Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1907-12-26
HOW TO MAKE ALI ALFA GROW
Must Have Good Soil, Wei
Drained, and Tender Care
for the First Year.
BY ]. WESLEY GRIFFIN.

Neither will all soils grow wheat
| and many other grains and grasses.
| Alfalfa will grow where corn will
| make a good crop.
The main requirement Of alfalfa is
| good drainage.
Alfalfa revels in sunshine when there
| is sufficient moisture present.
| On the plains and in the valleys of
| the west it gets the sunshine it needs,
while the moisture is furnished from
| below; frequently it comes from
depth of 25 feet or more.
| 1t has been proven that alfalfa does
well under the cloudy skies Of Ohio,
Pennsylvania and New York. There
are some points to carefully watch in
growing alfalfa in these states.
Some of the soil is acid and requires
| lime to overcome this.
Ground lime rock at the rate of 1000
pounds per acre may be put on with
| safety, but if caustic lime is applied
$40 or 700 pounds per acre is enough,
IS the caustic properties are liable to
injure the young plants.
Another danger is the liability OF the
plants to heave out on clay soils when
| there is a succession of freezes and
| thaws.
/
| tap root is established and the danger
! from heaving is past.
| There is a close relationship be-
tween the alfalfa plant and the sweet
| clover plant (melilotus alba). Alfalfa
VIII grow and make fine crops on any
and where sweet clover is found.
There are three very important
POINTS to keep in view If you are going
| ro)l Mt off 90
!cial If not natural; a thorough prep
aration of the soil and plenty of good
| pure seed
Use whatever implements you have
Ut hand, but l have found a disk har-
cow, a No. 40 Oliver chill turning pillow,
plank drag or float, and a sharp
toothed drag harrow to be all that is
equired in preparing for seeding.
First disk the soil four inches deep,
hen cross disk it the same depth. If
is yet cloddy run over with the drag,
hen with the drag harrow. Now YOU
IRE ready for the pillow.
Set the pillow to run as deep as the
oil has been broken heretofore and
blow close and even. We don't want
my cut and cover when breaking for
llfalfa.
Follow each days breaking with the
blank drag. This levels down all
jumps and prevents the escape of mois-
| .ure.
After the soil has lain in this state
! tor several days use the disk harrow
again. Set it so it will cut down to
The mellow earth turned under
When once over with the disk follow
; with the plank drag. Here we are
hrming as we'll as filming the soil
When over with the drag let the
soil lie two or three days and disk in
; opposite directions and follow as before
! with plank drag.
t Here is where you can save time by
: attaching sharp toothed drag harrow
, to the plank drag, as shown in the May
issue of the American Farm World
/ This attachment opens up little fur.
f rows in which the seed will fall
t have found nothing better than {
hawthorn bush for brushing in small
: seeds
r Some soils and localities favor fall
and some spring seeding.
. On high or rolling land where gooc
, surface drainage is to be found l pre-.
fer September for seeding.
On land where there is any doubt as
: to the conditions of the drainage sys.
:. tenn l prefer preparing the soil late il
the fall and seeding as early in the
spring as the soil will do. to stir.
If fall sowing is best you get the
start of all weeds that come up before
frost; the more the better, as fros
kills them down and they make a fine
mulch for the young alfalfa plant.
during winter.
If spring sowing is best in your To-
: cality you will have to contend will
more weeds. but do not clip the frs
: season, as the young plants need al
the nourishment they can get from the
> air and this they get through theil
leaves. which are their lungs.
Some will say: ooh, the weeds will
a take it," Sow enough seed to take the
f weeds.
The proper time for cutting is aftel
lie first blossoms appear. If it stands
niger the stalks become hard anc
lany of the leaves are lost in tn,
handling.
If the sun is shining and a dryins
! wind blows cut in the forenoon ane
q rake into windroms in the Afternoon
and put into small cocks Let then
J stand till the dew goes off the follow
u :, ing morning. then put away in tn,
y NOW.
During rainy weather caps for tn
cocks are very good and will pay TO
4 themselves the first seasons use
e Alfalfa does best without nurs
u crop.
Sow only the best, new, recleane,
IT seed
: Sow rs pounds or more seed pc
d acre.
If there is only half stand disk an
: SOW more seed. Do not plow it up.
# Keep trying. 1t is one Of the hes
Il paying things you ever undertook
N Sow only a few acres at first, the
more as you learn how
~ uIMIc nM capr nr unnorn