The record-union., 1893-02-22

The great problem of the farmer who
settled upon the semi-arid plains was to
procure tame hay. He knew something
of the history and peculiar properties of
alfalfa, but had always been taught that
its successful growth depended upon
proper irrigation. He attempted to- grow
timothy, English blue grass and red
clover, but always with discouraging re-
suits. bitches were taken out from the
Arkansas, Cimarron and other smaller
streams in the Southwest. Alfalfa was
planted, and proved successful to won
derful degree, under irrigation, until
NOW, only few short years, tens of
thousands of acres of alfalfa meadow
stretch along the valleys of the principal
streams. Single acres often yield five to
six tons of hay and four or more bushels
of seed, worth IS per bushel.
1t is not surprising, then, that farmers
not favored with means for irrigation
should have been stimulated to expert
1nent with the plant on their lands. Now
it is generally conceded to be true that
any tract of good land, that has an open
Subsoil down to permanent moisture, is
adapted to the successful growth of
alfalfa, and that in such cases irrigation
Is not necessary. The plant becomes a
a successful register of dry weather,
simply for the reason that its tap root
spenetrates to moisture, unless prevented
by an imperviouS stratum. When once
established, with the terminal roots feed
Ing perpetual moisture, eight, ten or
Gwenty feet below the surface, alfalfa is
independent of rainfall, and remains dark
green and thrifty during the most pro-
tracted drouEhts.
Alfalfa does best on deep, sandy loan,
the richer the better. On hardpan sub
gsoil, or where rock is near the surface,
the attempt to grow alfalfa will be fail
,ure, as also Will be the attempt upon land
not well drained. Taking into considera-
ton the aforementioned peculiarities of
this clover, it will be an easy matter for
the practical farmer to decide whether or
not his particular tract of land would be
adapted to the successful growth of al
1alfa.
The best time to SOW in this latitude
80 Ms from the first of April until the
middle of May. The soil should be
ptowed deeply, and thoroughly pulver-
lied. Sow twenty pounds OF seed, broad
cast, to the acre, cover with drag, or
smoothing harrow. In light, sandy soils
it may be drilled TO advantage, as being
less likely to blow out before becoming
well established. The moving machine
Gs the proper weed-destroye and should
,be run over the meadow at least twice
the first year, thereby killing the annual
weed growth, and rendering the alfalfa
plant Stocky. II is not necessary to rake
off the first moving, as the growth has
but little woody fiber, and will disappear,
and not be found mixed with the mex
cutting, should it be desirable to rake it
up and save it. If the season be favor
able, ton of very good hay is usually
made at the second cutting. There will
be a rank growth again in the fall, but it
is not desirable to take this of, as the
roots need some protection the first win
ter. Treated in this manner, the second
year will show perfectly clean meadow,
free from all annual weed growth, and,
while not yet at its best, will yield, on
good land, three or four cuttings, of a ton
or more at each time.
In saving alfalfa seed, select any crop
that has bloomed evenly, and defer the
cutting until most of the bloom has
dropped. Alfalfa differs from other
clovers in this respect, each cutting pro-
ducing seed, if allowed to stand suf-
ficiently long. When moving for hay,
begin as soon as the plant is in full
bloom. Cattle, horses, mules, sheep and
hogs thrive upon 1t. All kinds of stock
faIten upon it, excepting hogs; they re-
quire an additional ration of grain. The
question will be asked by the practical
farmer, what is this hay worth per ton :?
This depends upon the proximity to
market Here in Southwestern Kansas,
we must convert the crop into beef,
mutton, or pork, before we can realize
upon it. Practical farmers here value
their alfalfa at double the price of any
other hay. With the successful growing
of alfalfa, without irrigation, the discov-
cry that wheat, barley, rye and red Kaftir
corn are certain crops, the southwest is
soon to become considerable factor in
agriculture, as well as the livestock in
dustry.-J w. Workman in American
Agriculturist.
RAISING ONION SETS.
There exists wide difference of opin-
ion in regard to the quantity of seed
needed per acre for raising onion sets. 1t
is a common mistake not to sow enough.
The old rule was thirty pounds per acre.
In nv experience 1 soon found that this
was not enough. and have been increas-
ing the quantity every year and have
never had them too thick. With rows
fifteen inches apart, single row 34,S4e
feet or AIS, l16 inches In length, would be
an acre. There are about Us, 600 seeds in
one pound of onion seed. If we sow l0C
nounds per acre there would be thirty
seeds to inch of row. On the Morton
farm we aim to get the drill mark as mar
row as possible, for the reason that the
hoe can do more OF the wedding. II Is
not easy, however, to deposit the seed sc
that it will not spread out over an inch
in width in the row. AS a matter of fact
however, we have no drill that will DROP
thirty onion seeds in an inch.
The holes of the drill are not long
enough, and if they were the seed would
swiftly run out without any regard to the
sneed of the drill or whether it was III
motion at all. When we use drill
therefore, we find it necessary to go back
and forth in the same drill two or three
times. The result is that even with the
most careful guiding it is impossible tc
laen the drill from deviating more or less
rom the first mark and, by the time the
NECESSARY amount is deposited, the drill
mark is practically two or three inches
wide. We have frequently found con
siderable difficulty in getting the thick
sown onion seed to germinate. Unless
fine soil is very moist, such quantlty o
saad close together, in narrow row, can
81 oet water enough from the surround
i,'n sSoil to swell the seed and cause ger
,,,ihnation. For this reason we have
t.iracticed soaking the seed for forty -elgh
nnrs before sowing. In fact, we ire
nantlv keep it moist till 1t germlnates
md then SOW it by hand.
II ia very important to get onions start
"a aarlv and this method OF soaking ane
arminating the seed often makes oil
thorance of two or three weeks: some
ines the sprouts have been nan an lncl
Lone before sowing, ana IN lew uas' S
tInS 1I,n ro1ys of &een onions could pc seer
me hole length of the field. The grea
me 5liee,",,Ity in growing onion sets is tn
uiISoy TO produce sculllons. roo
nS is frequent cause OF TINS. 1t ~ re
s;ras so much seed per acre LOT sets 'ua
9u ,1oturally the growers want u
very - seed they can get, put uhles
cheapet pTat well-bred seed they cannot gros
tnsy5 sets Another cause OF sculllons
gooo Sowing followed by dry wea1net ia'st