494 ALFALFA FARMING IN AMEEICA. 



His wonderful success with alfalfa is due in part 

 to the manure he has made; conversely the success 

 of the fowls and cows is largely due to the alfalfa 

 that they have had. He is a good man, doing a good 

 work in spreading the gospel of intensive agricul- 

 ture in the South. Costly as is his preparation of 

 the land, he gets it all back, with interest, the first 

 j^ear afterward. 



Melilotus as a Preparation for Alfalfa. — Since we 

 are considering the South, with its quite general 

 lack of humus in the soil, we may as well glance at 

 the splendid capabilities of the melilotus plant. 

 Cousin to alfalfa, having the same bacteria and 

 somewhat the same root system, it is yet curiously 

 enough able to get along with little or no humus in 

 the soil. This I have not yet been able ordinarily 

 to accomplish with alfalfa. Only in some excep- 

 tional instances does it grow strongly in soils defi- 

 cient in humus. Thus melilotus is able to prepare 

 the way for alfalfa. It needs all the things that 

 alfalfa needs, excepting that it does not demand 

 manure and will grow quite well on very hard soils. 

 I have even seen it growing vigorously on the lime- 

 stone rocks of Alabama. It has been demonstrated 

 that a strong growth of melilotus turned under 

 makes a splendid preparation for alfalfa. It can 

 be established anywhere that the land can be thor- 

 oughly limed. It makes good pasture and hay of 

 nearly the same value as alfalfa ; it enriches the soil 

 and paves the way for alfalfa. It is therefore well 

 worth considering in any scheme of soil-building in 



