PREPARING LAND FOR ALFALFA 379 



Good supplies of phosphorus and potash are necessary. 

 Barnyard manure is the best fertilizer for alfalfa. If a 

 liberal application of manure is plowed under before the 

 alfalfa seed is sown, there will usually be no trouble in getting 

 a stand. Lime is essential to the growth of alfalfa, par- 

 ticularly to the bacteria which live on its roots. Unless the 

 soil is known to contain a liberal supply of lime, the addition 

 of a ton to the acre on at least a small portion of the field as 

 an experiment is advisable. Alfalfa will not thrive on sour 

 soil; lime is the proper corrective. 



476. Preparation of the Land. One of the greatest 

 essentials for success in the production of alfalfa is a properly 

 prepared seed bed. Few crops depend so much on this. 

 Since it is very desirable to have the land free from weeds 

 before alfalfa is sown, it is usually well to have some culti- 

 vated crop precede it. In the South, this may be' cowpeas, 

 cotton, or corn, though cotton and corn are not often removed 

 early enough to allow the seeding of alfalfa the same season. 

 Early potatoes leave the land in excellent condition for 

 alfalfa. A small grain crop, while not as desirable as a culti- 

 vated crop, may precede alfalfa, as it can be removed in time 

 to allow the preparation of the land for late summer seeding. 



While plowing is desirable, it is not always necessary. 

 If the land was plowed for the preceding crop and has been 

 kept free from trash, disking often gives as good results as 

 plowing. When the land is plowed, the work should be 

 done several weeks before seeding to give the soil time to 

 settle and become firm. Alfalfa grows best in a soil that is 

 fine and mellow on the surface, but is fairly compact beneath 

 so that it will hold moisture well. Where alfalfa is sown 

 on corn land in the spring, thorough disking and harrowing 

 will put it in good shape. The same thing is true where 

 alfalfa follows a small grain crop, particularly if the land was 



