Lincoln County leader. [volume] (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.) 1893-1987, 1909-06-04
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by making the heavy soils more open
and friable. The land plaster also as
sists in making potash compounds for
which alfalfa has great need, more
available, but to avoid loss through |
teaching should be used only in small
amounts.
The need of fertile soil for alfalfa
growing, while not generally recogniz-
ed, is highly important. Though the
plant draws its most important food,
nitrogen, from the air, yet it is heavy
feeder upon the other plant foods of
the soil. On naturally unfertile soils,
or those run down by continued wheat
or other improvdent farming, it is
necessary to supply Immediately avail
able plant food such as we'll rotted barn
yard manure, to carry the young
plants through the first two years until
their deep feeding roots are establish
ed. Such fertilization as barnyard
manure or green manure Qike rye or
vetch plowed under) is best applied to
the crop preceding the alfalfa or by
preceding it with clover or vetch.
Aside from its plant food and moisture
retentive value the humus from such
fertilization is of great assistance to
the alfalfa bacterial activities.
Preparing for alfalfa in the preced-
ing crop is also important in enabling
the prospective grower to clean up the
weeds. Weeds, because of their more
rapid growth, heavy draughts on
available plant food and moisture, and
their shading, are highly injurious to
the young alfalfa. Hence by preced-
ing alfalfa with thoroughly cultivat-
ed crop such as kale, corn, potatoes,
or roots, all of which do best heavily
manured, the ground is made clean and
fertile for the alfalfa.
The causes of failure to secure a
stand of alfalfa are generally poorly
prepared seed bed, poor seed, or the
wrong time or method of seeding. The
causes of the failure of the crop to
grow after good stand has been Sc
cured, are either lack of alfalfa bac-
4 terra, the need of lime, pasturing when
too young, an impoverished soil, over
crowding with weeds, a shallow soil,
poor drainage, lack of cultivation. or
, improper after treatment. A crop
properly started and cared for should
produce steadily without reseeding for
fifty years or mores
Owing to the excessive rainfall of
winter and the heavy weed growth Of
e early spring, fall sowing of alfalfa has
: not proved as successful as spring SOW
e ing. The ground should be plowec
4; deeply in the fall if possible, manuret
: and replowed early in the spring
D Where plowed rather late in the spring
e the land should be disced and narrowed
y before plowing. If the soil is in the
least sour, from l, 900 to 1000 pound:
n of unburned lime-ground or in the
r lump-should be applied very early ir
e the spring, or in place of this, from
: 500 to 1000 pounds of water slakeo
a lime may be sown about April first.
Y After the spring blowing the ground
n should be frequently narrowed to gel
n rid of the weeds, conserve the moist
t ure and bring the seed bed into a uni
formly fine state of tolth.
r The seed should be sown from April
d goth to May 1st. Just preceding the
v sowing the land should be inoculated
e with the alfalfa bacteria by scattering
s over the seed bed about 200 pounds per
d acre of soil taken from the surface foot
t of an old alfalfa field. This alfalfa
v soil should be mixed with about 40O
e pounds of the surface soil of the new
s field to facilitate its even sowing. To
t avoid exposing the inoculated soil to
f the sunshine, which Injuries it, it
should be sown on cloudy day or
. towards evening, and Immediately har-
: rowed in.
h If an acre be once successfully inoc-
ulated, the next year it will furnish a
0 soil supply for inoculating other land.
: No faith should be placed in inoculat-
! ing the soil through the purchase of
t inoculated seed, as under ordinary con-
, ditions this method is seldom success
A full.
Immediately following the inocula-
, tion the seed should be sown at the
, rate of twenty pounds per acre, care
being taken to secure pure seed of good
+ terminating qualities. termination
may readily be tested by placing an
, average 200 of the seed between moist
blotting paper, laid between the faces
of two dinner plates and pouring a
little water in the lower plate from
time to time.
The seed may be broadcasted and
narrowed in, but more even and Wig
orous stand is secured, especially if
the surface soil is little dry, by drill