282 STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



plant food to the soil, which is quite important under certain soil con- 

 ditions and in the latter method would act also as a mulch and as a 

 protection to the young alfalfa. On the seed bed which is ])rei)ared in 

 a short time it is not advisable to use manure as a top dressing, be- 

 cause of its introduction of weed seeds and not, at least as a heavy 

 coat, for turning under as it would tend to hold up the furrow slice 

 and allow it to dry out. Another method of applying manure that is 

 giving very satisfactory results is to spread with a ma.iurj spreader in 

 the fall at the end of the season's growth. This is especially advisable 

 in rather late seedings or when seeding on exposed fields which would 

 be apt to winter kill badly. 



USE OF FERTILIZERS IN SEEDING ALFALFA. 



The large percentage of successful seedings reported and the small 

 percentage of these in which commercial fertilizers have been used, 

 indicate that its use is not as essential as the preparation of a suitable 

 seed bed, inoculation with the alfalfa bacteria and several other factors. 

 (Commercial fertilizers were used on 18.S per cent of the total number 

 of seedings reported ui)on.) There are doubtless conditions under which 

 the judicious use of commercial fertilizers will enhance the chances of 

 success in the seeding of alfalfa. Under other conditions fertilizers 

 may be used with little if any apparant effect and certainly the use of 

 fertilizers as a panacea for all the troubles of alfalfa growing is sure to 

 result in a good many disapi>ointmeuts. This is a matter largely de- 

 pendable upon local conditions. No attempt is here made to give any 

 recommendations in regard to the use of fertilizers which will apply 

 generally to farm conditions. It is suggested rather that simple ex- 

 periments be conducted to learn what fertilizers, if any, may be used 

 with profit under local conditions. 



As a means of stimulating a more vigorous growth in new seedings 

 of alfalfa, the use of 200 lbs. i^r acre of a complete fertilizer, such 

 as a 2 — 8—6, for sandy or sandy loam soils, and a 2 — 10 — 4 for clay 

 or clay loam soils is suggested. Other fertilizers of different analyses, 

 both complete and incomplete, might also be included in the experi- 

 ment. 



Alfalfa has in numerous instances throughout the state produced 

 satisfactory crops of three to five tons per acre on light loamy or gravelly 

 soils of apparently low fertility and continued to do so for periods of 

 five to fifteen years or more, so that there would seem to be little need 

 of applying fertilizers after the alfalfa is well established in the soil. 

 Since alfalfa is a leguminous crop, the supply of nitrogen would doubt- 

 less be maintained by the fixation of nitrogen from the atmosphere. 

 Certainly it would not be a profitable investment to buy commercial 

 nitrogen for applying to alfalfa fields after the first year. Some of the 

 lighter Michigan soils, however, contain a rather low supply of phos- 

 phoric acid and this would tend to become exhausted by the continual 

 removal of the crops. Our clay soils should contain a sufficient supply 

 of potash for the production of satifactory crops for an indefinite period. 

 The sandy soils which contain very little clay should, however, be bene- 

 fitted by the application of potash. These requirements may be supplied 

 in part at least by the application of a coat of well rotted manure an- 



