The advocate., 1897-09-29
HOW TO START ALFALFA.

we find an excellent article on this sub
iect from the pen of Hon. Martin Mohler,
of Kansas, who occupied the responsible
position of Secretary Of the State Board
of Agriculture long time. We quote
as follows:
"a farmer may prepare an ideal seed
bed; he may have the best quality Of
seed; he may put the seed into the
ground with the utmost care; he may
sow in the spring or in the fall, and yet
after doing all this the chance element
may still remain. There is but one thing
on earth that will neutralize or practi-
cally annihilate the element Of chance
in securing good stand of alfalfa:
There must be an abundant supply OF
moisture in the soil when the seed is
sOwn.
"He who ignores proper soil conditions
when seed is put into the ground takes
needless chances and is not wise. Spring
is the planting season, farmers say, and
for this reason generally alfalfa is sown
then, with but little or no regard to the
amount of moisture in the soil at the
time. They trust to uncertain and fire.
quently lOng-delayed showers to geTmi-
nate the seed and give to the plant
vigorous start. Alfalfa, however, is a
tender plant when young. From the
period of sprouting until it has attained
the age of four to six weeks conditions
must be favorable or it is likely to per-
ish. With insufficient moisture in the
subsOil the surface dries out and the
plant dies before it appears above
ground If the moisture is sufficient to
germinate and bring the plant through,
yet not sufficient to produce a vigorous
growth, its enemies the weeds gain the
mastery over it and for want Of mois-
ture it perishes.
81 have seen so many failures to Sc
cure a stand of alfalfa that 1 concluded
four years ago last spring to try way
of my own which l believed for good
reasons would insure a good stand Of
alfalfa. This plan was this: The area to
be seeded to alfalfa was gwen deep
ploWing in the spring and such surface
treatment as was necessary to make a
good seed-bed. Then since the soil was
deficient in moisture l said we would
not SOW the alfalfa until we had It..
Such a supply of moisture we did not
have that season until June 26, when
two and One-half inches Of water fell.
The seed was then sown with broad
cast seeder and covered about two
inches. The stand was perfect, the
plants were strong and vigorous and
grew that season about ten inches high
and furnished fair supply of feed
in the fall. Neighbors who ignored
soil conditions entirely and sowed
in the spring, believing the seed
would be there ready to grow when
rains came, failed, utterly failed, and
the loss to some was $50 or more. Many
farmers, however, have learned the Sc
cret of securing a good stand of alfalfa
without fail, and when this knowledge
becomes general there will be more al
falfa grown and farmers will not hesi-
tate so much to plow under alfalfa as a
fertilizer and use 1t as red clover is used
except that the intervals of rotation will
be longer.
''The preparations necessary are as
follows: Give the area to be seeded to
alfalfa deep plowing in April, follow
ing Immediately with such thorough and
effective surface cultivation as may be
necessary to make an ideal seed-bed.
Provide yourself with good quality of
clean seed. Even though there is con-
siderable moisture in the soil you can
afford to wait for a good rain. Such a
rain greatly improves the seed-bed, rem
dering it firmer and in better condition
for quick termination and rapid and
vigorous growth of plant; besides the
cultivation of surface soil for several
inches, which is necessary to put in the
seed, constitutes a mulching and thus
loss of moisture nv evanoratiOn from he