106 ALFALFA FARMING IN AMERICA. 
with the timothy grass practically crowded out. And 
on one farm of 160 acres near this spot, at a place 
close to Billings, Mont., a farmer sold his one year’s 
eutting of alfalfa hay, amounting to 1,000 tons. 
Now, what was the nature of that soil? And what 
of the climate? 
First, the climate did not have very much to do 
with it. At least there are thousands of counties 
in the United States with as good climate for alfalfa 
growing as this special one, though it is true that 
there is plenty of sun and heat in summer, 
but an extraordinarily cold winter climate. Water 
for irrigation was in abundant supply and never 
fear of rain to cause blight or spoil haying. The 
soil, then? This is a semi-arid region and the soils 
have not for thousands of years been leached by 
excessive rains. Thus they are filled with all sorts 
of mineral salts. They are alkaline soils; that is, 
filled with salts of lime, potash, magnesia and 
sodium. Some of these salts are injurious to vegeta- 
tion, at least when present in excess; others are 
favorable. 
The one salt in this soil that especially favors 
alfalfa is carbonate of lime. This exists in great 
amounts in this soil, probably at least 114% of this 
substance being present. One and one-half pounds 
of carbonate of lime to each hundred pounds of soil! 
How much would that mean in an acre? Taking 
only the top foot of soil it would amount to about 30 
tons of carbonate of lime present. That lime is 
Joing something in that soil; can we discover what? 
