238 ALFALFA FARMING IN AMERICA. 



again to lucerne (alfalfa) till it has rested for some 

 seasons." It is safe to assume that the ancients 

 had seen signs that alfalfa best liked fresh land. 



Alfalfa culture is too new in America for us to 

 know much about this question. It is the practice 

 on Woodland Farm to grow alfalfa for four years 

 on a field, sometimes for a longer time, then to plow 

 and plant twice to corn (maize), after which the land 

 is sown again to alfalfa. Some of our fields have 

 had alfalfa on them for about 12 years all told. We 

 do not think that w<e see any signs yet of deteriora- 

 tion. In some instances we see that the alfalfa is 

 much more vigorous than it ever was. We feed the 

 soil, however, with phosphorus when growing alfalfa 

 and with manure when growing corn. It is doubtless 

 better to let a crop of some cereal or roots intervene 

 between the crops of alfalfa and if two years inter- 

 vene it may be wiser ; we do not know. 



There are yet no serious diseases of alfalfa preva- 

 lent. On soils well stored with carbonate of lime 

 alfalfa seems so vigorous and healthy that it resists 

 disease most markedly. Yet there are illusive and 

 hard to determine causes that make soils sicken of 

 plants of one order and produce more vigorously 

 of plants of a different order in rotation. 



Alfalfa in the Rotation. It is often objected that 

 alfalfa does not fit well into a rotation, that it is too 

 long in getting established, too feeble an infant, and 

 demands too long a use of the land. 



On land well suited to alfalfa growing it establishes 

 itself as soon as does red clover. The following 



