44 
H. G. Hastings Co., Seedsmen, Atlanta, Georgia 
ALFALFA OR LUCERNE CLOVER (No.500) 
OUR MOST VALUABLE CLOVER 
That’s exactly what it is, the most valuable permanent clover in 
the world, and every year sees hundreds of thousands of acres of 
permanent Alfalfa fields added to the farms of this country, and we 
want to assure you that if there was an acre to an acre and a half 
of Alfalfa established on every “one horse” farm in the South the 
owners of these farms need never worry about buying hay or for¬ 
age, and it would also largely take the place of corn. We have 
seen work stock in Southern -California in the finest condition we 
ever saw horses and mules in and they don't get a peck of grain 
h-om one year’s end to another. They get all they want of Alfalfa 
hay and that’s enough. They have the muscles to do the work and 
yet keep fat; not the little 800 to 1000 pound mules that are so 
common here, but 1300 to IGOO pound horses and mules that have 
actually got the pulling power. Alfalfa is just about as nutritious 
hay as you can .grow, and once well estal)lished and cared for it's 
there to stay, that is, on land where water is not too near the sur¬ 
face, We understand th;it there is one patch of Alfalfa now in 
Middle Georgia some 46 years old that is better now than when 2 
and 3 years old. What do you think of a single sowing lasting over 
40 years? It’s a stayer and it’s been piling up hay for its owner 
right along, furnishing 4 good cuttings a year and sometimes 5, 
practically 5 tons per acre per year. Alfalfa hay is selling in At¬ 
lanta now at about !f53.00 per ton. Do you know any better pay¬ 
ing farming than that? We don’t. 
Surface rooting crops soon exhaust certain plant food elements 
near the surface and cease to do well. They also suffer from 
drought. Alfalfa roots go down 10, 12, even 30 feet. They bring 
up plant food that no other crop can ever reach. They are beyond 
the reach of the serious effects of any drought we ever have. 
Those are the reasons why Alfalfa is permanent. 
SEED INOCULATION—LIMING SOIL 
In addition to the thorough preparation of the soil outlined 
above and more fully covered by our “Grass and Clover Book,” 
which you can have free, it seems to be necessary to lime the soil 
throughly and inoculate the seed. 
Now Alfalfa doesn’t take up lime and it’s not a necessary plant 
food, but all of our soils in the Southeast seem to be more or 
less acid and Alfalfa will not grow in soil in which there is an 
acid condition. An average qu.aiitity, say about 25 to 30 bushels 
of air-slacked lime per acre, or one to three tons of fine ground 
limestone, applied broadcast on the surface and plowed in, will 
thoroughly sweeten almost any acid soil and put it in the very 
best condition for seeding. This takes out all sourness which 
seems to be deadly to young Alfalfa plants. 
With a valuable and permanent crop like Alfalfa it’s well worth 
while to do everything possible to insure full success. There are a 
great many people who do not understand this m.-itter of seed in¬ 
oculation. We believe fully in its value and importance, yes, ne¬ 
cessity in starting Alfalfa in sections and on farms on which it 
has not been grown. Alfalfa from inoculated seed will make four 
fo six times the growth that untreated seed will. For full informa¬ 
tion as to the matter of inoculation of seed of Alfalfa and other 
leguminous crops see i>age 46. 
WHY DON’T YOU GROW ALFALFA? 
It’s a fair question. Here is the most valuable hay and feeding 
crop in the world, and we believe we are safe in saying that not 
one farm in three hundred east of the Mississippi Kiver and south 
of Tennessee has an Alfalfa patch. 
Now, a great many of our people have planted more or less Al¬ 
falfa and failed. Why ? In practically every instance it has been 
beca^use of lack of proper preparation of the soil and planting at 
the wrong season of the year. We advise above all things fall 
planting, September 15th to October 25th being the best time. The 
reason for it is this. Alfalfa in this section of the country starts 
off slowly. Practically all of our lands are foul with weed and 
grass seed and with spring planting the weeds and grass almost 
invariably choke out the young Alfalfa; kill it by smothering be¬ 
fore it gets a chance to grow. With fall planting, while the top 
growth is small all during the winter these wonderful roots of 
Alfalfa are penetrating down deep and when growing weather 
comes it shoots up ahead of and chokes the weeds and grass. 
Another point: Hardly one farmer in a hundred puts enough 
preparation on the soil before the crop is planted. There is too 
much rough, cloddy ground, too many lumps that the young 
clover or grass plants can neither go around, push over nor pene¬ 
trate. This makes bad stands. In getting land ready for any 
clover or grass crop it should be plowed deep, harrowed and re- 
harrowed and dragged until it is smooth and fine. You can’t get 
it too fine and smooth and every extra day’s work put into the 
preparation means many dollars in the succeeding hay crops. This 
thorough preparation is mighty good for any crop but it’s an ab¬ 
solute necessity for any grass and clover crop. 
Now, back to th.e question: Why doesn’t your farm grow Alfal¬ 
fa? Have you failed in the past? If so, has it not been from 
planting in the spring instead of fall, or has it been from lack of 
proper preparation of the soil ? Has it been because you haven’t 
wanted to take chances and have never tried? If you do your 
part well there is mighty little chance of failure. 
OUR ALFALFA OVER 99% PURE 
Immense quantities of low grade foreign grown Alfalfa seed, full 
of weeds, trash, etc., have been dumped into the United States in 
past years. There is also much American Alfalfa full of dangerous 
weeds, and the buyer of Alfalfa seed cannot be too careful in pur¬ 
chasing seed. If some weeds get a start in your fields success is 
impossible. We handle no Alfalfa seed less than 99% purity ac¬ 
cording to United States Department of Agriculture tests. Most of 
our Alfalfa seed runs 99%% to 99%% pure. If you are offered Al¬ 
falfa seed at a low price we advise you to send a sample to Wash¬ 
ington for testing. The Department of Agriculture will tell you the 
quality of any small sample of grass or clover seed you send them. 
Grasses and clovers fluctuate and change prices from time to 
time. We sell only the highest grade Alfalfa seed, 99% purity or 
over, and all of it is the strongest American, grown alfalfa seed 
on the market. Broadcast at rate of 20 to 26 pounds per acre. You 
can depend on Hastings’ Seed. Pound, by mail, postpaid, 60 
cents; 3 pounds, postpaid, .$1.60. Ten pounds or over about 45 
cents per pound. ’Write for special i)rlces when ready to buy. Ask 
for free Alfalfa, Bulletin Number 101, 
