LEGUMINOUS CROPS 79 



Soils: An ideal alfalfa soil is a deep rich sandy or clay 

 loam. Alfalfa will not thrive in a sour soil. Alfalfa bacteria 

 can not live in an acid soil and these bacteria are absolutely 

 necessary to the successful growing of the crop. The appli- 

 cation of two thousand pounds of limestone will "sweeten" 

 acid soils for the growing of alfalfa and all farm crops. If 

 the soil is only slightly acid, less lime will be necessary. "We 

 have not found it necessary to use limestone on our soils. 



If the land is very flat, it should be well drained before 

 seeding to alfalfa. Superfluous water will drown out alfalfa. 

 The soil must be full of air spaces and if these are filled 

 with water the alfalfa will smother and turn yellow. 



Inoculation: Alfalfa bacteria are seldom found in the 

 soil east of the Mississippi. These bacteria must be arti- 

 ficially supplied before alfalfa can be profitably grown. Since 

 sweet clover bacteria and alfalfa bacteria are identical, soil 

 from the roadside, where sweet clover is growing, will serve 

 to inoculate the alfalfa field. "We use a manure spreader to 

 scatter inoculated soil, although it can be done very well by 

 hand. If sweet clover soil is not available, "pure alfalfa 

 culture" can be obtained from reliable seedmen. This alfalfa 

 culture is satisfactory though rather expensive. 



Preparation of Seed Bed: As before stated, the ground 

 should be plowed deep, preferably in June. The ground 

 should then be disced or harrowed every week or two, (in 

 order to kill all weeds), until about the first or middle of 

 August, when it should be worked repeatedly until a very 

 fine mellow seed bed is secured. The field should then be 

 inoculated as suggested above and clean seed, free from weed 

 and other seeds, should be sown at the rate of fifteen pounds 

 to the acre. 



The seed bed must be moist from the very top surface 

 down. We sow broadcast with a horn seeder and sow both 

 ways to insure an even distribution. The seed should be 



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