10 
Bulletin 110 . 
stance, which it removes. That the plant requires a large supply of 
plant food is very evident, for we find it contained in the plant, but 
its little feeding roots which gather this food are. almost wholly below 
the depth at which ordinary crops feed, so this portion of the soil 
is resting while in alfalfa. Many of the plants die and rot, adding 
organic matter to the soil and facilitating the solution of the mineral 
constituents used by other plants. Not only do the plants die out, 
as is to be observed in almost any field of alfalfa, though I have seen 
some in which this was not apparent, but every crop grown adds 
materially to the upper soil by that portion of the plant which escapes 
being gathered as hay. 
The Value of the Stubble. —The amount of leaves and stems which 
fall and rot on the surface of the soil each year is always considerable, 
and is, moreover, high in manural value, but the addition of fertiliz¬ 
ing substances to the soil, which is effected by planting to alfalfa, is 
perhaps more strikingly set forth by the facts pertaining to the value 
of the stubble. The stubble of alfalfa taken to a depth of 6 1-2 inches, 
assuming an ordinary stand, weighs nearly 6 tons and contains over 
36 pounds of nitrogen, equ.al to about 216 pounds of sodic nitrate, 
Chili saltpetre, in addition to 8 1-3 pounds of phosphoric acid and 
15 1-2 pounds of potash. The alfalfa roots, however, reach a depth 
of 9, 10 and even 12 feet, on account of which the whole root system 
of the alfalfa can safely be credited, with twice as much nitrogen, 
etc., as is found in the stubble taken to a depth of 6 1-2 inches. The 
commercial value of this material is, at present prices, upwards of 
$ 35.00 per acre. 
Stand of Alfalfa.—This means the number of plants in a given 
area, I believe that one plant to the square foot will grow as much hay 
and of as good a quality as any number of plants. We have deter¬ 
mined the number of plants to the acre in a few instances and found 
it to range from 70,000 to 653 , 000 . The hay cut from the field with 
seventy thousand plants was as desirable, and so far as one could 
judge from the appearance of the hay, as fine as that cut from a field 
having 562,000 plants to the acre, but if one considers the benefit to 
accrue to the soil the thicker stand is to be preferred, for there will 
be more roots to penetrate the soil and their aggregate weight will be 
greater while they will penetrate the soil to quite as great a depth. I 
have dug out a seedling alfalfa plant nine months old whose root 
measured 9 1-3 feet, while its diameter at the crown was a little more 
than one quarter of an inch. The stand in this case was very good, 
probably not less than 400,000 plants to the acre. The soil in this 
case was an open sandy loam and very deep. 
Alfalfa Seed.—This seed varies considerably in size but the ger¬ 
minating power is usually high. The vigor of a young plant from a 
plump, mature seed is probably greater than that of a plant from a 
small, shrunken, immature one, but the germinating power of even 
immature seeds is high and their vitality is far greater than given in 
Bui. No. 35 ./ The statements made in it were .quite contrary to the 
