136 ALFALFA FARMING IN AMERICA. 



Mortimer Co. of New York import most of the 

 Thomas phosphate. 



I have seen astonishing results from the use of 

 this substance in England, where it is applied to 

 meadows and pastures. In May in England one sees 

 many manure distributers or fertilizer distributers 

 going over the meadows and pastures. If he will 

 take trouble to see What these machines are distrib- 

 uting he will find in most instances it is basic slag 

 that is being sown over the grass, sometimes with 

 an addition of nitrate of soda or potash. Where the 

 basic slag is put, very marked result is seen in the 

 clovers that spring up in the grass. Even when no 

 clover seeds are sown at all the result is often as 

 though it had been sown to clovers, since a rich 

 growth of them comes up and overtops the grass. The 

 explanation is that the clovers or their seeds were 

 already in the soil waiting for favorable conditions. 

 The coming of the phosphorus fed the little plants, 

 then the lime sweetened in a degree the soil, and the 

 plants shot up and overtopped the grass. Thus the 

 forage was much enriched, and later when the clover 

 leaves and roots decayed the soil was so enriched 

 that the grass was greatly thickened and strength- 

 ened. When one is applying annual fertilization to 

 his alfalfa meadows he may well consider the use 

 of basic slag. 



Sour Soils. It may be asked, "How do soils be- 

 come sour?" Any vegetable matter decaying in the 

 soil will create an acid there. From sweetest apples 

 is made the sourest vinegar. Tea leaves put in a 



