No. 4.] ALFALFA FOR NEW ENGLAND. 149 



little better. Moreover, these forms are hard on the men who 

 handle them, while ground calcium limestone is believed to be 

 beneficial to men, especially men of weak lungs. 



Of course where one has to pay freight on a long haul, and 

 where one can apply the burned lime some months jDreceding 

 the planting of the alfalfa, it may pay to use burned limestone. 



Use Good, Acclimatedj Northern Grown Seed. 



Our people get the best results by using 30 pounds of seed 

 to an acre. That should be too much. There are places where 

 men have used as little as 6 quarts (12 pounds) with timothy 

 and clover. In time the timothy and clover disappeared, the 

 alfalfa survived and made a good stand that yielded three or 

 more tons per acre. Twenty pounds to an acre should be 

 enough, providing we use a disk drill and use good seed. But 

 good seed is hard to get. I fear that the seed houses palm off 

 on the eastern farmers entirely too much of the Asiatic seed. 

 I fear that at times farmers are led to believe that the Turke- 

 stan seed is superior. Then, too, I fear that entirely too much 

 southern grown seed finds its way this far north. 



Massachusetts requires good seed, from plants that have been 

 gTown in the United States for some years and from States as 

 far north as Montana. How can you get it? Well, one way 

 is to have one of your farm bureau agents go west and find 

 a reliable gTower and then buy of him. Another way is to find 

 a reliable dealer and then put it up to him to furnish you good 

 seed at a reasonable rate. I found that we could get for the 

 members of our farm bureau good seed at $7.80 per bushel of 

 60 pounds, and that at a time when other farmers were paying 

 $13 and $15 for the same seed. It strikes me that there is 

 nothing that your State association can do that will help more 

 than to discover among yourselves a member who knows where 

 you can get good seed ; then have him arrange so that you can 

 get seed from him or his dealer. We have a form or legal 

 paper which a man may deposit in his local bank with the 

 money for the seed. The form provides that when the seed 

 arrives, the bank pays the bill and that automatically releases 

 the seed to the buyer. 



