Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1907-01-12
INTERESTING BULLETIN
ON ALFALFA GROWING
Arizona Agricultural Experiment sta
ton issues Advice to Farmers on
the Disking While Crop l. Getting
It's Start.

H. NihIl.
The following bulletin on alfalfa
culture Is from n. IT,. Forbes Of the
Arizona Agricultural experiment sta
ton al Tucson.
The disking Of alfalfa is quite gem
orally ~practjced wherever the crop Is
grown in this country. There are sew
efal good reasons for this procedure
varying soinewhat in the order of then
merit according to local conditions.
In the first place, the sharp disks.
set at a slight angle, split and spread
the crowns of man1 Of the plants,
causing them 10 stool and send up an
increased number of stems. Little OF
no damage results from the operation,
which should be carried on i'm winter
or after a cutting, when the alfalfa is
IN stubble.
In some localities, also, the result
ing mulch OF loose earth is stated to
conserve the soil moisture at an times
when rainfall is slight or irrigating
water scarce To this should be added
the observation that disking incor-
ppfates with the surface soil much
fertilizing material. especially alfalfa
leaves which are lost during the OPP
erations Of haying.
IN some sections of the country
disking operates against certain in
-EN III W AttHhfA ~ tf@ii0A llAA
their egg deposits and larvae. In
Kansas and Nebraska. grasshoppers
are said TO be reduced by early spring
disking, and in Arizona Il rs not un-
likely that alternating %caterpiIlars of
the alfalfa butterfly, Colias curythcme,
are 70 some extent destroyed by Win
ter disking alfalfa fields.
In addition to'reasons for disking
alfalfa mentioned above. there are
others more or less peculiar To the
southwest. Throughout most Of this
region the mild winter season permits
the growth of an -intercultural forage
crop OF some cereal plant, such as bar
ley, wheat or oats. The d~isk-harrow
Is an excellent meal of seeding al
falfa fields IA the fan with these winter
growing grains. which make good
progress during the winter months
when alfalfa is dormant.
The soil Itself, Of southwestern al
falfa fields, Is subject to certain unto
ward conditions 10 which dtsking and
narrowing may be applied with adj
vantage. As elsewhere. the passage Of
haN-making machinery and work an
imals tend 10 pack the surface soil.
thereby l%essening the penetration of
air and water To the roots OF the CROP.
and in addition during our mild winter
season alFalta fields are usually
heavily pastured by cattle and horses
sometimes for several months of the
yearA
More peculiar. however. to south
western irrigation conditions are the
silt-blankets resulting from the use Of
the muddy %irrigating waters charac-
t~eristic OF the region. These silt-laden
waters, when applied to am irrigated
Held. drop their load OF detritus upon
the surtacc OF the soil i'm "a layer de-
creasing in thickness from the head to
the foot OF the held, Inasmuch as al
nara Is a permanent crop which AN
be deeply cultivated. these sedf-
ments accumulate from year to year in
deposits which frequently attain a
thickness Of three or four inches.
Since the sediment composing these
deposits are usually OF a more or less
plastic character. these blankets are
often noticcably impervious To water
ana 10 air, limiting the supply of these
essentials to the deep-rOot systems or
plants. The result Is a decreased
Weld, especially at the heads of the
1elds. whore accumulations are thick /
To measure the amount of the de-
probation. three representative fields
IF alfalfa. nea Yuma. Phoenix and
>o~lononNiifc We're selected. divided
ntn pfatS from their upper 10 their
over ends. and the weight of alfalfa
nay from each plat taken for one cut
ing. Comparing these weights with
maximum Weld at the lower ends
lf the fields. where the least sediment /.
lad accumulated. the percentage OF /
depreciation i'm yield due to- the slit
was estimated as follows.
Near Yuma. May ~. 1905. deprecia-
I'm second cutting. 63 per cent.
Near Phoenix. July 10. 1905. de-
're,iation. I'm third cutting. 81 per
'ent.
Near Solomonmville. July 10. 1905. 1
depreciation. in second cutting 27.6
,cr cent
a fourth Held. near Mesa. irrigated
Win clear pumped water. produced
Is heaviest crnn next The ditch. where.
elementary deposits being absent.
moro Through irrigation was secured.
cultivation hy means of disk and
nflnE-tunfh hurrnws. b. tho boost
valuable means of handling these ac-
limitations in alfalfa This trraf-
nrut breaks uu the blanket ana nl-
lNa better penetration of WntUr and |
DO into thn SOIL Also. 90 -uWr extent. |
incorporates those sediments with /
lr snii thereby making ihrir l%friiiiE-
iH values available fn fHT rrHn /
hlrh consequently rfHllrr- ufnnHf boo
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m ie uuHH UfHhahls snfltIna Hfu-
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hfiHINN mNf N" InlNNH.0I IH nHI /
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