DAIRY MEETING. II/ 



killed. (That was before we were told that we needed lime to 

 raise alfalfa.) I immediately plowed the soil up and sowed it 

 again and 1 got another failure but finally by studying the soil 

 and the conditions of the crop I got a thorough understanding of 

 alfalfa. After I had mowed it three or four years and it had 

 winter-killed again, I decided that I would plow up the piece and 

 dress it and lime it. I planted it to potatoes. After the potatoes 

 came up I found a number of roots of alfalfa through the pota- 

 toes, that had survived the plowing and the harrowing. I was 

 at that time Master of the Sagadahoc Pomona Grange. In 

 June we had a very severe drought. I was going over to Rich- 

 mond to attend the Pomona meeting, and I thought perhaps I 

 could. find an alfalfa stalk to interest the farmers. I went into 

 the field and after finding a few plants, a dozen or so, I found 

 one that was a good illustration of the growth of alfalfa. My 

 soil is a heavy clay soil. After you get down a foot below where 

 it has received any tilth it is .a blue clay which would make 

 excellent brick, almost as hard as granite. I found this root 

 was pretty good sized at the top and seemed to go away down. 

 I began to dig a hole, like a post hole, and I dug it back pretty 

 well working cautiously until I had worked down around 

 the plant to the length of the shovel handle. It was tiresome 

 working then, and I thought I would take hold of that root 

 and perhaps it would render a little. I took hold of it down 

 to the ground but the root broke off. I wrapped it up and 

 took it over to Richmond and when I called the attention of 

 the people to the plant I unfolded it and held the crown of 

 the plant at the head of the table and the end of the root just 

 touched the floor. 



After I took the potatoes off from that piece of ground I 

 limed it heavily. It was only 1-4 of an acre and I could afford 

 to stand it. Then I sowed it to alfalfa and I have mowed it 

 for four or five years and it has been a very heavy crop every 

 year. I have adopted the system of trying to inoculate my 

 farm with alfalfa by growing it on the farm. I found that all 

 of my land needed lime not only for alfalfa but for almost every 

 crop except potatoes. Consequently after I raised potatoes I 

 limed the soil at the rate of one ton to the acre on top next to 

 the seed. I then sowed my grass seed and grain, the same as 

 I would usually do, and on every acre I put ten pounds of 

 alfalfa seed. The expense was very little compared with the 



