258 STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE 



J. H. Wetmore, Cheboygan : Can you give me some information about 

 alfalfa as to price of seed, bow soon a crop can be grown, whether the 

 year of seeding, and if it is a good crop on light soil, also where seed can 

 be bought at a reasonable price? 



J. W. Kobinson, Vestaburg: Kindly advise how and when to sow 

 alfalfa seed on high and rolling loamy land. I desire if possible to sow 

 on fall grain, either this fall or next spring. 



A. E. Bailey, Marcellus, Editor Marcellus News: One of our readers 

 brought in some samples of clover — alfalfa, I believe — and asks for what 

 information he can get on the subject. He raised it on high ground, 

 found that it withstood dry weather remarkably well, and with his lim- 

 ited experience was more than satisfied with it. When should it be 

 sown, on what kind of soil, etc.? I have but recently taken hold of the 

 News and have not had a chance to become posted on your bulletins on 

 the subject. 



K. McElwain, Hickory Corners: I have a small piece of ground that I 

 wish to sow to alfalfa if reports are true as to its yield — three crops in a 

 year, some say. The ground is a rich clay loam — is the soil all right? 

 I had thought of sowing it as I would a croj) of oats. What amount 

 do I want to sow to the acre and when should it be sown? If sown in 

 early spring w^ould I get any feed that year or could it be mown during 

 the summer? 



D. S. Young, Armada: I have been experimenting this summer with 

 an acre of alfalfa. I sowed half a bushel to the acre after oats. When 

 I cut the oats the clover stood about two feet high and very thick. Since 

 the oats were cut the clover has made a nice growth, and now looks 

 splendid. It is growing on quite a heavy subsoil. When should I cut it 

 for seed, the first or the second crop? 



Mrs. Ella Kinsman, Eastman: I have a farm in Shiawassee county 

 upon which are twelve acres of ridge consisting of rich gravelly soil 

 which dries out very quickly so that it is almost impossible to get a good 

 catch of clover. It becomes so dry in July and August that the clover 

 dies. It is now seeded to winter rye. Is it advisable to sow alfalfa 

 upon this ground, and can it be sown on the rye this spring as we would 

 June clover? 



Frederick Shepfel, Rothbury: I want to raise a piece of alfalfa 

 (Lucerne) for my horses. Some of my German neighbors claim that 

 where they came from in northeastern Germany it is raised for that 

 purpose, and they cannot see why it cannot be raised here in Oceana 

 courty, which has about the same climate. They say that in their coun- 

 try two varieties of Lucerne are raised, one variety for clay land and 

 another variety adapted to sandy land; and they say they would like to 

 buy seed of the sandy land variety if they knew where they could get it. 

 Please send me a bulletin, if you have one, on alfalfa; if not please send 

 information. 



ANSWERS. 



To begin with the last question, we have made inquiries in regard to 

 varieties of alfalfa adapted to different kinds of soil, but as yet without 

 success.* That some variation exists in the alfalfa plant as grown in 



