SOILS FOR ALFALFA 215 



Utah, Colorado, Kansas and the east. Our grandfathers 

 grew it too in a small way, bringing seed from France 

 and England, and some few spots, such as the lime- 

 stone region about Onondaga Co., N. Y., grew it for 

 many years, as did a few farmers in Virginia and else- 

 where. Possibly I should state that I began growing 

 alfalfa in Utah in 1886, and alfalfa seed was first sown 

 on Woodland Farm the same year by my father. In 

 1900, convinced of its great worth, my brothers and I 

 began growing it in a small way in Ohio on the farm 

 on which we still reside. Since then I have studied the 

 plant in many states and foreign countries, and may 

 hope to have been helpful in getting it established on 

 many farms that had not previously grown it. 



Soil for Alfalfa Growing. Alfalfa roots penetrate 

 deep and forage wide. They refuse to grow in a wet 

 soil and may die and root off if the soil fills with water 

 for even a few days in hot weather. A dry soil, then, 

 is the first requisite. Nevertheless, land not naturally 

 dry may be made dry by drainage. On Woodland Farm 

 are many acres growing very good alfalfa that had first 

 to be drained by tiles. In tiling land where alfalfa is 

 to be sown, one should dig trenches 3' to 5' deep wher- 

 ever this is practicable. In truth, land drained to a less 

 depth than 30" had better be devoted to another more 

 shallow-rooted legume. In v Louisiana, however, I have 

 seen very good alfalfa grown where the permanent water 

 table was hardly more than 2' down, but there the plant 

 was treated almost as -an annual; thriving at first, it 

 became unthrifty after a year or as soon as its roots 

 had reached the saturated subsoil. After a soil is dry, 



