Evening Republican, Volume 18, Number 153, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 30 June 1914 — ALFALFA [ARTICLE]

ALFALFA

(Fourth of a series of articles by Carpe Diem.)

An unproductive soil well stored with lime has never yet been found. Lands that have become famous for their fertility are always rich in lime. On the other hand, no permanent agriculture can be maintained without it At the Arlington Station* just across the river from Washington, D. C., within the last few years, manure has been applied in such quantities that would have covered it to the depth of 'five feet had it all been applied at once, and yet this is not fertile land because of its lack of lime. In France, Germany and England lime has been applied for more than a thousand years and yet these lands excell the new United States in acre yield of all staple crops. One reason for the superiority of alfalfa as a feed for glowing animals is its heavy lime content For instance, a hundred pounds of ashes from Timothy hay contains 4.70 pounds of lime; red clover 10 per cent; white alfalfa contains 36 per cents. It will be seen from this that alfalfa takes large amounts of lime, which it must get from the soil. Let it be understood that the lime content of farmed land is constantly being diminished. The rate of its removal depend® more upon the texture of the soil than upon the kind or amounts of crops produced. Thus an open* sandy soil will lose its lima far sooner than a close clay one. In its removal it follows the water courses and is consequently taken from the top first This accounts in part at least for the conclusion often heard that alfalfa is a weakly plant at first When in .fact it Is a very vigorous and fast grower, even when young, and on soils that meet its requirements and one of the greatest and commonest defects of our soils for alfalfa is its low lime content There is very little land in Jasper county but what would pay a profit over the cost of applying lime in large amounts. We have seen alfalfa that would make one and a half ton® in two cuttings from spring seeding the first season, but it was always on this lime land. The Illinois farmers are learning the use of lime and it is being ground by convict labor at Joliet and the railroads are making concessions in transportation charges, so certain are they that In the end they will be repaid in heavier traffic. The time is not far when there will be crushers at work. Rensselaer ha® an abundance of the raw material. It crops out along the Pinkamink and probably the lime content of-some gravel pits will be sufficient to warrant them being crushed and applied. The cost of grinding depends largely on the hardness of the rock. It seldom is more than one dollar per ton. It

may be applied at any time of the season and all the better if some months before seeding to alfalfa. It should not 'be plowed under deeply. It is the top few inches that need it worst as a rule. The amount to apply will vary with the amount already in the soil One of the best ways to do is to take a number of samples of the first few inches of the field in question; mjx them together and then take about a pint to Purdue and have them report the amount needed. They are paid for it so don’t be backward. Comparatively a email percent of this county can produce a maximum crop of alfalfa without more lime and it will pay a (handsome profit on the investment The lack of It fe a common cause for failure to secure <a stand of red clover. The application of commercial fertilizers hastens Ha further removal. There is but one known way to counterbalance this and that is by a direct application.

CARPE DIEM.