ALFALFA 117 
field. Various methods of doing this are given by al- 
falfa experts, such as soil inoculation by taking soil 
from alfalfa fields and spreading upon the field before 
sowing the seed, heavy manuring, sowing alfalfa meal 
with the seed, and feeding alfalfa hay to stock a year 
before alfalfa is planted and using the manure on the 
field. 
The author has never been impressed with the inocu- 
lating method of securing soil from an alfalfa field and 
spreading upon the field intended to be sown. Upon 
that proposition he is “from Missouri and will have to 
be shown,” but he has been shown that manure will in- 
oculate for alfalfa. He has spread manure and sown 
alfalfa seed upon a dead furrow where the soil was so 
poor that no plant would grow upon it and secured a 
stand that for vigor of growth exceeded that grown upon 
good ground. 
His experience has also taught him that where you 
can not procure manure, vetch will inoculate the soil and 
make alfalfa grow vigorously. 
The author in his chapter on vetch spoke of ten acres 
of alfalfa planted in June, 1909, upon clay land owned 
by his brother. This field has been cleared for more 
than sixty years and has been farmed until it was worn- 
out. As stated, it was planted to vetch in August, 1908, 
and plowed under in May, 1900, before it had ripened its 
seed. The weeds were kept down by frequent cultiva- 
tion until the middle of June, when alfalfa seed was 
sown at the rate of twenty pounds to the acre. In four 
weeks the alfalfa was six or eight inches in height, and 
was clipped with the mower, clippings left lying on the 
