The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1928-04-12

need for a permanent, successful
crop production. Alfalfa will not
grow without an abundance of it.
Without plenty of nitrogen it gets
yellow and soon dies out. 1t takes
about $50 pounds of soluble nitro
gen to produce the protein in six
tons of alfalfa hay.
Where Legumes Get Nitrogen
1t your yield is low, the first
thing to find out is whether your
alfalfa plants are securing suffi-
cient nitrogen.
There are several sources that
might supply this needed nitrogen
to your alfalfa plants. The first
one is the natural fertility of the
soil; second, the application of
barnyard manure before seeding
your alfalfa and itop-dressing it
quite frequently from year to year
third, by using commercial ferti-
lizers, Git would take $50. 90 worth
of fertilizer per acre to supply the
nitrogen for 6-ton yield)
fourth, by growing other legumes
like red clover, soybeans and
peas. The fifth is the natural way
that alfalfa should get nitrogen,
that is, through the nodules on
the roots, in which millions of lit
tie bacteria live and manufacture
soluble nitrogen, or nitrates, out
of the soluble nitrogen that is in
the air.
Of all these sources, the latter
is the real one to use in order to
grow alfalfa successfully, most
economically and without depict
ing your soil fertility. In addition
to wanting 30 raise high percent
age protein feed, you also want to
build up the fertility of your soil
for crops that are to follow. When
alfalfa plants are not equipped
with sufficient number of nodules,
the plants will eat up the available
supply of nitrogen in the soil, and
as soon as this is exhausted, the al
falfa commences to turn yellow and
the alfalfa dies out of starvation.
Maybe Bacteria Have Died
1t is good plan to take a
spade and dig up plants in patches
of your alfalfa fields that are not
doing well. Break the soil careful
ly, and see if there are any little
nodules on your plant roots under
the crowns. Many fields have
been inoculated with soil and cul-
lures, but the conditions in the
soil were such that the bacteria
could not live and the plants died.
Plants that are properly inoculated
can take from the air as much nj
trogen as there would be in eight
to twelve loads of manure per
acre applied every two or three
years. Il
There are some sections (most
of them in the western and north
western part of the United States)
where the soil seems to be natur'
ly inoculated with the bacteria that
live on sweet clover and Alfalfa
roots. Yet, one can never tell,
until they have grown either sweet
clover or alfalfa on the land,
whether these fields have the nee
essary bacteria in them or not. +
the expense of incubation is so
low, most Of the old growers in the
state of Minnesota are innoculat-
ing both sweet clover and alfalfa
seed each time they put in a field
that has never before. been in al
falfa or sweet clover. , Sometimes,
the soil blowing over from one field
where sweet clover or alfalfa is
growing will have a tendency to
bring over these bacteria, but that
might not be uniform method of
distributing them, SO it is best to
get either dirt or cultures Of these
bacteria and apply the dirt on the
field or inoculate the seed before
it is sown.