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VERSION 



t a portion ot 

 '. Retailers' Oc- 



A. RECORD 







THERE'S trouble in our alfalta 

 fields! Too many farmers have 

 lost their enthusiasm for this 

 crop, yet alfalfa provides an ex- 

 cellent, high protein feed. 



It looks from the facts as 

 though we have been expecting alfalfa 

 to thrive on soils that are becoming 

 exhausted. Take a look at the table 

 we prepared from data on the chemical 

 make-up of alfalfa. From this we 

 figured what it takes in terms of com- 

 mon fertilizer materials to put back 

 into the soil the plant food removed 

 by the hay crop on an acre of alfalfa. 



We have indicated only the major 

 plant food elements removed in the 

 nay. We have not considered the 

 amounts lost by erosion, leaching, and 

 fixation. 



As farmers we want to manufacture 

 a high protein forage, so we must con- 

 cern ourselves with the supply of raw 

 materials. Consider phosphate. To 

 make 20 tons of hay, the amount of 

 phosphate carried off amounts to 180 

 pounds per acre. If this phosphate 

 were added in a highly concentrated 

 fertilizer as triple superphosphate it 

 would require only 400 pounds per 

 acre. Instead, it is shocking to see 

 that it takes 1500 pounds of a common 

 fertilizer mixture as 0-12-12. 



Now let's take the case of potash. 

 To make 20 tons of hay in the six year 

 period about 600 pounds of potash is 

 removed from one acre. If this re- 

 moval were to be balanced by such 

 straight goods as muriate of potash 

 which contains 60 per cent potash, it 

 would require 1000 pounds per acre. 

 It is almost unbelievable, but it takes 

 all of 3000 pounds per acre of as high 

 a grade mixture as O-20-20 to do the 

 same job. 



Now let's look at our limestone 

 needs. Ordinarily we have referred to 

 limestone by its value as a neutralizer 

 of soil acids. However, from the table 

 you can see the importance of magnesi- 

 um and calcium. 



Fortunately there is a kind of lime- 

 stone called dolomitic limestone that 

 carries both calcium and magnesium 

 in the carbonate form. If we expect 

 to harvest 20 tons of hay in six years 

 we will remove over one ton of lime- 

 stone in the dolomitic form. Since 

 calcium and magnesium are also lost by 

 leaching and erosion, it is necessary to 

 repeat our liming frequently. 



What is the real meaning of all 

 these figures in the table.' First, our 

 alfalfa is failing in many cases because 

 we are letting it starve to death. 

 Second, we cannot do a good job of 

 farm managing if we must rely on low 

 analysis fertilizers. 



JANUARY. 1948 



By GEORGE SCARSETH 



Director of Research, 

 American Farm Research Association 



How then can we fertilize alfalfa.' 

 The phosphate should be added at 

 seeding time in amounts large enough 

 to supply the crop 4 to 6 years. 

 Ground rock phosphate can be used in 

 amounts about twice that of 20 per 

 cent superphosphate. The placement 

 should be deep for best results in dry 

 periods. Toparessing old alfalfa stands 

 with phosphates does not work well 

 since the phosphates don't move into 

 the ground. 



The potash should be applied an- 

 nually for best results — after the first 

 cutting has certain advantages. Liming 

 should be repeated every 4 to 6 years. 

 Soils should be tested and care taken 

 not to over lime. Keep the pH from 

 6.0 to 6.5. 



This Table Shows How Much Plant Food is 

 Removed in Six Years by One Acre of Alfaha. 



Plant Foods 

 and Kinds 

 of Carrier - 



Amount removed per 

 Acre to ooake: 



20 tons hay 

 (6 yrs. of crop) 



PHOSPHATE (P205) 180 lbs. 

 If material is 



(1) Triple super (0-45-0) 400 



(2) Ordinary super (0-20-0) 900 



(3) Common mixture (0-12-12) noo 

 POTASH (K,0) 600 

 If material is: 



(1) Muriate of potash (0-0-60) 1000 



(2) High grade mixture (0-20-20) 3000 



(3) Common mixture (0-12-12) 5000 



DOLOMITIC LIMESTONE 



Calcium 1760 



Magnesium carbonate 640 



Total lbs. dolomitic limestone 2400 



About 25 pounds per acre of borax 

 will correct the needs for this trace 

 element. This treatment should be re- 

 peated whenever starvation symptoms 

 show up or every 6 years. 



The nature of the alfalfa plant is to 

 push one big tap foot deep into the 

 ground. When alfalfa is first seeded 

 in a field these deep tap roots go down 

 to suck up both phosphate and potash 

 from the subsoil. 



The first time an alfalfa root reaches 

 into such a subsoil it is practically in 

 virgin territory. This big tap root, 

 in the main, feeds out of what might 

 be considered a hole. Eventually this 

 hole becomes mined out and the crop 

 starves. The first thing you know the 

 field is taken over by blue grass or 

 weeds. 



When we fully realize how much 

 phosphorus and potash each ton of al- 

 falfa hay takes out of the ground, we 

 see how soon both the top soil and the 

 subsoil can become exhausted. When 

 the subsoil has been emptied from a 

 few years of alfalfa it is needless to 

 expect that a 200 to 400 pound appli- 

 cation of common fertilizer mixture 

 will carry enough plant food to keep 

 the crop producing heavy yields for 

 six years. 



The American farmer is allowing 

 himself to pay too big a winter feed 

 bill for his livestock. Alfalfa is a crop 

 that could go a long way in reducing 

 this cost. Recently Professor Truog at 

 Wisconsin told how the Wisconsin 

 farmers were spending about 

 $100,000,000 for dairy concentrated 

 feeds and spending only about 

 112,000,000 for plant foods to feed 

 these crops. 



