156 ALFALFA FARMING IN AMERICA. 
yield that year was about 90 bushels. Again with 
a light coating of manure it was put in corn. This 
time the yield was 85 bushels. For the corn crop a 
dressing of 400 pounds per acre of raw Tennessee 
rock phosphate was applied. Just what effect this 
had we do not know, as we left no test strips. It 
probably was of material benefit, however. 
Once more a light application of manure was 
made. In truth the applications of manure were all 
light except on certain spots of exceptionally poor 
white clay. The land was plowed again and seeded 
(in April, 1908), to alfalfa with a nurse crop, as 
usual, of beardless spring barley. With the seeding 
was sown fertilizer, plain acid phosphate, analyzing 
about 16 per cent available phosphoric acid, at the 
rate of 250 pounds per acre. 
1908 proved a very dry summer yet a splendid 
stand resulted over the whole field. A crop of bar- 
ley hay was cut and later a light crop of alfalfa 
hay, probably not quite one ton to the acre. From 
the window where I sit I look out afield across this 
very stretch of land. It is (May 5, 1909,) a glorious 
sight. Aside from a few wet pond holes there is not 
a square foot of the land that is not covered with 
green and growing alfalfa plants. That field should 
make near 5 tons of hay this year. And every year 
since the manure spreader started over the tiled 
fields the land has paid well. 
It is not probable that alfalfa would have made a 
strong growth on this field without this slow bring- 
ing-up process. The land was too run down, too de- 
