Jasper County Democrat, Volume 15, Number 42, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 28 August 1912 — Alfalfa Culture in Jasper County. [ARTICLE]

Alfalfa Culture in Jasper County.

I believe from this season’s experience that under proper conditions alfalfa can be grown in this section. I find the essentials are the right kind of soil and the right time of sowing, the right kind of “nurse crop” and the right kind of Al fa-1 fa sown. As there are many kinds of alfalfa, I would advise any one sowing to get the northern grown alfalfa seed, guaranteed by several seed companies, to do well wherever clover grows well. I would advise late summer sowing, as there will be no nurse crop needled, with spring-sown alfalfa, takes away moisture from the young pl'ants..

I have found Giant spurry tcTbe the only nunse crop for good results. Sown lightly with spring sown alfalfa. Giant spurrp is 'a highly fertilizing plant and roolts deep in the soil and prepares and inoculates the soil. The soil should be a black gumbo clay or a chocolate. crumbly with clay. Those soils need no inoculation.

When I sowed a field on loose soil in the spring the alfalfa alll died out, although an abundance of inoculation was used, and I don’t believe a paying crop can be raised when crushed liimes'tone and inoculation are required. JOHN W. CLOUSE.