EXPERIMENT STATION BULLETINS. 



501 



Haivtsting alfalfa nursery at M. A. C. Plant Breeder F. A. Spragg has developed several 



promising seed strains. 



two or three bushels of seed per acre will often more than pay for the 

 sacrifice of the hay. Michigan alfalfa growers should willingly pay more 

 for this seed. 



Higher yields of seed can be secured by planting at the rate of two 

 to four pounds per acre in rows twentj-one inches apart, and cultivat- 

 ing during the first season. AVithout doubt, alfalfa production in Michi- 

 gan would be on a much more stable footing were an ample supply of 

 native, adapted seed produced within the State. In favorable seasons 

 for seed production, old stands whicli have become thin, will seed fairly 

 profuseh' and may be most profitably handled as a seed crop. 



In ordering alfalfa seed for planting in Michigan, insist upon seed of 

 American origin, or produced under conditions similar to, or more rigor- 

 ous than, those existing in .Michigan. Seed from Minnesota, the Dakotas, 

 Montana and Idaho or native grown is l>est adapted. The State Seed 

 Analyst, East Lansing, Micliigan, will make a complete analysis of 

 samples submitted at a charge of twenty-tive cents per sample. Inspec- 

 tion is made free of charge. 



SKClKlXd TXOCUL.VTIOX. 



Inoculation is necessary on soils where successful stands of alfalfa or 

 sweet clover have not been grown previously. If plants of thrift}^, well- 

 established alfalfa are carefully dug u]) and the roots gently washed free 

 of soil, small nodules will be found singly or in clusters on the roots. 

 These nodules are the homes of countless nitrogen gathering bacteria, 

 and througli their aid the alfalfa plant is aide to make use of atmospheric 

 nitrogen. The bacteria found on alfalfa and sweet clover are similar and 

 are interchangeable, but those found on clovers and other legumes are 

 not suitable for inoculating alfalfa. On soil rich in nitrogen alfalfa may 

 make a fairly successful growth without inoculation, feeding on soil 



