40 HINTS ON RAISING FARM CROPS 
essential point that must be kept in mind, is 
that the land must be well drained. Low land 
is not wanted for raising this crop, because the 
alfalfa plant sends down its roots for many 
feet into the soil in search of food, and if the 
seed is sown on low, wet land, the roots will 
be quite limited in their feeding area, and also 
a lack of air will be evident in the soil. Hence, 
the land selected for alfalfa should be high, 
well drained soil. Failure will result if this is 
not adhered to. 
The next important item that contributes tc 
successful alfalfa growing is the matter of soil 
acidity. Alfalfa will not thrive on sour, or acid 
soil. This fact alone has been the cause of 
countless failures in raising alfalfa. A sample 
of the piece of land selected for alfalfa can be 
sent to the county agent, or to the state agri¬ 
cultural college, and be tested for acidity. Most 
soils in humid, or wet, climates need lime to 
correct the acidity of the soil. Burnt lime, or 
pulverized limestone can be applied at the rate 
of from two to four tons to the acre, which is 
usually sufficient to make the soil “sweet.” 
Inoculation is the last item in successful 
alfalfa raising. This is because alfalfa manu¬ 
facturers nitrogen, an important plant food, 
by means of minute bacteria housed in the roots 
of the plant. These bacteria convert the 
nitrogen of the air into nitrogen that the plant 
can use. But these bacteria refuse to work in 
a sour soil. Therefore, if the soil has once been 
acid, or sour, these bacteria will probably be 
absent. Therefore, they will have to be sup¬ 
plied artifically. The easiest way in which this 
