THIRTEENTH ANNUAL YEAR BOOK— PART XII 669 



condition of soil. Still others found it necessary to increase organic 

 matter and available fertility, or to remedy poor drainage. 



While there are probably many seedings in counties of which we have 

 no record, we believe the map fairly indicates the distribution of alfalfa 

 grown. 



The many reports received from practical growers are of more than 

 usual interest and value, since their practical experience has actually 

 demonstrated many of the most helpful practices in handling the crop. 

 Some of the practices mentioned most often are arranged below in order, 

 according to the number of times they were given, their comparative 

 approximate value being indicated numerically: 



1. Work the seed bed well 130 



2. Do not pasture 60 



3. Disk after cutting 50 



4. Keep the weeds down 40 



5. Sow early in the fall or late in the summer 80 



6. Cut the nurse crop for hay 10 



7. Have the nurse crop thin 10 



8. Sow shallow 10 



9. Leave good growth for winter 10 



10. Pasture only with hogs 10 



Additional suggestions regarding the crop which have been offered more 

 or less often in approximately the same words are 



1. "Good soil is necessary to get a stand." 



2. "If nurse crop is used it should be thin." 



3. "Potatoes make a good crop to precede alfalfa." 



4. "Cutting too early injures following crops." 



5. "Disking thickens the stand." 



6. "It is hard to start and hard to kill." 



7. "It stands cold and drought through." 



8. "It is fine for brood sows." 



9. "Hay and pasture are double those of any other crop." 

 10. "No good in wet soil." 



ALFALFA ON THE DIFFERENT SOIL TYPES. 



The state may be divided into six general soil areas. While there will 

 be a wide range in the character of the soil within each of these, as it 

 may be affected by drainage, present available fertility, etc., yet each 

 area has more or less uniform characteristics. These general soil areas 

 may be designated as follows: Missouri Loess, Moraine, Wisconsin 

 Drift, Iowa Drift, Mississippi Loess, Southern Iowa Loess. Their limits 

 are outlined on the map, fig. 12. 



A considerably greater per cent of successful fields of alfalfa will be 

 found on the Missouri Loess and Moraine soil areas than on the others. 

 The soils of the Iowa drift and southern Iowa loess seem nfiturally to 

 be more poorly adapted to alfalfa than the others, though even on these 

 at least some fields are very successful, as is indicated by the average 

 yields oi hay secured. 



