Show ALFALFA AS A SOIL BUILDER one ona of biggest advantages of plant Is its ability to increase mi nitrogen trogen content of soil sell by r D W frean colorado agricultural Col college lewe tho the great virtue of alfalfa is its ita ability to increase tho nitrogen gon on tent ol of the soil about 77 17 per cent of the air Is nitrogen it Is estimated that thero there are ard tons oyer every acre of 0 land worth at the present rate ot of 18 cents a pound over if it could be used it la IS taken out of the air into the I 1 soil by very minute organisms called bacteria which live in tile the little nodules found on the alfalfa roots it takes about bacteria to measure an inch they take the nitrogen niti ogen from the air and use it in their lite life processes and then give it up to the alf alfalfa alfe plant in another form alfalfa plants ro re boyea large amount of nitrogen from the soil but the bacteria collect Is such that a portion Is left for other plants that follow if tile the soil Is too wet wei the bacteria cannot work and it if too hard the air containing the nitrogen cannot ge get t to them all plants which have the ability to add nitrogen to the soil like alfalfa are called legumes some legumes closely related to alfalfa are sweet red and white closer clever distantly related are beaus beans aud and peas |