FIDLD EXPERIMENTS. 19 



At the expiration of that time there will undoubtedly be at least 

 25 per cent of hard seeds. This alfalfa seed has all been inocu- 

 lated." 



Of that sent, 400 pounds was unscratched and 100 pounds 

 scratched. In no case did the experimenters report that there 

 was any perceptible difference in the field germination of the 

 scratched and the unscratched seed. 



A note Y/as put into the agricultural papers of the State that 

 we had a limited amount of alfalfa seed that we would send to 

 any Maine farmer applying for it on condition that the cultural 

 instructions would be followed and results reported to the Sta- 

 tion. A very large number of requests were received, many 

 more than we had seed for. Seed was sent to the first 80 that 

 applied with the following cultural suggestions. 



Alfalfa — Directions for Culture. 



Selection of Soil. Good deep mellow corn or potato land is 

 usually a suitable soil for alfalfa. Good drainage is necessary, 

 as rhe plants are quickly killed by excess of water in the soil or 

 on the surface. Water must not be allowed to stand on a field 

 of alfalfa more than forty-eight hours at a time, for if the 

 ground becomes saturated with water and is allowed to remain 

 6C for any considerable length of time the plants will be drowned 

 out and the roots will decay. Neither will alfalfa succeed if 

 rock, stiff clay, or other impervious subsoil lies too near the sur- 

 face. Although alfalfa requires good drainage, it also requires 

 a fairly constant water supply and is likely to suffer from drouth 

 on deep, sandy soil. 



Preparation of the Soil. The seed is best sown in the early 

 spring on land that was fallowed the preceding summer and left 

 bare during the winter. The summer fallowing, if properly 

 done, will eradicate all weed seeds that were near enough to the 

 surface to germinate. It is well-nigh impossible to start alfalfa 

 if the soil is not in fertile condition. The land should be put in 

 excellent tilth and be in good heart before any attempt is made 

 to sow alfalfa. 



Sowing the Seed. The seed should be sown in early spring. 



For production of hay, alfalfa may be sown either broadcast or 



drilled. If practicable, drill the seed, as weeds can be more 



readily kept down. If sown broadcast, 20 pounds are used to 



19 



