The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1928-05-03
ALFALFA REQUIRES
SEED INCUBATION
fcontinued From Page One)

kOtaS Nebraska anu hdiSoo ahu
ON southwest into Mexico, we hnd
a high lime soil. :.
In most of the states east OF
that line, we have spots Where
there are high lime soils, but the
majority are low in lime; Inc
thousands of years of rainfall have
bleached the lime out OF the Top
soils. and it is accumulated IN mari
heds or passed away through the
natural drainage channels.
A0 Minnesota Counties Have Plenty
Fortunately, 40 counties IN !ne
state of Minnesota are in the hgn1
lime belt, the natural alfalfa ana
sweet clover country when 1t Is
nroperly drained, because the son
in these 40 counties nave an Il
abundance of lime, which Is ulie
first prerequisite of successful aa-
falfa soil. eo4,
The other counties are tortu-
nate in the fact that there IS
nlentv of lime in the form OF mari
or limestone quarries in the near
vicinity. There is hardly PONY
in the state where mari OF GROUND
limestone cannot be secured ae-
liyered at railroad stations conven-
lent for any farmer for from Sl:lo
tn Sc. 90 a ton. From two to flve
tons of this applied to an acre OF
Ground should last from seven to
ten years, depending on the ma
ture of the soil, how much aicldlty
was in it and how open and porous
II is. or whether it will hold the
lime and keep it from seeplng away
rapidly.
Good Drainage Required
Not all high lime soils are free
from acidity. Soil that is not prop
erly drained may be high in lime
and vet be acid, and this acidity
would kill the bacteria on alfalfa
plants. This is one reason why
sweet clover does better on some
low. flat lands than alfalfa. Sweet
clover grows only two years, while
alfalfa is expected to keep OH ny
ing forever. However, when this
soil is properly drained it will he
sweet and suitable for alfalfa.
Lime is also good for other crops
that are to follow on the land that
has been planted to alfalfa ana
sweet clover. 1t takes almost as
much lime out of the soil to pro
duce red clover as it does alfalfa,
but on account of the fact that req
clover only lasts two years IKE
sweet clover, it has never been
considered so important to apply
lime to fields that you are going
to put into red clover.
Milk. Bones Take Away Lime
However, many farmers are Inn
ing, from 10 to 20 acres of their
land each year. Alfalfa has shown
them it is very profitable to nave
YOUR soil rich in lime. They rea--
lie that every time they send
away a can of milk, a pig, a chick
en-. a calf, cow or steer, or a horse,
they are taking lime away from
their farm that came out OF the
soil.
MARI Beds Are Valuable Mines
The mari beds throughout the
northeastern section of Minnesota
are worth millions of dollars to
the state. By using this mari to
sweeten up acid soils through the
10 or 20 northeastern counties in
the state, you will make it possible
for billions of little bacteria to
take, from the air, insoluble nitro
gen and digest this free nitrogen
to soluble nitrogen or fixed nitro
gen. Then not only sweet clover
and alfalfa can use this most val
liable fertilizing element.
About 100000 900. 90 worth
of nitrate fertilizers are purchased
by the farmers of the United States
every year. If you use this mari
and then inoculate your alfalfa
and sweet clover seed with ,bac-
terra that you can get from almost
every seed store, then you will
have your own nitrate fertilizing
factory right on your own farm.
Those of you in the southeastern
part of the state, where your soil
is acid and needs lime, have lime
stone quarries near St. Paul and
Minneapolis and MANY other points
where you can secure limestone at
very reasonable prices.
Yellow Spots in Alfalfa
If you find yellow spots in your
alfalfa fields, go out and dig up
some of the plants with a spade,
and if you inoculated your seed
when you seeded in this patch of
alfalfa and there are no little
white nodules on the roots of your
plants, then you had better send us
a sample of your soil or test it
yourself, and see if it isn't acid.
If this soil is lacking in lime, your
alfalfa can't possibly be much of
success. Where is it going to
get the lime to put the 40 pounds
of lime in every ton of alfalfa hay
If there is lime in your subsoil
to supply this 40 pounds of lime
needed to go into the hay and your
soil is acid, this acidity kills the
bacteria. Then you will not have
any little nitrate factories on your
alfalfa, and your field can't posi-
bly, be the success it should. 1t will
live only short time, unless you
buy commercial fertilizer high in
nitrogen or unless you spread 6 ia
10 loads of manure every two OF
three years to supply nitrogen, the
essential element to make the pro-
tein In your hay.
II 10 a oond n1an to have vour