39 



the j>Teeu growth of cow peas is turned imder, thus has- 

 teninji rottius and obviatiuo: the souriuji: effect that might 

 otherwise occur. Melih)tus furnishes vegetable mat- 

 ter and nitrogen for alfalfa, and also by means of the 

 decay of its large and deeply penetrating roots assists 

 in the drainage of prairie soils. It is advisable to let 

 one carefully worked cotton crop, intervene! between the 

 turning under of the second yeai's' growth of melilotus 

 and the sowing of alfalfa seed. This interval permits 

 the owner to free the land from any volunteer plants 

 of melilotus and from weeds. 



JOHNSON GRASS LAM> KOU Al-FAI-FA. 



One of tlie important advantages of alfalfa is its 

 ability to grow in land too thickly set with Johnson 

 grass for the profitable cultivation of corn or even of 

 cotton. By the introduction of alfalfa or hairy vetch 

 into a Johnson grass meadow, the soil will be to some 

 extent enriched in nitrogen, the nutritive quality of the 

 hay improved, and the total yield of hay increased. 



An effort was made by correspondence with leading 

 growers, to learn whether the successful growth of al- 

 falfa in Johnson grass meadows was conditional upon 

 such preparation of the land as would kill a large part 

 of the Johnson grass. Tlie general experience is that 

 alfalfa thrives in old Johnson grass meadows even 

 when the preparation for alfalfa is such as would ordi- 

 narilv improve the orowtli of Johnson grass. The ver- 

 diet was almost unanimous that Johnson grass did not 

 crowd out the alfalfa in the second or third year after 

 the alfalfa was i-own. Those with the longest experi- 

 ence ^\^'Ye as emphatic as others in stating that alfalfa 

 was quite equal to a contest with Johnson gi-ass, hnd 

 some growers even stated that the alfalfa was tending 



