CHAPTER V. 



Soil and Seeding 



VARIATE, YET UNIFORM 



In this double title we have a case of the widest varia- 

 tions and the most positive and rigid uniformity. Alfal- 

 fa may be grown in almost every possible kind of soil 

 and under almost all soil conditions (save two), but 

 omitting these the seeding, including the tilth of the 

 ground, is based, so far as any future success is con- 

 cerned, on perfect cultivation. The dictum, "Alfalfa 

 must have a dry. warm, sandy loam, very rich" has 

 become obsolete, as already pointed out. 



There are just two soil conditions that seem absolutely 

 against the growth of alfalfa. The first is a soil con- 

 stantly wet. The common remark, "Alfalfa will not 

 stand 'wet feet'," seems to be the expression of a law. 

 It does not do well where the water is nearer to the sur- 

 face than six feet, or where in winter water will stand 

 on the ground for over forty-eight hours. This invaria- 

 bly smothers the plants ; in fact it usually kills any crop. 

 If water flows over the field for some such time, due to 

 a freshet, the alfalfa is often found uninjured if too 

 much soil has not been deposited on and around the 

 plants. Even in such instances fields have been saved by 

 a disking once or twice, but it is wholly unwise to sow on 



