464 



Kansas State Board of Agriculture. 



lations among them, but, in the presence of lavish or excessive supplies, 

 plants will take up unnecessary quantities of one or more. The kind and 

 amount of substances absorbed depends on a number of conditions be- 

 sides the actual needs of the plants. The differences shown by alfalfa 

 as set forth in Tables 52 and 53 compared with Table 54 bring out clearly 

 the variability of such data. 



TABLE No. 53. Pounds of fertilizing constituents per acre removed by certain crops when pro- 

 ducing the yields stated; the composition shown in Table No. 52 being assumed. 



For more detailed exposition of the relation of the alfalfa crop to soil 

 fertility attention may be given to Table 54. This exhibits results ob- 

 tained by the analysis of alfalfa cut at the Kansas State Agricultural 



TABLE No. 54. Fertilizing constituents in alfalfa cut at different stages of maturity. 



College during the season of 1914.* The total yield and the composition 

 as to fertilizing constituents is shown for alfalfa cut throughout the 

 season at the several stages of development stated. Thus the yield 

 when each crop on one plot was cut at the bud stage of growth was 

 6281.5 pounds. This was obtained in six cuttings. At the other stages 

 five, four and three cuttings, respectively, were obtained. Not only are 

 great differences in the totals of the fertilizing constituents shown such 

 as must be expected from the difference in the total yield, but the sev- 

 eral products are materially different in the percentages of these ele- 



* Published by permission of the director of the Agricultural Experiment Station. 



