New Iberia enterprise and independent observer. (New Iberia, La.) 1902-1944, 1905-08-19
Some Ideas
on Alfdfd.

on alfalfa. You have some OF the
best country and lands suitable 10
the growth of alfalfa | ever saw any
where. Your red land will make an
excellent growth Of plant. SO VIII
your gray land. The roots will grow
six to seven feet here In twelve
months. But not quite so deep on
the red land in the same time. All
the patches l have seen in East Tex
as have been planted on land just
the reverse OF what it should be. l
have not seen patch that has not
been planted in low, seepy land. You
don't want 1t in this kind Of soil.
First plow your land deep with
two-horse pillow. Follow in every fur
row, or every ether, with a narrow
shovel pillow as deep as you can get
1t. Pillow your land early In the fall
or late summer, turning 1t twice IL
possible. Harrow it well and take OH
all trash and sticks. Do your sowing
In September, SO 1t will get the start
, of the weeds in the spring. 1t Is Gus
tomary to SOW twenty pounds OF seed.
but II you VIII double the quantity
you will get cut OF hay early In
the spring which will more than pay
for thee extra seed. BY doing this you
don't have to let the first crop seed
fill I'D what you failed to put in. You
will have good grazing on 1t in Jan
uary, and you can put horse so poor
he can just get up when down, ana
he will get fat on an alfalfa patch.
A horse with a bad case OF heaves
will get well.
You can cut and feed more stock
from two acres of alfalfa than you
can on FIVE acres of good native grass.
You can feed your hogs on dry hay,
and they will fatten. You can grind
It and make slop for hogs and they
will fatten faster on 1t than on corn.
Your hogs will get fat running on It
as pasture. and but little corn Is
needed to round them off for mar
ket. II you are short Of corn you can
make cvc-, nr the hay or pasture.
1t Is fine for milk and butter, but will
produce heaves in cattle when put in
with heavy dew on it. All stock have
to be educated to eat it. But when
they once take hold of 1t they Will
quit grain to eat it. 1t will keep
your poultry fat as well as your ami
mails.
You can not have gold without some
labor. Neither can you have good
alfalfa crop without labor. any more
than you can have a good bank ac-
count from a poorly put in and poor
" worked crop of any kind. And no
crops large or small will pay you as
well or do you as much good as few
acres OF alfalfa.
The greater portion of farmers
find in this section are too apt to say
II can't" the poorest expression ever
uttered by any one, especially far
mer.
Hogs put to pasture need rings In
their noses. so they can not root up
the plant. Prepare your ground like
you would garden spot and SOW in
early fall, and you will be glad you
started in the business. The largest
grower of alfalfa today in Texas at
one time was working fifty men and
boys pulling weeds out of two-acre
patch AZ you would weed a garden.
So you can see what little care and
perseverance will do.
You often hear Of German who
has bought q poor place In COM
munity making money while the or
iginal owners sometimes needed the
necessaries Of life.
It is because the German does not
think It Is too much work or trouble
to do things which will benefit him,
his land and his pocket book.
should have said BEFORE after cut
ting for two or three seasons or once
q year, you can run q harrow over
your meadow to knock OF the old cut
stubble and 1t helps in the way Of
getting rid of weeds and grain which
may come up, and weeds are tho
greatest enemy to alfalfa.-Henry
Strong in Southern Farmers Union.