more than
the most meager growth of the COM
mon clovers, and in the exhibition Of
high-producing cows. In other words
they learned that successful farming
of low-lime sand areas, of which there
are between four and five million
acres in Minnesota, could be won by
lining the soil, growing alfalfa of a
hardy variety, and feeding dairy
cows capable. of liberal milk produc-
ton and the return of nitrogen to the
soil.
The answer was not one which the
university Department of Agricul-
ture set out to demonstrate" by
establishing a demonstration farm
through legislative appropriation. The
University Department of Agricul-
ture did not know the answer to the
problem when it began its work at
con Creek. 1t had to find out the
wer by experiment. 1t has
afnd the answer, so the farmers at
ding alfalfa Day" here today
, IRE told, and the answer is that al
Seady indicated. The application of
S1e results of the experiments to the
( arming of Minnesota's sandy areas
Deans ideally millions of dollars in
added returns to sand-land farmers
and added prosperity for the whole
state.
These facts were driven home at
the demonstration here by showing
the farmers large plot of land on
a hillside on which no crops worth
while had ever before been produced
but which were now green with SPLEEN
did growths of alfalfa, and, con-
trasted with this, plots which were
almost bare simply because on these
no lime or mari had been applied.
Here, for example, was plot which
in three years without lime had pro-
duced only 1.6 tons of alfalfa to the
acre. Besides this was a plot which
had been given a treatment of two
tons of limestotne screenings, and in
the same period had produced 8 tons
of alfalfa.
The case of alfalfa against the
clovers was still more striking. The
clovers under the same treatment of
the soil would not give any crop at
all-or, at least, no crop worth the
labor involved in harvesting it.
The difference between alfalfa and
the clovers was revealed in striking
manner in a great pit, more than
thirteen feet deep in an alfalfa field,
where the roots of the alfalfa plants
were shown running down to the
bottom of the pit in search of water,
whereas the roots of the clovers
would not go down more than from a
few inches to a foot and half. The
alfalfa roots, in short, pushed down
to the water table, or near it, for
moisture while the clover depended
on surface moisture and if it did not
get that, as in dry years, it sickened
and died.
Again it was shown that the addi-
ton of phosphate and potash fertili-
zers-at the outset, at least-added
nothing to alfalfa production, and
that their use was waste of time
and money on sandy lands like those
in Anoka county.
Having seen the evidences of the
ability of such lands under lining
treatments, the visitors were shown
how to test soils for acidity such as
the use of lime neutralizes, how to
inoculate alfalfa seed with soil from
alfalfa or sweet clover fields or with
commercial inoculants, how to pre-
pare seeded for alfalfa, and how
to sow the seed. They were alst
shown how mari was excavated from
peat bed to be prepared through
winters freezing and thawing for
spreading on sandy lands, and how