ALFALFA. 117 
unless the roots can find their way through cracks. Alfalfa will 
stand a certain amount of alkali in the ground, but it should be 
leached out from the surface before the seed is sown, and afterwards 
should be kept from five to six feet below by irrigation. Acidity 
has always a detrimental influence. Where the soil is sour, an appli- 
cation of lime will prove beneficial. 
Climate: As the roots go deep, Alfalfa, although dwarfed in 
growth, is not seriously affected by severe drought. It likes a 
reasonable amount of moisture but is sensitive to an excess. If the 
subsoil is impervious, so that after a heavy rain the surface water 
cannot drain off rapidly, the accumulation will prove disastrous or 
will at least reduce the vitality of the plants. The soil must 
therefore be kept well drained, especially in early spring. In poorly 
drained fields, Alfalfa will be injured and sometimes killed in the 
low spots where water has accumulated. An excess of water in the 
ground will at least keep the plants back and prevent them from 
making an early start. Where the drainage is poor, alternate freez- 
ing and thawing does more harm than in well drained land as the 
heaving of the soil injures the root system. The strain is often so 
great that the taproot is ruptured and the plant dies. 
Inoculation: Like other leguminous plants, Alfalfa depends 
for its vigorous development on the bacteria in the nodules of the 
roots, which are closely related to, or perhaps identical with those 
on Sweet Clover; it thrives well on soil where Sweet Clover has been 
grown. 
Habits of growth: Alfalfa is generally sown in the spring. 
The young plants are delicate and succeed best where there is no 
competition. The land should therefore be as free as possible from 
weed seeds. As the plants are rather tender the first year, they 
should be given every chance to become as strong as possible to 
withstand the winter. It is therefore not advisable to cut or pasture 
Alfalfa the first season. During the second and following yeais the 
growth starts early and continues until late in the fall, new branches 
developing from the crown of the root. Under favourable conditions 
Alfalfa reaches a great age and gives large returns. 
Agricultural value: The feeding value of Alfalfa was recog- 
nized in Persia long before the Christian era and it was highly es- 
teemed by the Arabians. At present no fodder plant is known which 
can compete with it in nutritive value and general importance for 
feeding. It is relished by all kinds of stock, horses, cattle, sheep 
