The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1894-08-15
FALL-soMN ALFALFA.
THE Old Idea That Grass Seed should
Re Sosvn i'm the spring DiSproved.

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Re sovn i'm the spring DiSproved.
The idea that all grass seed must be
sown in the spring has a deep and APP
parently lasting hold on the minds Of
the people, writes 4. W. Coleman of
Dickinson county. Kansas.
With alfalfa our experience is that
sown in the spring, the plants are weak
to begin with and when the dry. hot
weather strikes il fl goes back A little
rain then starts the faIl grass and weeds,
and the crop is gone. BY sowing in the
fall. by cold weather the plants are as
big as the average spring-sown and are
ready for business as soon as the weather
IS favorable the following spring
1 viii say that the land 1 especially
refer % IL what follows is ordinary up
dand prairie being a ridge or backbone
between two draws, s,oplng to the south
and thoroughly drained. 1t is underlaid
by stir. heavy-clay gumbO in spots. and
some stone Ny well al the north end
and on the same ridge is sixty feet deep.
In the spring of 1892 1 sowed the piece
COurteeE acres) 10 oats, except a mar
row strip on -he east side left for a road.
This was sown TO alfalfa in May The
first week after the oats were of the
ground was prepared, and the last day Of
1892. IL was drilled using a common
wheat drll set fne) to alfalfa The
seed was run through the hoes, and six
and taree-fOUrth bushels used then
thoroughly narrowed. A small plat, say
pne-eighth 0f an acre, to the west used
as potato patch. was p,OWed and har-
rowed and sOwn broadcast. about C-.e
peek 10 the acre of seed used. Il ali got
one good rain right after sowing, then
dry till Dee. s. when our big snow came
CT Hrrrr flaf n nd HssFT
j. Then came the dryest and windiest
spring we ever had. with practically no
gain at al until June ,. when we had a
ueluge. II ratned five times in June hard
enough 10 put the creeks and rivulets
put Of their banks. and there was prac-
tcally none afterward.
Now Tor results The spring-sOwn strip
lived through the season of 1892 but
yielded nothing. The drilled piece was
put in too deep and altogether TOO thick
Where it came UP the thickest il did the
poorest. It came up twice, and the last
10 come up all died in the fan, both on
the drilled and on the broadcast sow
sngs- / began to cut il June >. I cut
the spring-sOwn three times. Could see
no practical difference between the
spring-sOwn and fall-drilled as 10 yield,
freedom from weeds, stand, etc. Com
pared with prairie grass on the same
grade Of land, the product was about
the same On the broadcast faIl-sOwing
was best all season through. The first
cutting Of it. about June TO- was a good
haif-crOp. compared with alfalfa on same
grade Of land four years ago. Second
cutting about Aug l. very light Third
cutting. Sept. Is. made as much per acre
a 5 the same grade Of prairie land did for
the entire season. To sum il all up, /
find by sowing in the fall / gain a year
p time. and a better and surer stand 1
find. also, that L get better results where
the plants are four to six inches apart
Any system Of seeding that would give
a good healthy plant to four inches
square Of ground is thick enough and
One-half peck of seed on well-prepared
ground the last week in August Of any
good fair wheat year Will give plenty
OF stand.
could not see any practical difference
as 10 hardness, ability TO stand cold,
drought. winds, etc. between the young
alfalfa and wheat, the grade Of land,
slope. conditions. etc. being equal To
my brother farmers who have failed with
spring-sown alfalfa I would say: Take
piece Of naturally dry rolling land-it
must be clear Of standing water at all