Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1906-08-09

turc.
rs hay. alfalfa has 10 cqual. 1t is rich
in rortein, the v,:y thiu. in which Gun
corn and most Other crops are deficient
1t. therefore. balances up the ration and
Will save the purchase of hig priced foods.
40 piece of ground ON the farm win brinA
greater profits than the iNe or ton acrea
put into alfalfa provided tho work is prop
eriy done and Il good stand IS secured.
Twelve to fifteen pounds Of seed 10 the
acre is sufficient. 1t is a good plan To SOW
about half the seed on the Held the first
time over. and chen cross the field, sowing
the other half. This viii insure u more
even distribution of the seed.
Spring sowing has been the practice in
the west and north. In this case it is COM
mon to use corn stalk ground that was
MANFRED the year before corn. The stalks
should be removed and the ground thor.
oushly d!sked and narrowed and the seed
soWn about the middle of April, without
amy nurse crop. 1t is very important that
the weeds should be moved down two or
three times during the summer or they
VIII choke out the alfalfa.
The disadvantages of spring sowing are,
/. The loss of one seasons crop.
.. The extra labor required to keep
down the weeds.
3. The danger of ncglccting the weeds
and the consequent loss of n stand or at
best only Il "patchy" stand.
4. 1t Is the most crowded time of tho
year and we either fail to put in the al
falfa ut all or slight the work.
The advantages of August sowing are:
/. We do no. lose one years use of ouR
land and do not have to NOW weeds.
.. 1t comes at "a slack time when the
work can be done ut least expense to other
crops.
q In case the alfalfa is winter killed. or
for any reason n stand Is not secured, tho
ground can be put into corn the following
spring and a years crop has not been lost
and the growth of alfalfa In the fail has
more than paid for itself in the added fer
tility.
The points which should he emphasized
are the manuring of the ground before
blowing. removing the small grain and
preparing just as soon AS possible after
the small grain has been harvested.
thorough preparation of the ground and
sowing not later than August II to Is. and
beginning on a small scale. -Four to six
acres where 1t can be used for a hog
pasture will make n good start. Remem-
Der that alfalfa Will not endure wet feet.
There should be no standing water within
four and 4 half or five feet of the surface
of the ground.
Alfalfa cut for hay should be handled IN
the same way as clover except that It will
require more attention. When we remem-
Der that the leaves are nearly as NaluaDle
as bran, the Importance of preserving
them in the hay Will be recognized. AL
falfa should always be cut when the very
first blossoms appear. Never let 1t get
into fun bloom, as in the case of clover.
for tho leaves will fall off and the stems
become woody and the next cutting Will
be practically ruined. 1T is best handled
by putting up In hay cocks as soon after
cuttiEg as 1t can be rakod we'll. 1T may
be necessary to open the cocks = few
hours before hauling. ?
DO not waste any tine worrying about
inoculating the ground with bacteria. IL
you Will prepare the ground as described
above, spreading it with a light dressing
of manure before blowing. there Will be
present all the inoculating organisms nee
cssary for the best growth of the alfalfa.
After the second year the alfalfa VIII be
improved by disking the field in the spring.
as it inulches the ground. kills out tho
grass and splits up the crowns of the al
falNl roots and in this way thickens it.
Alfalfa Is adapted to almost every kind
of soil except those that are cold and wet
where the water stands for several weeks
during the year within four or five feet OF
the surface. Sometimes during very wet
seasons in the humid regions. the alfalfa
is struck by rust. the leaves turn yellow
and begin to fall off. In this case the
alfalfa should be cut at once and either
cured for hay or fed TO the hogs. h
next crop will then start at once.
Every farmer should have Il small field
of alfalfa, and IL the work Is done thor
oughly and at the proper time. you Will
almost certainly succeed IN securing n
good stand; OF the other hand. II the work
is half done and out of season, you VIII
lust as certainly fail.