CARBONATE OF LIME. 123 



There are river soils that -will not grow alfalfa, but 

 they are soils made by the deposition of silt that 

 came itself from land too poor in lime. Much of 

 western Kentucky will not grow alfalfa without lim- 

 ing, yet along the rivers, particularly along the Mis- 

 sissippi Eiver, alfalfa grows gloriously. The same 

 is true of the land across the -river in Missouri. 

 Much Missouri land needs lime to promote alfalfa 

 growth, but the alluvial soils near the Mississippi 

 grow it beautifully, and alfalfa growing in southeast 

 Missouri is assuming large proportions. 



In Kentucky the writer has observed certain steep, 

 stony hillsides growing alfalfa luxuriantly, while 

 many level and apparently much richer soils not far 

 away would not grow it at all. The reason was 

 plain ; the small stones were fragments of limestone, 

 and the soil, though apparently poor, was yet rich 

 in carbonate of lime, fairly well stored with phos- 

 phorus and potas'h, and the alfalfa, finding itself 

 so healthy and vigorous, foraged for its own 

 nitrogen. 



In Washington state alfalfa grows splendidly 

 along the eastern side and in the irrigated valleys 

 of the middle section, because the soils there are 

 alkaline and not sour, with abundant lime, but on 

 the western slope of the mountains and along Puget 

 Sound it grows hardly at all, because lime is deficient 

 in those soils. On an island in Puget Sound the 

 writer found very luxuriant alfalfa growing near 

 the shore, and upon investigation found great quan- 

 tities of shells buried in the soil. The Indians had 



