96 Missouri Agricultural Report. 



Q. Do you sow the seed with a drill or sow it broadcast? 



Mr. Gentry — I sow it broadcast. 



Mr. Crowell — I put in 30 acres of alfalfa on the 16th of Sep- 

 tember. I believe that in the low lands of the State, where you 

 undertake to prepare the land for alfalfa, you have less trouble in 

 the spring than when you sow in the fall. I sowed my alfalfa at 

 the same rate Mr. Gentry sows his — 20 pounds to the acre. I doubt 

 if you can be successful with a smaller amount the first time yon 

 put alfalfa on your land. I would not advise anyone, in making the 

 first stand, to sow less than 20 pounds to the acre. I sowed mine 

 in the fall and it was the handsomest field I have ever seen in my 

 life. It ran from the high ground down to a branch, and was 

 absolutely level, with the exception of one hill in the northeast cor- 

 ner. The hedge was trimmed evenly, and every one who passed 

 said it was the handsomest field that he had ever seen. I had some 

 difficulty next spring in saving the first crop. I had the whole 30 

 acres cut, and then it began to rain and rained for a solid week, 

 and that alfalfa lay on the ground. The next Monday I got it up 

 and put it in a rick and put three barrels of salt in the rick, and 

 the cattle ate it all winter. The next two crops I saved ; the first 

 averaged one ton to the acre, the second one ton and the third 60 

 per cent of a ton. I had a great deal of trouble with foxtail and 

 crabgrass. Some parts of that field got too near the water level 

 and I guess got "cold feet" and died. 



Prof. Miller — On most thin lands manuring is essential to 

 raise a crop of alfalfa. Mr. Baumgartner of Pierce City top dresses 

 his land with manure every winter, and he claims that that is very 

 essential in order to get a stand. 



Q. How can we raise alfalfa on our black prairie land, under- 

 laid with hardpan? 



Prof. Miller — Our experiments to date on that kind of land, 

 especially that underlain with heavy clay, show that it takes a great 

 deal of care to learn how to raise alfalfa on that kind of land. 

 The land must be heavily manured, and should be just as well sur- 

 face drained as you can get it. If you can under-drain it, all the 

 better. I will admit that under-drainage on some flat lands is a 

 difficult proposition. We have been conducting some experiments 

 on that kind of land. Some of the results are very encouraging, 

 even in the northeastern and southwestern parts of the State. So 

 you will find that on all of this land you must learn how to handle 

 the soil before you can make a success of alfalfa. We don't say 

 that the soil of this State is all adapted to the growing of alfalfa, 



