SUMMARY OF ALFALFA SOWING. 487 



ine to see that the land has enough lime in it. I made 

 hundreds of examinations of Kentucky soils on the 

 limestone area and found few indeed that were not 

 lacking lime. Fortunately today the state is quite well 

 supplied with limestone grinding plants, and no one 

 need delay the use of ground limestone, for it can 

 be had conveniently and cheaply. Even at the Ken- 

 tucky Experiment Station, situated on a magnificent 

 soil type, additional lime doubled the yield of al- 

 falfa. 



Having drainage and lime, look to fertility. In 

 this state the cowpea grows well. It may be turned 

 under, the land at once firmed, made fine and sown 

 to alfalfa. Use what stable manure can be spared 

 to supplement the cowpeas. Then there must be in- 

 oculation, and on most soil types a liberal applica- 

 tion of phosphorus, presumably acid phosphate, as 

 it is the cheapest and most generally available form. 

 One should add to this 80 pounds per acre of nitrate 

 of soda for immediate effect. Stands of alfalfa are 

 assured by this plan. 



There are soil types in Kentucky, however, that 

 grow alfalfa quite well when it is once established, 

 but are so clayey and difficult to drain perfectly dry 

 that they lift with the winter's freezes and thaws 

 until they lift out the fall-sown plants. If the al- 

 falfa goes safely through the first winter on these 

 soils it gets root enough to hold through the second 

 winter. These lands grow bluegrass spontaneously, 

 but are helped by giving them more limestone. They 

 make big alfalfa that is early crowded with blue- 



