Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1892-02-25
ABOUT ALFALFA CULTURE.

ABOUT ALFALFA CULTURE.
The DEMOCRAT has. time and again,
contained comments upon the advan-
tage to farmers of cultivating alfalfa.
We believe it will be found one of the
best paying crops to be raised in Barton
county. The following from the Kan
sas Farmer of recent date may be of
assistance to some who may want to
try alfalfa:
One of the first questions asked is,
danger of frost is over. The Young
plants are tender and easily killed.
"How much to sow?'' A peck to the
acre is plenty. If sown too thick it
grows finer and viii not produce as
much as if not sown so thick One
gentleman writes me: "Dont be dis
couraged if your plants are eight or ten
inches apart-it will thicken up
How to sow?" Many different
opinions as to how; some SOW with
other grain, oats for instance. The
general opinion seems to be that it is
safer to SOW it alone, for if the weather
is hot and dry when the oats is cut, the
alfalfa is apt to perish. Still many
get good stands by sowing with oats.
Mr.. Gish sowed with oats last year and
had good stand.
ra7o II
do not think it has an equal in this
country. The first year you need not
expect much if anything. The second
will pay you well. From the third on,
be careful, you won't have room on
your farm to stack your hay. In this
valley the roots will go to the water the
first year, and the winds may blow hot
and dry, but your alfalfa is fresh and
green Last year, as dry as it was,
mine had at least six tons per acre,
besides three months of pasture /
have the picture of a root that was
traced to depth-of twenty y-eight feet.
do stock like it?'' / have neveI
seen anything that stock do so well on.
I have seen my hogs leave soaked corn
to eat dry alfalfa hay. 1 haye read
letters from number of men that kept
their hogs all winter on alfalfa hay.
''Does it come early?" Yes, and
lasts late in an ordinary season. You
can turn out about the last week in
March, and it will last until the first of
December. Year before last mine was
fair pasture until the 1st of January.
"Will it bloat cattle?" Yes, in that
respect it is about the same as red
clover, at least, not any worse. Before
first turning on the spring, feed your
cattle pretty 6ell. and wait until the
dew is off, and there is no danger. My
COWS feed on it all kinds Of weather,
and have had no serious trouble. L
have five acres and on that 1 have
seventy-fve head OF hogs, two cows and
four horses. 1t was about two inches
high the first week in April, when 1
turned on. 1t is now in many places
six inches high. 1t will be worth at
least $40 this year per acre. I would
have had to buy at least go bushels of
corn to keep my hogs over, and corn at
50 cents is expensive feed.
After L cut mine last year the first
time, in just four weeks 1 measured it
anj it would average twenty-seYen
inches in height. In this country it
solves the problem. 1t furnishes a
certain crop, and a valuable one. A
gentleman at Kearney, who has been
raising it for years, writes that a ton
of hay is worth twenty-five bushels of
corn for feeding stock, and my exper-
fence says he is right. Well, then, six
tons an acre equal 150 bushels of corn
and but little work. honestly believe
by raising alfalfa in this valley that our
land will pay a good interest on a
hundred dollars per acre Just think
of it, Eight months Of hogs life on
alfalfa. You only need to feed little
corn to finish him, and make big hog
of him.
How long will it lasta;' Not yet
known in this country. was reading
an article few days sine, in which the
writer said: I'm the old country it has
been grown continuously for 200 years
and still doing well.'' That's as long
as care about. 1t is said to be as good
a fertilizer as red clover.
docs it winter-kilI?'' Not easily.
Prof. Shelton, formerly of the expert
ment station in Kansas, wrote me that
they had only been injured once in
thirteen years, and that was the cold
7th of January, 1856, the worst day ]
ever saw. L see one writer says his
experience is, that you must be careful
about pasturing in closely. L think
that depends on the land. If your land
is high, dry land. Care should be used,
but in this valley, where the roots
reach the water, you can't kill it by any
fair means. One gentleman said TO me
he had killed his by turning his hogs
on it before it was very large / am
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