The Ordway new era., 1909-04-16
SEEDING ALFALFA

| Hardly mail comes to the Colo
RADIO Agricultural College that does
not contain an inquiry in regard to
the sowing Of alfalfa, the varieties
best adapted To peculiar localities,
the quantity OF seed required per
acre, and the conditions and methods
necessary for good results.
The Colorado Experiment Station
has been testing the different rari-
cites and endeavoring, by the syste
matte selection of the best individual
! plants, to develop superior type OF
alfalfa for hay and seed production.
| The results OF the work have been
very promising indeed: but at present
there is no seed available for distribu.
tion, although efforts to produce seed
sufficient for wider tests are being
put forth. The varieties that have
given the best results in nearly all
the tests have been the northern
grown types. Some OF the TurEestan
strains, the Grimm alfalfa, and the
varieties that have been introduced
under the name OF Sand Lucernc, are
the most hardy and vigorous types.
The Arabian variety has not been
| hardy, even in southern Colorado, and
the same has been found to be true OF
all the seed from the hot countries
Nearly all our native alfalfa, especial
= that from California and the south
western states, has reached US by
what might be called the southern
route, |. c, 1t was brought over by the
Spaniards into South America: then
across into Chill, and thence north
into the southern and southwestern
part OF the United States.
While IL has been a great acquisi-
ton to our western agriculture, 1t
has lacked hardness TO some extent,
and this probably accounts for the
eXtravagant recummr ndation for
planting twenty TO thirty pounds of
seed per acre.
Usually 1t is the lack Of proper con.
ditions, rather than the lack OF guam
tity Of seed, that i responsible for
failure In getting a stand OF alfalfa.
A pound OF alfalfa seed contains
about 225, 900 seeds, and ten pounds
OF seed per acre would give fifty or
more seeds to square foot Of ground.
II the seed is vigorous and hardy and
the conditions favorable, ten pounds
of seed should insure "A stand Of from
three to five good stools per foot,
which is sufficient.
Alfalfa is as hardy As clover, and
should be sown early in the spring
to get 4 good start and to have the
spring rains, which will insure it's
growth. For twelve years we have
sown alfalfa seed the last OF March
or the first Of April, and we have
never had failure at Rocky Ford.
/ Colorado. On several occasions the
young alfalfa seedlings survived a
| freeze OF from five to ten degrees OF
temperature below 81, and gave no
evidence Of injury. a fatal error is
often made by sowing the alfalfa
seed too deep IN the drills with grain
three to four inches deep; alfalfa will
seldom reach the surface under such
conditions. The usual method is to
broadcast the seed Just ahead OF the
grain drill, either with an attachment
on the drill or by hand; in this way
some OF the seed is covered about the
right depth, by narrowing after the
drill But much OF it is so near the
surface that it will not survive: there
fore, much seed is wasted. The ideal
method would be to have drill that
would accurately regulate the amount
of seed and sow uniformly by drills
not much over three-fourths OF an
inch in depth. We are sadly in need
OF a drill especially designed for