Suggestions for Obtaining a Stand of Alfalfa 727 



Alfalfa does not usually produce a satisfactory crop the same 

 season it is seeded, though if seeded early and the season is very 

 favorable a good crop may sometimes be secured. To avoid the 

 loss of a. season's use of the land, a crop of peas and oats is often 

 grown for forage. This crop is a good preparation for alfalfa, and 

 if sown as early in the spring as possible on fall-plowed land it 

 is usually out of the way so as to allow August seeding. Whether 

 or not the land should be replowed depends upon the amount of 

 rubbish left after harvesting the peas and oats. If a nice, fine, 

 clean seedbed, can be secured without replowing, it is just as well. 

 The chief objection to growing the forage crop before seeding to 

 alfalfa is that the soil may be left too dry to germinate the alfalfa 

 seed unless there are frequent rains. 



LIME and fp:ktilizeks 



Liming and manuring should be considered in connection with 

 the fitting of alfalfa land. These are more important outside the 

 recognized alfalfa district than in it. Outside the alfalfa belt, 

 both of these treatments should be considered a regailar part of the 

 program. Lime, of course, can be had by paying the price. 

 Manure sometimes is not on hand and cannot be purchased. A 

 fairly good substitute for manure is a green manure crop to turn 

 under and some commercial fertilizer. The land may be plowed, 

 in the fall and sown thickly to rye, say three bushels to the acre, 

 using two hundred to four hundred pounds of a good, complete 

 fertilizer. When the rye is from ll/> to 2 feet high it should be 

 plowed under and the land should be thoroughly compacted and 

 seeded in July, using an additional amount of fertilizer. In the 

 same way, buckwheat may be used instead of rye, sowing in the 

 spring as soon as danger from frost is past. 



Lime is necessary in order to succeed with alfalfa, except in 

 the best alfalfa sections, and in these sections it is probable that 

 dressings of lime will increase the yield sufficiently to warrant 

 its use. The amount that should be used will vary greatly with 

 different soils. Soils known to be acid probably should receive 

 one to two tons per acre of fresh burned lime or from two to four 

 tons of fine ground lime rock. Otlier soils may be equally well 

 supplied with half these amounts. It is usually advised to work 



