Omaha daily bee., 1906-09-30
ALFALFA ON THE DRY GROUND
Success with the Crop Without Irrigation
Easily Achieved.
GREATEST pRouTH RESISTING PLANT
Needs Deep Soil, but Can he
Grown without and IL n Won
derful Restorer of
the Soil.

Alfalfa has been raised for centuries in
the driest parts of the earth as the great
est drouth resisting fodder plant known.
1t stands under irrigation equally we'll.
but It is believed by some that years Of
irrigation have slightly impaired it's drouth
resisting qualities and that the seed from
the Turkestan variety is the best for the
dry farmer to plant. have tried both,
but find no appreciable difference.
According to the Utah college reports
dry raised alfalfa contains about 20 per
cent more nutriment than the irrigated va
riety, and is less likely to bloat stock.
After once securing stand, alfalfa with
out irrigation can be cut and stacked at a
cost of about so cents per ton. My neigh
bors who irrigate inform me that theirs
costs about 81 to 81 per ton in the stack.
Prospect Your Farm.
Every ranchman should prospect his
ranch as he would a mining claim. He
should know what values he possesses I'M
der ground as we'll those above ground.
There are many hollows, many bottoms,
many table lands, and even side hills. where
water or moisture may be found at no
great depth. Such lands are of inestimable
value for alfalfa, for after the roots have
reached the moist soil three cuttings can
be harvested every season. wet or dry,
without fail Water at twelve or fifteen,
or even twenty feet, may prove better for
this crop than water at four or Fix feet.
On my own ranch some of my alfalfa took
three years to attain depth of twelve
feet, but now it is impossible to tell it from
the irrigated product.
It is equally profitable to raise alfalfa
on land that contains no submoisturs, ex-
thaf WI 10 ~
as the first cutting, which should be about
a ton to the acre, is always assured after
a moderately moist spring and winter. AL
falfa needs deep soil and no rock within
ten feet but, provided you have two or
three feet of good soil on top, clay or
adobe or gopher clay will make a very fair
subsoil Alfalfa does not do we'll in coarse
gravel 1t is a great soil restorer and can
be planted to advantage on any soil that
is beginning to run down from constant
cropping.
Difficulties to Overcome.
Some ranchmen report failures TO obtain
a stand; the cause is usually shallow plow-
ing or planting with oats, which absorb
the moisture and kill 1t out. Alfalfa
should never under any consideration be
planted with a nurse CROP There IL only
just so much moisture to the square inch
and If another crop absorbs IL the alfalfa
dies out for the want OF 1t. The shade
the nurse crop affords is OF no value what
ever, as the young plants need the sturdi-
ness which they can only acquire from
the rays Of the sun. The age OF alfalfa
seed makes very little difference in it's
terminating power, but as a general rule
always the best seed should be planted.
The ground should be plowed at least
nine or ten inches in depth and narrowed
finer than for any other crop. Sod may
be plowed deep and planted. but II must
be disked until the surface is as fine as
old mellow soil. 1t should also
be rolled or packed with the
Campbell packer before disking. The best
time to plant is just as soon as the frost
is out of the ground. Under the melting
SHOWS and cool spring rains every seed
will germInate The seed should be lightly
narrowed in. and at this seascn OF the
year will need very little covering. Ten
pounds of seed per acre I have always
found ample for early planting. though
the quantity may be increased by a few
pounds for later planting No seed should
be planted later than June.
Rich Loans Are Rest.
On very light-colored soils the young al
felfa may sometimes burn out before it
becomes established. the radiation being
too severe. On very sandy soils exposed
to the wind the plants may sometimes be
cut out by the shifting sand. but on fairly
heavy soil these dangers are averted. Rich.
sandy loan or not too heavy a clay loan
are the best soils for this crop. but I have
seen it grown at a profit even adobe
If planted early the alfalfa can be moved
In July or August as soon as the sun
flowers bloom. This will top on and de-
stroy the largest of the weeds. thus pro-
viding more moisture for the alfalfa. Ths
weeds can be left as they fall. for there
will be nothing worth raking the first sea-
son unless water is very close. The fol-
lowing spring 1t can be thoroughly disked
early in the spring and when we'll estab-
lished after each cutting.
BY the end of August early-pIanted al
falfa is usually well established and no
drouth can kill H. The tops may dry out.
but the crowns will bud out again when
spring comes. A combination OF dry
weather and hard frost near the zero mark
or below may sometimes kill out a per-