IN THE DIFFERENT STATES 1 25 



Oh one piece seeded in very stiff day ground that was 

 quite wet, and while it made a good start and a good 

 stand, yet, after the first cutting and the second 

 growth started up fiourishingly, two or three days of 

 hot, sultry weather brought a Might which killed it 

 off entirely. This only occurred once, about eleven 

 years ago. I would not consider it quite so good as 

 red clover, from the fadl that the animals do not seem 

 as fond of it, but other features make it a more desir- 

 able soiling crop for us. ' ' 



MASSACHUSETTS 



Prof. "W. P. Brooks, of the station at Amherst, 

 writes: " I do not think alfalfa has been tried suffi- 

 ciently to determine whether it is a success or not. 

 Though results have been discouraging, we are still 

 experimenting. The cause of failure is not in all cases 

 the same, but the following have been observed to 

 exercise a very injurious effedl: First, too much water 

 in the subsoil, due to injudicious seledtion of locality. 

 Second, the severity of our winter and early spring 

 weather without snow. Third, a rust or blight which 

 kills most of the leaves early in summer, making the 

 yield very small and of little value. A soil perfectly 

 drained, with its water-table well below the surface and 

 of a medium texture, gives best results. Before seed- 

 ing the preceding crops must have left the land free 

 from weeds or weed seeds. The preparation must be 

 as thorough as for any other small crop. Seeding is 

 done in early spring, either broadcast or in drills eight 

 to ten inches apart, using twelve to twenty pounds per 

 acre. Hand-weeding, whether planted broadcast or in 



