390 ALFALFA 



been limited to the States east of the Mississippi River. Outside of 

 the limestone soils, it is necessary to have considerable lime to insure 

 alfalfa. 



Manure and fertilizers are practically necessary on impover- 

 ished soils. Alfalfa responds to barnyard manure better than any 

 other of the common forage crops. It has often been found that 

 treating land with manure before seeding will secure a crop when all 

 other means fail. Very little experimental work has been carried 

 out in the application of fertilizers, but wherever tried alfalfa has 

 usually responded well to the use of acid phosphate. Two hundred 

 pounds per acre is recommended as a yearly application. 



Methods of Seeding Alfalfa. Alfalfa is generally sown with- 

 out a nurse crop. This is largely because it is grown in a rather dry 

 climate, where the use of nurse crops is not practical. In north- 

 eastern United States, alfalfa is commonly sown with a nurse crop, 

 either winter wheat or oats, on the limestone soils. Outside of the 

 limestone region, however, there is generally difficulty in securing a 

 stand, and here it is usually sown alone. 



Amount of Seed. The amount of seed recommended per acre 

 varies from ten to thirty pounds. Good stands have been secured 

 with five pounds per acre, but the young plant is rather delicate and 

 easily destroyed by weeds. Experience has shown that under aver- 

 age conditions about twenty pounds of seed per acre should be used. 

 In the drier regions, where farmers prefer thin sowings of all crops, 

 ten to twelve pounds is commonly recommended. Some groAvers 

 prefer to sow as high as thirty pounds, as they believe the thick stand 

 gives them a finer quality of hay and also that the meadow will last 

 longer. 



Inoculation for Alfalfa. As pointed out in a previous chapter, 

 inoculation is necessary for most legumes. Alfalfa culture was 

 hindered for many years before we knew about the necessity of 

 inoculation. Alfalfa, seed often carries a little natural inoculation, 

 and it was early observed by farmers that if a field were sown to 

 alfalfa and failed to grow more than a few plants, if it was plowed 

 under at once, thoroughly worked up and resown, a stand would 

 usually be secured the second time. This became a recognized rule 



