264 



SUCCESSFUL FARMING 



the morning or evening, and the field thoroughly disked and harrowed 

 at once. 



When soil must be secured from a long distance the freight charges, 

 cartage, bags, etc., may make it costly, in which case smaller amounts may 

 be used and more time allowed for the inoculation to develop. Certain 

 precautions are advised relative to the introduction of noxious weeds in this 

 way. If alfalfa is to be grown rather extensively, it is economical to first 

 seed a narrow strip of alfalfa through the center of the field and thoroughly 



^^ALFA :, Z8 DAY5«FTe« FIRST CUTT»A/G 33ltf„tWES HIGH. 



iM.Go'5oERrtP/A , S' FARNV. 



•»UO(l*?l«f* 



A Standing Field of Alfalfa. 1 



inoculate it. At the end of one year this will serve as a source of inoculation 

 for the entire field, and a suitable drill or fertilizer distributor may be 

 used going back and forth across the field at right angles to this strip, and 

 filling the distributor from the soil of the strip each time the machine passes. 

 Artificial cultures have recently been developed and may be secured 

 from a number of sources. By carefully following directions, they are 

 generally successful. The artificial cultures are applied, according to 

 instructions, directly to the seed so that the bacteria are introduced into the 

 soil on the seed and immediately where the young plants start growth. In 

 this way the minimum number of bacteria accomplish the maximum result. 



1 Courtesy of The Pennsylvania Farmer. 



