Rural School Leaflet. 103 i 



Sow about eight quarts of lime on plats 2 and 4 ; that is, four quarts 

 for each square rod, which is equivalent to twenty bushels on an acre. 

 Obtain some soil from a place where alfalfa or sweet clover is growing, 

 and scatter a few quarts of it on plats 3 and 4, being careful not to get 

 any of it on the other plats. Sow a light seeding of oats or, preferably, 

 barley. A little over a quart of either one is sufficient. Sow three- 

 fourths of a pound of alfalfa on the area and rake it all in. 



After the soil has been sown on the plats, care should be exercised 

 not to rake any of the soil from the plats that receive inoculation to 

 those which did not receive inoculation (the soil from the alfalfa or sweet 

 clover field carries bacteria for inoculation). 



No further care will need to be given to the plats until the barley has 

 headed out, when it should be mown for hay, cutting it rather high. 

 The oats or barley should not be allowed to mature, because if allowed 

 to do so they are about as bad for the alfalfa as the weeds which they 

 are designed to displace. 



How soon does the barley come up? The alfalfa? In about six weeks 

 begin to examine the roots on the different plats for nodules. During 

 the summer, observe the difference in growth on the four different plats; 

 dig up the young alfalfa plants and look for the nodules on the roots 

 and see whether they occur on the inoculated areas or not, and whether 

 they are more abundant where lime was used. 



The surest way to get alfalfa on a soil that is not especially adapted 

 to it, is to manure the soil well, then cultivate the soil all spring and sum- 

 mer so as to keep the weeds down, then seed the alfalfa alone about the 

 last of July or the first of August, applying lime and inoculation if these 

 are necessary. This work may be done at home, if there is no place 

 for it at school, or a farmer living near the school will probably be glad 

 to furnish the land. 



The most successful farmers of the present day are those who work 

 in harmony with the forces and laws of nature which control the growth 

 and development of plants and animals. These men have gained their 

 knowledge of these laws and forces by careful observation, experiment 

 and study. — C. L. Goodrich. 



