216 ALFALFA FARMING IN AMERICA. 
harrows and almost instantly the seed and inocu- 
lating earth are covered up. The fertilizer is usu- 
ally 400 pounds per acre of raw bone meal, though 
other sources of phosphorus have been used as well. 
The result is as certain as mathematics. Mr. Jack 
at Belle Grove gets stands of alfalfa every time, 
good, thrifty, healthy, profitable alfalfa. 
It is very notable, however, that wherever Mr. 
Jack has applied a little manure there he gets much 
stronger crimson clover and much heavier alfalfa 
as well. It is not yet proved that a man can build 
successfully very poor soils without manures. Cer- 
tainly the work is greatly accelerated when manures 
are available. 
I have treated at some length the experiences 
of Mr. Jack because I know of no more impor- 
tant work being done anywhere in the east. Here 
one sees land taken in impoverished condition fairly 
representing millions of acres of farming lands in 
the older eastern states, unprofitable to farm, worth- 
less as an investment unless redeemed, and by appli- 
cation of plain and well tested agricultural prin- 
ciples brought rapidly into profitable culture again. 
Mr. Jack’s success, doing this work on a large scale 
and as a business venture, is a lesson in soil build- 
ing and business methods in farming of illumining 
importance to the whole farming world. 
Rate of Seed per Acre.—There are in a bushel of 
alfalfa seed about 14,000,000 seeds, more or less, 
according to their size and weight. Thirty pounds 
to the acre then would put about 160 seeds to the 
