694 



ANNUAL. REPOflT OF THE 



Off. Doc. 



Dunkirk gravelly loam, 

 Miami stony loam, ... 



Wabash loam, 



Hagertsown clay loam, 

 Dunkirk clay loam, . . . 





16.3 



22.5 

 24.3 

 29.9 

 29.9 



The Dunkirk gravellj^ loam is so well adapted to alfalfa that no 

 special effort is necessary to obtain a good crop except the sowing 

 of sufficient seed. The Miami stony loam also raises alfalfa very 

 successfully. It is the type of soil on which alfalfa is raised in the 

 vicinity of Syracuse, N. Y., a region famous in the East for fine 

 crops of alfalfa. It will be noted that both these soils contain 

 large amounts of silt and clay. The Wabash soil is an alluvial soil, 

 such as is found along river bottoms. Alfalfa is not as easily 

 grown on this soil type as it is on the other two, but excellent crops 

 can be obtained if suitable care is taken. The Dunkirk clay loam is 

 a soil on which it is difficult to raise alfalfa, although fair crops have 

 been obtained. It will be noticed that this soil contains over 80 per 

 cent, of silt and clay. One difficulty, no doubt, in raising alfalfa on 

 this soil is that the water table is close to the surface which drowns 

 the plant out in the summer and freezes it out in the winter. On 

 the other hand, Hagerstown clay loam, which has an equal amount of 

 silt and clay raises alfalfa with fair success, one reason being, no 

 doubt, that this type of soil on account of its limestone formation 

 has perfect drainage. Another reason, doubtless, is the fact that 

 it is of limestone formation, the alfalfa plant being a lime loving 

 plant. 



A Member: Would it make any difference whether the land was 

 level or sloping? 



DR. HUNT : Not necessarily so. It would depend upon how this 

 influenced the water table. In some regions the water table is 

 quite as close to the surface on sloping land as on level land. 



The table showing the different soil types is presented here to call 

 attention to the fact that the Experiment Station may be of service 

 in determining whether a soil is likely to be adapted to alfalfa or 

 not. If a sample of soil were sent to us we could determine whether 

 it was similar in physical properties to Dunkirk gravelly loam or 

 Dunkirk clay loam. While we could not state positively that alfalfa 

 could or could not be grown successfully, we could tell you whether 

 it was similar to other soil on which alfalfa has or has not been 

 successfully grown. 



SOIL. TREATMENT. 



To raise alfalfa successfully you should forget all you ever knew 

 about raising clover. Remember that alfalfa is not a crop to enrich 

 poor land. First, give your soil such treatment in previous years as 

 to make it a fertile soil. In Europe this is done by growing a root 



