45 



falfa. Pasturiuo-, especially diirin.ii- the first year, in- 

 jures and sometimes kills alfalfa. 



Soils for alfalfa should be rich, well drained, well 

 supplied with lime and vegetable matter. Alfalfa has 

 been repeatedly demonstrated to be a success on the 

 best gradesi of prairie soil on both uplands and lo^vlands. 

 There is reason to belieTe that alfalfa will thrive on the 

 lime soils of the Tennessee Valley region and on other- 

 calcareous soil in Alabama, and on fertile, well drained, 

 alluvial soils in nearly every part of the State. 



A crop of 4 tons of alfalfa hay contains 176 pounds of 

 nitrogen, 40.8 pounds of phosphoric acid (equal to that 

 in 336 pounds of high grade acid phosphate), 134.4 

 pounds of i>otash (equal to that in 1,075 pounds of kain- 

 it, or in 2()9 pounds of muriate of potash, and 280 pounds 

 of lime. To replace only the phosphoric acid and potash 

 by commercial fertilizers an expenditure of about |8.75 

 would be required. 



The preparation of the land for alfalfa should be thor- 

 ough, including plowing as deep as practicable, and re- 

 peated use of disc and spike tooth harrow. Generally it 

 is best to plow a number of weeks before the seed are to 

 be sown. A weeder or light harrow is the preferred mode 

 of covering the seed, which are sown broadcast at the rate 

 of 20 pounds or more per acre. Fall planting before Oc- 

 tober 15, when practicable, gives alfalfa a start ahead of 

 weeds, but spring planting ( early in March ) , is usually 

 more convenient. 



Alfalfa, especially that sown in the spring, requires 

 land as free as possible from seeds of weeds, crab grass, 

 etc. Eepeated use of the mower during the first year is 

 the preferred method of combatting weeds in alfalfa. 



Planting alfalfa in drills and cultivating it may be 



