The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1903-09-21
FARM, GARDEN
AND HOUSEHOLD
Alfalfa In the South.
BY S. A. COOK.

Granting that alfalfa Tor lucerne) Will
not endure longer than three years on
the average uplands of the South, what
other plant of equal value can the
farmer make use of TO better satisfac-
ton? But only on very poor soil and
with poor care of it should alfalfa en-
dure for only three years. In Europe
on soil of the highest adaptability TO
the crop il yields profitable crops for
ten or fifteen years, and there are rich
meadows of alfalfa in California and
other Western states that are still in
good condition. ten years after sowing.
1t viii not thrive on the average up
lands of Georgia that have been worn
out by steady clean culture of twenty
years or more. This kind of soil will
have to be restored somewhat by peas
or possibly Bermuda grass before it
can be made 10 grow alfalfa protitably.
Much the greater part of these worn
uplands will ultimately be given over
to Bermuda, which will in time restore
their fertility more economically than
anything else While paying the expense
of restorat ion in the grazing that they
will furnish. Until a farmer is willing
to give a part of his very best land to
alfalfa he had better not attempt it at
all. Any farmer that expects TO con-
tinue to live upon his farm and further
transmit it TO his children can well aft
ford to devote d goodly part of the
farm to alfalfa. Give it good land,
give it time TO get firmly established,
keep it free of foul weeds, cut it at
the proper time; never pasture IT lex
cept with calves or lambs in dry
weather); give it a suitable top dress
ing at least every other fall-obserVe
these conditions and in all probability
a certain area in alfalfa-ten acres or
100 acres-will net a farmer far more
money than the same area in cotton
and with cotton at L cents a pound,
at that.
First quality alfalfa hay may be
counted on to bring a farmer $12 to s22
per ton-rarely or never below $l2,
and frequently $40. After being well
established, the first cutting for hay
comes very early in Middle and South
ern Georgia. 1t comes at a time when
the old crop has run low and when
good hay is worth $40 per ton, usually.
Alfalfa on suitable soil yields from
three to six cuttings from April to Nov.
!. IT depends somewhat upon the sea-
sons as to how many cuttings should
be made. Whenever in full bloom. it
should be cut, and to make first class
hay must be cured in small cocks, so
that the leaves will be retained.
In the way of practical farming there
is hardly anything else that would
prove more interesting and instructive
than to test this question, at least to
the extent of an acre the coming sea-
son, and then let the results of that
acre decide the matter whether finally
it shall be ten acres of 100.
Alfalfa can be sown any time from
Oct. ! until the middle of November.
and even later in Southern Georgia.
The first essential is good seeds Get
them in time, so that they can be
tested as to their quality. Secondly,
prepare the land well with plow and
harrow. If sowed in eighteen or twen-
ty-inch drills, seven or eight pounds
of first-class seeds will suffice. If sown
broadcast use eighteen to twenty
pounds. Care should be taken that the
seeds are sown evenly The soil should
be we'll rolled after sowing, assuming
that it is sufficiently dry to be rolled
The first cutting should not be close,
but made when the plants are in full
bloom. AT the end of the second year
it will be we'll to let one crop mature
seeds for the purpose of reseeding the
land and starting some fresh plants.