The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1908-06-18
THE TIME TO CUT ALFALFA.

We do not need to give any instruc-
tons or suggestions to experienced al
falfa growers, who have by this time
learned that alfalfa is a rather tickle
maiden, and must be dealt with In the
right way II she is to be won, says Wal
lace's Farmer. In the two thousand
or more years In which alfalfa has
been grown as O forage crop h has
necessarily acquired some fixed habits.
She Is an ancient maiden, who has had
her own way and will haye 1t: She is
In fac somewhat cranky and, there
fore, must be studied II we are to get
along with her comfortably.
Alfalfa las been in he habit OF hav-
ing her head cut OFF by moving dur
ing all these years, until the moving
process has become a necessity to the
thrift and, vigor of the plant. 1t is not
alfalfa habits. One of them is that
when the usual time for harvesting
the crop approaches II begins to pre-
| pare for II as though IL were a fore
seen event, by throwing out buds near
the root, thus forming q crown. II
our readers cut their alfalfa before 1t
has prepared itself by throwing out
these buds or new shoots from the
root 1t will not 10 anything in the way
of growth until 1t has time to start
these shoots. That nay be a matteY
Of a week or 10 days. Meanwhile weeds
will fight for possession OF the land
and, therefore, II you cut your alfalfa
too early. you will inevitably have a
short crop following. = X
On the other hand, If you let 1t go
too late, the plant will throw its
| strength to the shoots and the. main
stalk will begin to crinkle down. It
will go IN and produce seed, but all
alfalfa growers know that q seed crop
detracts very much from the crop that
L fs ~ fnllNxry nV1 40a fhAr -.
given.
We are speaking now to men who
have a small acreage Of alfalfa, for
example, 10 acres or less. Before cut
ting examine your field carefully and
see IL there Is a growth of from one
half inch to an inch of new plants
around the crown then cut. This
plant begins to bloom. Usually you can
find bloom started by the time these
buds start, but h buds are a safer
guide as to the time to cut than the
bloom.
or course where a man has one or
two hundred acres of alfalfa he must
commence at the earliest moment pos
sible and push things until he is
through. He can probably better
stand 1t to injure the second crop on
the earliest cutting than to suffer in
jury from the latest cutting. Where
there Is a large acreage or Alfalfa the
mower seldom stops more than q few
days between crops, for by the time
the first crop is fully harvested the
second is nearly ready for the mower.
We do not offer advice to these people,
for we know by experience the prob
lens of those who have a couple of hun
dred acres of alfalfa to cut.
Another thing: There Is a great
temptation where a a has a small
acreage Of alfalfa, and especially II
corn is scarce, to NOW 1t and use 1t as
a soiling crop for pigs. We tried that
once, m with the following result:
The alfalfa that was cut when a foot
high and before II showed any signs
of buds or bloom simply waited, just
as corn waits when 1t Is blown down
about the time 1t is tasseling out to
readjust itself to the unexpected con-
dition Of affairs. While it was wait
ing the weeds grew, and the result
was that we were obliged to pillow up
all that we had mown before the prop
er time. If you want to use alfalfa for
your hogs, put In enough hogs simply
to make paths through 1t and then
NOW as II there was not a hog on the
place. Study the nature Of the plant;
conform to it, but don't try to change