188 ALFALFA FARMING IN AMERICA. 
the high grade fertilizers containing large percent- 
ages of available phosphoric acid. 
How Well Will This Pay?—In most of the east- 
ern United States a 16% acid phosphate can be 
bought for $14 to $16 per ton. Thus 250 lbs. would 
cost about $2, and the labor of applying it about 
30c. Thus to fertilize an acre costs less than $2.50. 
The yield of hay will be increased in proportion to 
the need of phosphorus, but on Woodland Farm it 
has been as much as 2 tons of hay per acre increase, 
and thus this additional hay cost us only $1.25 per 
ton. Could we have afforded to have left this land 
unfertilized? 
The plain fact is that farming is, after all, a 
manufacturing proposition. The land is the fac- 
tory. Its fertility is the raw material. A man 
would be thought inconceivably foolish who would 
through stinginess refuse to keep his factory sup- 
pled with raw materials, thus letting his machinery 
work to only half of its capacity. The alfalfa 
meadow, the corn field, these plants are our ma- 
chines. Feed them with their required raw ma- 
terial. 
