bridge im- 

 purposes. 

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 larger road 



ids are ncc- 

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 af the State, 

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State funds 

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SAFETY 



toll with its 

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our traffic 

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attributable 

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 ter vigilance 

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 should insist 

 recording of 

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least an an- 



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irily affecting 



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 support state 

 forcement of- 

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rERSION 



: a portion of 

 Retailers' Oc- 



e 46) 

 A. RECORD 





THERE'S trouble in our alfalfa 

 yfieidsl Too many farmers have 

 lost their enthusiasm for this 

 crop, yit alfalfa provides an ex- 

 cellent, high protein feed. 



It looks from the facts a-> 

 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 hack 

 into the soil the plant food removed 

 by the hay crop on an acre of alfalfa. 



We have indicated only the major 

 plant tood elements removed in the 

 hay. We have not considered the 

 amounts lost by erosion, leaching, and 

 fixation. 



As farmers wc 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 oft amounts to 180 

 pounds per acre. If this phosphate 

 were added in a highly concentrated 

 fertilizer as triple superphosphate it 

 would require only tOO 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 .^000 pounds per acre of as high 

 a grailc 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 ncutralizer 

 of soil acids. However, from the table 

 you can see the importance of macnesi- 

 um and calcium. 



Fortunately there is a kind of lime- 

 stone called ilolomitic 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 neccssarv 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 



"».■■ ../.i^pa^' 





r-« 





By GEORGE SCARSETH 



Director of Research, 

 American Form Research Association 



How then can we fertilize alfalfa.' 

 The phosphate should be added at 

 seeding time in amounts large enough 

 to supply the crop i 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. Topdressing old alfalfa stands 

 with phosphates docs 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 i to '^ years 

 Soils should be tested and care taken 

 not to over lime. Keep the pH from 

 6.0 to 6.'5. 



This Tjb'e bhu«s How Mutii Plant lodJ i 

 ReiiKived in Six Years by One- Acre uf Allali.i 



Plant Fdovis 

 and Kinds 

 of C.urier 



Amount remi)\ed per 

 .\cre to make: 



20 tons h.iv 

 (6 vrs. "i crop) 



pnOSPH.^TE (P205) I«u lbs 

 If material is 



(1) Triple super (0-45-0) 4tW 



(2) Ordinary super (0-200) VOO 



(3) Common mixtu re ( n-i:- 12> ]snn 

 POTASH (K;0) (,u . 

 If material is: 



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



(2) Hi.eh .i;rade mixture (0-20. 20) .sOOO 

 (s) Common mixture (0-12-12) "^000 

 DOLO.MITIC LIMESTONE 



Calcium 1~60 



Mapnesium carbonate 640 



Total lbs. dolomitic limestone 2400 



About 25 pouiiiis per acre of borax 

 will correct the needs for this trace 

 element. This treatment should be re- 

 peated whenever starvation symptoms 

 show u]i or every (> years. 



1 he nature ol the alfalfa plant is to 

 pusii one big tap root deep into tlie 

 groun.i. When alfalfa is first seeded 

 III 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 \ou know the 

 field is taken over hv blue grass or 

 weeds. 



When wt fully realize iiow muih 

 phosphorus and potash each ton of al- 

 falfa hay takes out of the ground, we 

 see how soon i^otli the top soil an^i 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 mo pound appli- 

 cation of common fert;li/er mixture 

 will carry enough plant food to keep 

 the crop producing heavy yields for 

 six years. 



The American farmer is allow int; 

 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 

 SIOO.OOO.OOO for dairy concentrated 

 feeds and spending only about 

 512,000.000 for plant foods to feed 

 these crops. 



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