MISCELLANEOUS 225 



SOME ALFAIiFA "MUSTS" AND "DON'TS" 



A Knox county, Ohio, man, in expressing- himself as 

 to some of the requisites for success with alfalfa, as 

 observed from his viewpoint has this to say : 



"I have known about alfalfa from boyhood ; been 

 familiar with it for thirty years, and have grown it suc- 

 cessfully on many soils, from a stiff clay, upwards. The 

 failures which I have seen have been accounted for by 

 the non-performance of some of the essentials. There 

 are certain 'musts', not 'shoulds,' to be observed to secure 

 success. Here they are from my experience : 



"First of all the seed must be pure, of high germinat- 

 ing power, and of the highest possible vitality. If I 

 doubted my own proficiency in these determinations, I 

 would consult the nearest experiment station. I have 

 had occasion to consult experiment stations, from New 

 Jersey to Wisconsin, on various subjects, and in every 

 instance have met with prompt and valuable — and sym- 

 pathetic — assistance. 



"The soil must have lime ; either as one of its natural 

 constituents, or lime must be added. If the soil is defi- 

 cient, then the lime must be incorporated with the soil 

 some months before seeding. 



"The land must have efficient drainage, either natural, 

 or, as in the case of clay and heavy clay loams, artificial. 



"The land must be fertile to a depth of at least nine 

 inches. Beyond that depth the taproot in its search for 

 water will take care of itself." 



Another writer, impressed by practices he regards as 

 reprehensible, enumerates them as follows : 



