The Big Sandy news. [volume] (Louisa, Ky.) 1885-1929, 1906-06-29
THE FARM.
ALFALFA EXPERIENCES.
BOW MUCH ALFALFA TO START
wITH2

As l am We'll aware seeding TO al
falfa Is costly, yet a farmer wishing
to try it should not be over-cautious.
For years 1t was my desire to have
an alfalfa field, but from What | read
from time to time ! thought my land
unsuitable, as have at least one-half
dozen kinds of soil on my farm, none
Of il in any quantity, supposed to be-
alfalfa soil. So | stood back and
swallowed my disappointment as best
/ could. Less than five miles from
me | knew of two or three seedlings
on ideal alfalfa land One day when
ten miles from home | saw a seeding
on cold, undrained clay land such as
/ was led to believe was entirely un-
suitable for tine crop. at once said
that il that land would grow alfalfa
mine would. And at once began TO
plan the seeding Of II acres.
Had failed, instead of succeeding.
| would doubtless have made another
trial.
There is about one acre of black
soil IN this field, underlald with yell
low clay and probably but a few
feet to water. Two or three spots
Of tough red clay, with limestone
pebbles two or three feet down. Mos
Of the field can properly be called
clay upland on the thin order, the
kind that good white oak timber
grows on. With an occasional sugar
tree. Without ample tile drainage the
crop on about two-thirds OF the II
acres would have failed in two or
three years. About eight acres Of
this land has near so rods of tile per
acre, and needs little more.
! do not advise men to start with
small plat unless there is none
growing in their section of the coun-
try. With one-half acre or an acre
the crop is more apt than not TO be
put aside for some more important
crop and prove failure, because IL
Is not properly cared for It is
strictly a business crop. and must
have business care and attention.
A second seeding of ten acres last
spring failed because the nurse Crob-
ber) crp of oats got It, but reseed-
ing In August gave fine sEhnd.
And while all the field of about eight
acres thought to need tile drainage
has about 80 rods per acre. / th!nk
the freezes so far this winter have
found small spots where more tile Is
needed, showing by some of The
plants being lifted.
In the field five years old notice
an occasional plant dead, and the
main root stands four 70 six inches
above the ground. But these are not
the largest, strongest plants, and
may have been injured by the horses
or machinery worked over The field
last season.
The cleaner Of weed seed the land
Is the better success the seedsr may
expect. Foxtail is probably its worst
enemy the first eelson. Next. crai
grass that Is ready to take up vacan-
cies for years when the weather IA
yors its growth.
It's a good plan first to put ths
land to corn and give absolutely clean
cultivation then pillow the land early
next spring. and give 1t few work,
ings at intervals Of week or Ter
days TO kill all sprouting weed seeds
Thsn in May, after shower OF rain
work the land again, and seei nj onci
TO alfalfa, using twelve to sixtee.
pounds of seed per acre.
The only advantage I can see Il
using more seed IS to secure a great
err number of the stronger class o
plants.
] notice along the banks of sinai
stream in my field where the root
are exposed that some of the plant
have roots two or three times a.
large as others. These larger root
will remain the longest. and the NOR
there are Of them the longer TIL
field will remain valuable.
II more of them can be had b.
heavier seeding then it is advisable
to use the larger amount Of sect
advised by some. One farmer tina
sowed over so acres last spring Will
oats as nurse crop and lost III
seeding says had he sowed 1t nlen
he would have secured two crops c
hay that would have been worth MOI
than the oats crop.
II sowed ON clean, strong land
cutting Of hay can often be had &
less than 60 DAYS after sowing, bc
old experienced growers do not ad
wise this, but rather to clip for III
first season, and not try TO make hay
Ross county, o. John NJ. Jamlson.
OHIO METHODS.
From an editorial in recent ISSUE
of The National Stoclman and Farm
or I take II that most Of the readers