ALFALFA 1 3 1 



lands are found more or less in nearly all the States 

 of the Union east from the Rocky Mountains ; hence, 

 when the requisite bacteria are present, good crops 

 can be grown on them in every State in the Union. 



On the ordinary black soils of the prairie, alfalfa 

 will usually grow reasonably well if underlaid with 

 clay not too distant nor too tenacious. When the 

 roots get down into the subsoil, they can usually 

 find much food in the same, and unless in very dry 

 areas a sufficiency of moisture, but in many instances 

 it may be necessary to introduce the requisite bac- 

 teria, and to apply farmyard manure to encourage 

 sufficient growth to carry the roots down quickly to 

 the subsoil. In some prairie soils the growth will 

 be vigorous from the start, but usually these are 

 lands that have grown hardwood timber, and that 

 have in them more or less clay. 



In climates where the rainfall is considerable, al- 

 falfa will frequently grow well on gravelly soils and 

 on those that are stony. Some of the best alfalfa 

 soils in the State of New York, New England 

 States, and in the Canadian provinces of Quebec 

 and Ontario are of this character. 



Alfalfa will frequently grow fairly well even on 

 stiff clays, and in some instances on gumbo soils. 

 But these soils must not be so retentive as to col- 

 lect and hold water for any considerable time within 

 a few feet of the surface. Such lands have usually 

 much staying power ; hence, alfalfa grown on them 

 frequently improves for years after it has been sown. 

 On the reddish soils that cover much of the South, 

 it has been found, as in growing alfalfa on stiff 



