1911.] PUBLIC DOCUMENT — No. 31. 29 



111 the case of slimmer sowing, apply the lime in the early 

 spring and immediately disk it in. A little later apply the 

 mixtnre of basic slag meal and potash aiid disk or harrow this 

 in deeply, and spread the nitrate of soda and 200 pounds of 

 slag before the last harrowing. 



Nurse Crops for Spring Solving. — For nurse crops for sow- 

 ing with alfalfa in spring beardless barley and oats are among 

 the best, barley being the safer nurse crop of the two, as it is 

 far less liable to lodge. Whichever of the two crops is selected, 

 the amount of seed should not be too great. A bushel of barley 

 or a bushel and a half of oats to the acre will usually be suffi- 

 cient. 



Preparation for Summer Sowing. — It is sometimes possible 

 to secure good conditions for summer sowing on land used the 

 same season for the production of a crop; but it is desirable, 

 if this is undertaken, that the crop be one permitting of abso- 

 lutely clean culture, and which can be harvested not later than 

 about the middle of July. In the case of all soils not already 

 highly productive and in good tilth, a summer fallow^ with most 

 careful tillage in preparation for alfalfa, is highly desirable. 

 The very best results which have been obtained in the writer's 

 experience have followed this method of preparation. The land 

 is plowed in early spring, the lime and fertilizers applied as 

 indicated above, and thereafter the soil is worked with the har- 

 row at intervals sufficiently frequent to destroy the successive 

 crops of weeds which are likely to start. The frequency of har- 

 rowing advisable must, of course, vary with conditions, but will 

 usually be once in about ten days to two weeks. 



Alfalfa is sometimes so^^^l in late summer in fields of grow- 

 ing corn, and sometimes the results by this method are satis- 

 factory. In the States of the middle west, where it has been 

 most largely tried, there have been numerous failures. It is, 

 perhaps, needless to say that if this method is to be tried the 

 corn should not be planted over thick, its cultivation should be 

 level and most thorough, and in fertilizing for the corn crop the 

 needs of the alfalfa which is to be sowti later in the summer 

 must not be overlooked. 



Date of Soiring. — In spring sowing, alfalfa should be put 

 in just as early as the soil can be brought into condition. For 



