SUMMARY OF ALFALFA SOWING. 479 



growers, some of them quite amusing, although ex- 

 asperating. Often they will read thus : 



"I have a field that I wish to sow to alfalfa. It 

 slopes to the west. It was in wheat this year and 

 corn last year. Do you think alfalfa would grow 

 well there ? If so, how shall I sow it ? " 



Such letters simply show how superficially these 

 men have learned to think of their soils. To such 

 queries one can only answer: "I do not know.'* 



The sort of letter that I love to get reads like this : 



"My field is thoroughly drained. It is well limed 

 with ground limestone. Muriatic acid applied to 

 the soil will bring effervescence in any part. The 

 soil has had much manure and is rich. How shall I 

 proceed to get alfalfa ? ' ' 



One can safely reply to this man : 



"Inoculate with soil from some successful alfalfa 

 field or from a sweet clover patch. As fast as the 

 inoculated earth is applied harrow to cover it from 

 the sun. Make a fairly good seedbed and sow al- 

 falfa in March, April, May, June, July or August. 

 If you live to the southward sow it preferably in 

 September or October. You are sure to succeed. *' 



The point I wish to make is that growing alfalfa 

 is a soil matter almost altogether. There are many 

 successful ways of preparing the land and sowing 

 the seed. 



For the help of hurried farmers unversed in al- 

 falfa culture I will now present a summary of some 

 successful ways of sowing the alfalfa plant in vari- 

 ous localities a sort of "rule of thumb. " 



