SUMMARY OF ALFALFA SOWING. 487 
ine to see that the land has enough lime in it. I made 
hundreds of examinations of Kentucky soils on the 
limestone area and found few indeed that were not 
lacking lime. Fortunately today the state is quite well 
supplied with limestone grinding plants, and no one 
need delay the use of ground limestone, for it can 
be had conveniently and cheaply. Even at the Ken- 
tucky Experiment Station, situated on a magnificent 
soil type, additional lime doubled the yield of al- 
falfa. 
Having drainage and lime, look to fertility. In 
this state the cowpea grows well. It may be turned 
under, the land at once firmed, made fine and sown 
to alfalfa. Use what stable manure can be spared 
to supplement the cowpeas. Then there must be in- 
oculation, and on most soil types a liberal applica- 
tion of phosphorus, presumably acid phosphate, as 
it is the cheapest and most generally available form. 
One should add to this 80 pounds per acre of nitrate 
of soda for immediate effect. Stands of alfalfa are 
assured by this plan. 
There are soil types in Kentucky, however, that 
grow alfalfa quite well when it is once established, 
but are so clayey and difficult to drain perfectly dry 
that they lift with the winter’s freezes and thaws 
until they lift out the fall-sown plants. If the al- 
falfa goes safely through the first winter on these 
soils it gets root enough to hold through the second 
winter. These lands grow bluegrass spontaneously, 
but are helped by giving them more limestone. They 
make big alfalfa that is early crowded with blue- 
