678 IOWA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



Within recent years artificial cultures have met with quite general 

 success. Two of these cultures which have been most commonly used 

 are Nitragin and Farmogerm. When these cultures are used, it is 

 only necessary to treat the seed before sowing. 



Alfalfa requires for its best growth a large amount of calcium, the 

 active principle of lime. It also requires a soil in which there is lime 

 enough to maintain bacterial life. There are no doubt many farms where 

 lime would be beneficial. It must not be understood, however, that liftie 

 is a necessity on all farms. But with lime as cheap as it is, the best test 

 is the use of lime itself, at least on a part of the alfalfa. Those who have 

 any suspicion that the land is sour, may make the litmus paper test. Gen- 

 erally such weeds as horse-tail and sorrel indicate a sour condition of the 

 soil. Lime may be applied at the rate of one or two tons per acre. This 

 is not difficult to apply and is not expensive. 



In all the experiments which have been conducted, the use of manure 

 has shown marked results. Manure will be beneficial on practically all 

 soils and especially on those which are light, those of a sandy character, 

 and those lacking humus. Well rotted manure should be applied liber- 

 ally and thoroughly worked into the soil before seeding. A second appli- 

 cation of manure should be made in the fall after the plants have ceased 

 their growth. Fields thus treated show a much more vigorous growth the 

 next spring. Many alfalfa fields treated in this way have withstood the 

 winter where the untreated portions were winter killed. 



There is a common opinion in some localities that manure will correct 

 the acidity and also serve to inoculate the soil. Unquestionably the 

 use of manure is beneficial even on acid soil, but the acidity of such soils 

 can be corrected only by the use of lime. In regard to inoculation, ma- 

 nure may carry the propen bacteria when produced from alfalfa or sweet 

 clover roughage, but otherwise it could not be considered as an inoculat- 

 ing material. 



Alfalfa sown at this season of the year will need no further care dur- 

 ing the first fall. While there are some who have successfully pastured 

 or mowed the first season crop during the fall, it is safest to leave a 

 good growth on the ground. Many promising fields of alfalfa in this 

 state were killed during the last winter, and in many cases where the 

 crop was not sown late, this was caused by late pasturing or cutting. 



There are a number of questions regarding alfalfa which every farmer 

 must decide for himself. These include such questions as the selection 

 and preparation of land where lime is necessary, drainage, etc. It is 

 not necessary to say that the successful alfalfa grower will give heed 

 to all the details of the business. He will avoid risk. There are a few 

 precautions which should not be overlooked and they are here restated 

 that they may be more fully understood: First, alfalfa will not grow 

 on wet or undrained land; second, alfalfa should not be sown on acid 

 or sour land unless some form of lime has been applied; third, alfalfa 

 land should be well manured; fourth, alfalfa fields to be most successful 

 should be inoculated; fifth, alfalfa requires a carefully prepared seed bed; 

 sixth, alfalfa should not be sown later than the first week in August in 

 the northern part of the state, nor later than the middle of August in 



