12 The Bulletin. 



the latter, going both ways and to the depth of two to three inches. 

 This treatment, followed by a thorough harrowing and cross-harrow- 

 ing with some good smoothing or spike-tooth harrow, should put ordi- 

 nary soils in a first-class condition for the reception of the seed. jSTo 

 clods should be present. 



It has frequently been found that by following cowpeas or corn 

 with alfalfa a good seed-bed may be secured, after taking oif the 

 corn or cowpea crops, by simply disking the land thoroughly and har- 

 rowing it smooth and fine. However, with most soils in this State, 

 especially those which have a tendency to run together and compact 

 after rains, it will be best, as a general rule, to break them seven to 

 ten inches deep with a good two-horse plow some little time prior to 

 the seeding, for the reasons given above. 



SEED. 



Good, bright, plump seed free from impurities are essential to suc- 

 cess, for it matters not in how good heart the soil may be or how well 

 it is fertilized and inoculated, failure will generally be unavoidable 

 when poor seed are sown. There are on sale in our markets alfalfa 

 seed that are of a poor quality and besides are highly adulterated 

 with the seeds of cheap clovers, dodder (love- vine) and many species 

 of obnoxious weeds. New seed are of a light greenish or brownish yel- 

 low color, while old ones, or those that have been damaged in any 

 way, are of a darker and duller luster. When the seed are shrunken 

 or damaged in any way it will be well to determine their vitality 

 by running a few germination tests before risking the seed in the 

 ground. As alfalfa seed are expensive, and hence the temptation for 

 their adulteration strong, great care should be exercised in purchas- 

 ing them. 



FERTILIZATION. 



Before Seeding. — Soils intended for alfalfa growing should be 

 well supplied with available plant-food, especially lime, potash, and 

 phosphoric acid. Nitrogen, in available form and in liberal quanti- 

 ties, should also be present in or supplied to the soil, or else the 

 young plants will not grow off well ; for in their early stages of 

 growth, notwithstanding the fact of the soil being thoroughly inocu- 

 lated and that they belong to a class of plants capable of assimilating 

 nitrogen from the air through the agency of bacteria in nodules on 

 their roots, the young plants are largely dependent for the nitrogen 

 required for growth upon the supply of this constituent stored in the 

 seed and that present in the soil in an assimilable form. A liberal 

 application of stable manure to a previous crop or the plowing under 

 of a good and thoroughly matured growth of some leguminous crops a 

 year before will usually supply the necessary nitrogen to the young 

 alfalfa plants in a form and condition suitable for inimediato assimi- 



