eo Poe Se ES * 
16 = . — : 
ALFALFA oR LUCERN. 
(Medicago Sativa.) 
The Deepest Rooting, Soiling and Hay Plant Grown. 
Opens up the Subsoil. Adds Nitrogen and Humus to the Land. 
YIELD.—When fully established it yields as much as eight to twelve, and sometimes as high as sixteen, tons 
of cured hay per acre at three to four cuttings each year. The hayis palatable and very nutritious. 
By the New Jersey Experiment Station and other competent authorities the feeding value of the hay is 
placed at $20.00 as compared with Timothy at $12.00 perton. Asasoiling plant for cutting and feeding 
green during the summer it is of the utmost value on all dairy farms, as it is ready for first cutting 
about the time for planting Corn and about as early as green Rye can be cut, and is ready for cutting 
about every six weeks thereafter. Alfalfa should be cut every time it begins to blossom, whether 
the growth is short or tall, for if allowed to form seed, it shortens the life of the plant. 
Owing to slow growth the first season, almost the entire growth going to roots, the land should 
be clean and free from weeds, and it is, therefore, best to follow Potatoes, Corn or some other 
crop that has been thoroughly hoed and kept free from weeds. 
DEEP ROOTING.—Its drought-resisting qualities are remarkable, ren- 
dered so by the wonderful root formation, THE ROOTS GOING DOWN 
DEEPER THAN ANY OTHER PLANT, eight to twelve feet being usual, 
and a depth of thirty feet has been reported. This deep-rooting quality 
enables it to reach and utilize plant food beyond the reach of other plants. 
There is no plant which can be fed green or cured into hay that is deserv- 
ing of wider cultivation than Alfalfa, and there is no State in the Union where 
it cannot be successfully cultivated under the following conditions - 
LIME NECESSARY.—One of the essentials for its success is LIME in some form, 
either in the soil or subsoil, and if lime or marl is present, profitable crops may be expected. 
Therefore, ifit is known that there is no lime in the soil, it should be applied as a 
top-dressing when the land is being plowed preparatory to sowing the seed. 
GOOD DRAINAGE is neces- 
sary,for an excess of surface water 
soon rots the roots and under 
these conditions the plants seldom 
live longer than one or two years, = - Go 
though excellent results have been : | Yoon 4 
obtained on clay soils, provided Y VF ; 
always that lime is in the soil ; f XK ae 
or subsoil, either naturally or 
applied. 
TIME OF SOWING.—The 
best time to sow in this section is 
in April, and if the land is thor- 
oughly clean and free from weeds, 
it may be sown broadcast, using 
20 Ibs. per acre, and such weeds as 
appear kept down by the mowing 
machine with the cutter bar raised 
so as to avoid cutting near the 
crowns of the young plants. But, 
even under the most favorable 
conditions the better plan is to 
drill the seed in rows 16 inches to 
2 feet apart, at therate of 15 to 20 
Ibs. per acre. As soon as the 
young plants are high enough to 
mark the rows, cultivation should 
begin, and if the soil is kept clean 
and meilow by frequent stirrings, 
the Alfalfa, if cut often and not 
allowed to go to seed, will after 
the first year cover the ground 
and easily keep ahead of all 
weeds. 22c. 1b.; $12 50 bushel 
of 60 lbs.; $20.00 per 100 
Se 
W/ Censors or Seale CTV ele 
(Trifolium Incarnatum.) 
THE MOST VALUABLE PLANT FOR 
RESTORING THE FERTILITY 
OF WORN-OUT SOILS. 
THE value of Scarlet Clover is now so thoroughly 
established that we have no hesitation in recom- 
mending that all lands from which crops have been 
harvested during the summer and fall should be sown 
with Scarlet Clover for plowing under the following 
spring. Authorities who have made a careful estimate 
state that plowing under a good crop of Scarlet Clover 
is equivalent to 20 tons of stable manure per acre, and 
even if the clover be harvested or pastured, the bene- 
fits derived from the wonderful nitrogenous root for- 
mation will alone many times repay the cost. 
If intended for feeding, it should always be cut 
while in the young stage and never fed to stock after the 
crop has ceased flowering, as serious results are apt to 
follow the feeding of over-ripe Crimsou Clover. It is the 
cheapest source of nitrogen and should be extensively 
used throughout the entire Eastern States. Its value as 
a winter soil mulch and for green manuring for orchards 
cannot be overestimated. 
In the latitude of New York, time for sowing may ex- 
tend from July 15th to September 15th, and further South 
up to October. The seed needs to be only lightly covered, 
and a good plan is to sow on fresh plowing and cover 
with alight harrow. Sow 15 lbs. per acre. 
Choice new crop seed of highest growing quality, thoroughly 
recleaned and free from weed seeds, (0c. Ib., $4.25 bush,, 
$6.75 per (00 Ibs. 
ALFALFA OR LUCERN. 
(Medicago Sativa.) 
