The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1897-03-09
Alfalfa and Its Seed
Hutchinson. Kan, March s. 1sS

Hutchinson, Kan, March B, 1SoI.
To the Editor of the Eagle.
| I have had a large number of residents
Of Oklahoma this. spring making inquiries
about alfalfa-how to get seed; when TO
sow; how to sow, etc. Knowing that your
paper has large circulation in that coun-
| try, have thought it might not be amiss
| to write short letter and tell many people
| at one time what little know of this mat
| ter. / began raising this clover among the
| first in this county and have for many
years had farm and have been handling
stock. now have $50 acres Of fine alfalfa,
and have raised several hundred bushels
Of the finest seed this last year ever saw
and seed is seeing much cheaper than
usual this spring and I hope TO see people
generally try little on their farms.
The most of the alfalfa used in this re-
gion comes from Western Kansas and Colo
RADIO. The seed of Colorado is raised by
| irrigation and much of Ii in Western Kan
sas is produced the same way. Alfalfa has
the popularity OF continuing to bloom and
mature seed after the first blossoms put
out until II IS cut unless the plant lacks
moisture, when the blossoms cease putting
out and all the seeds mature. On irrigated
lands there is usually ripe seed, green seed
and blossoms all on the same stock at the
time the plant is cut. For this reason seed
coming from this region usually has more
or less immature seed mixed IN with the
good. This is bad. Again in the old alfalfa
fields of the west there is more or less fox
tail and other weeds Foxtail is the worst
as ii will almost kill out the alfalfa, and It
is hard to tell the seed from alfalfa seed.
1 was ir a field OF new ground a few days
ago which had never had a crop on it excepI
alfalfa sown last year and it looked as II
it had been seeded in foxtail seed bought
of seed man at 80 cents per bushel that
came from the west. Again l believe seed
grasses from the cultivated plant is better
and better adapted TO the Oklahoma coun-
try than the seed which has grown from
pampered plants in the irrigated regions.
So would always advise people 10 get
seed as near home and that grown on new
land as possible.
Among good farmers there is general
anxiety to get all crops planted early in
the season. Many make mistake in SOW
ing alfalfa too early. One of my neighbors
lest Zoo worth of seed by sowing in March
The old plant is very hardy. but the young
plant is very tender and moderately
heavy frost will sometimes kill it when II
first comes. Cold March and April winds
are very injurious and I think that in this
Part OF the state a man could not one time
in ten secure stand by sowing in March.
The last half of April is the better time.
Undoubtedly the same will hold good with
alfalfa that applies to other seed, viz: ii Is
better to drill than to sow broadcast. 1t
is great saving Of seed to put II in with
drill. Every practical man will advise SOW
N hrao dao OF
The fact is, if pounds per acre were sown
and made to grow it would be plenty thick
enough. 1t is difficult to drill. 1t must be
drilled alone and not with any other grain
crop ever. 1 know of but drill that will
sow such small seed and they are not much
used in this region. Again if you drill and
there is any sandy ground you will put
that on the sandy ground in too deep IL
great care is not used. In our soil is ought
to be covered about inches. Sowing broad
cast is a difficult thing. A small seeder
" hich costs about dollar and a half, is
made by Thompson & Sons of Ypsilanu,
Mich, which sows alfalfa perfectly-sows
Il feet wide, will sow in quite a strong
wind and cannot sow any way but right,
and being a permanent crop, 1 thing II
man has a bushel TO sow 1t might pay him
and a few of his neighbors to join and buy
this little seeder. If sown broadcast the
best implement know OF TO cover IL is the
Acme harrow. The common smoothing har-
row is a very poor tool for most any pur-
pose and especially to cover seed. Brush
ing it in, sowing on the snow and all thoso
old fashioned down east ways of sowing
grass seed won't do. Our ground IS too
light and dries out too quickly on top.
Let the plants get up or eight inches
high and then run a mower over the field