No. 4.] SOIL FERTILITY. 149 



ting back into the land what our fathers took from it years 

 ago. 



Now, I want to ask the doctor if he thinks it possible to 

 raise alfelfa on virgin soil without using bacteria ; and I 

 also want to ask him if he thinks it is possible to raise soy 

 beans here in New England, in this climate, and have them 

 come to maturity, — to raise beans that will grow in their 

 season without using bacteria? 



Dr. Jordan. It is claimed in the State of New York — 

 and I tell you we are in the range of somewhat uncertain 

 knowledg-e — that wherever sweet clover is abundant alfalfa 

 will do well without any inoculation. Certain it is that in 

 many places in New York where it was never grown before 

 it grows all right from the start, without any soil inocula- 

 tion, and in certain other places it does not. I expect it is 

 an experimental question in the particular region where it is 

 to be grown. 



I wish that the alfalfa plant might become generally 

 distributed through certain sections of Massachusetts. I 

 don't know whether it can or not. We have had it twenty 

 years on our experiment farm. The only thing we find it 

 necessary to do to keep an alfalfa farm going is to charge 

 it with a certain amount of acid phosphate or some other 

 lime. 



Mr. Waters. What do you mean by sweet clover? 



Dr. Jordan. It is a legume that grows tall, with a very 

 small white blossom, and has to me a sickening sweetish 

 odor, unpleasant. 



Prof. Wm. p. Brooks. We grow it at Amherst, but it 

 generally disappears after sowing. There may be locations 

 which I have never visited where it is found, but in going 

 about the State as I have, I have never seen sweet clover 

 growing wild. 



Dr. Jordan. It is distributed all through the State of 

 New York, and it is claimed there that where that is abun- 

 dant the alfalfa will do well. On the experiment farm we 

 arrange it in this way : we sow it the first time on land that 

 has been cultivated the |)revious year, so as to have no 

 weeds ; then we sow it as early as we can. We put on a lot 



