CWMATB AND soil, 17 



of river and creek valleys, or "bottoms." It prefers 

 a, light to a heavy soil, but in many localities is grown 

 on the heavy black gumbo flats, and seems to do fully 

 as well or better than on lighter sandy soils. I/ime is 

 the favorite mineral element of alfalfa, and iron is very 

 detrimental to it, hence localities with ' ' hard ' ' water 

 are more favorable than those with "soft " water; iron 

 is seldom present in sufficient quantities to be harmful, 

 although it is useless to attempt to grow alfalfa upon 

 land known to contain iron in abundance. 



A soil of decaying limestone or calcareous origin is 

 ideal, as it will abound in alfalfa's favorite element, 

 lime, and contain, besides, potash, magnesia, phos- 

 phoric acid, and sulphur. It thrives exceedingly well 

 on soil of almost entirely sand, providing the water- 

 table is in reach of its root and the underflow contains 

 mineral elements sufficient to supply abundance of 

 food. It thrives closer to the edge of alkali sinks of 

 the plains than ordinary plants, in a measure accounted 

 for by its being a gross feeder upon some of the iden- 

 tical mineral elements composing the alkali. 



Alfalfa will not grow on swampy land. It is a 

 common remark that it will not stand wet feet; that 

 should be qualified, but the land must have good 

 drainage. Wcter must never stand on the surface of 

 the field for forty-eight hours, and free watei: must not 

 be present in the soil continuously too near the surface. 

 It has been reported that alfalfa has succeeded where 

 the underflow was within eighteen inches to two feet of 

 the surface, but it came no higher. It does no harm 

 to have the lower roots reach permanent water, as 

 when they do they go no deeper, and remain healthy. 



While alfalfa roots deeply it is not essential that 



