Heppner gazette. [volume] (Heppner, Morrow County, Or.) 1892-1912, 1909-05-06
MAP EINE:

by making the heavy soils more ope
and friable. The land plaster also as
slsts in making potash compounds TO
Which alfalfa has great need. NOR
available, but to avoid loss through
teaching should be used only in small
amounts.
The need of fertile soil for alfalf,
growing, while not generally recogniz
ed, is highly important. Though th'
plant draws its most important food
nitrogen, from the air, yet it is heavy
feeder upon the other plant foods 'o1
the soil. On naturally unfertile soils
or those run down by continued wheat
or other improvident farming, it i:
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 OF
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
stand of alfalfa are generally a poorly
seed bed, poor seed, or the
wrong me or method of seeding. The
causes of the failure of the crop to
grow after a good stand has been Sc
cured, are either lack of alfalfa bac-
'eria, the need of lime, pasturing when
200 young, an impoverished soil, over
with weeds, shallow soil,
Door drainage, lack of cultivation, or
improper after treatment. A crop
started and cared for should
produce steadily without reseeding for
fifty years or more.
Owing to the excessive rainfall of
winter and the heavy weed growth of
arly spring, fall sowing of alfalfa has
ot proved as successful as spring SOW
ng. The ground should be plowed
eeply in the fall if possible, manured
nd replowed early in the spring.
Where plowed rather late in the spring,
he land should be disced and narrowed
'efore plowing. If the soil is in the
east sour, from 1000 to 1000 pounds
# unburned Underground or in the
lmp-should be applied very early in
he spring, or in place of this, from
90 to 1000 pounds of water slaked
me may be sown about April first.
.fter the spring blowing the ground
Mould be frequently narrowed to get !
id of the weeds, conserve the moist
re and bring the seed bed into a uni
)rmly fine state of tolth.
The seed should be sown from April
9TH to May 1st. Just preceding the
wing the land should be ipoculated
iti the alfalfa bacteria by scattering
yer the seed bed about 200 pounds per
re of soil taken from the surface foot
an old alfalfa field. This alfalfa
ii should be mixed with about 400
'unds of the surface soil of the new
Id to facilitate its even sowing. To
old exposing the inoculated soil to
e sunshine, which Injuries it, it
ould be sown on a cloudy day or
wards evening, and Immediately har-
wed in. :
II an acre be once successfully inoc-
ated, the next year it will furnish
il supply for inoculating other land.
} faith should be placed in inoculat-
: the soil through the purchase of
seed, as under ordinary con-
ions this method is seldom success
Immediately following the inocula-
n the seed should be sown at the
e of twenty pounds per acre, care
ng taken to secure pure seed of good
qualities. termination !
y readily be tested by placing an
.rage 200 of the seed between moist
tting paper, laid between the faces 4
two dinner plates and pouring +
lie water in the lower plate from
lie to time. 7
The seed may be broadcasted and |
rowed in, but a more even and Wig r
US stand is secured, especially if y
surface soil is little dry, by drill |
one half of the seed at time,
sswise. The ordinary grain drill
y be used with the grass seeder at
hment so connected as to deliver
seed into the grain tubes. Follow
the seeding the ground should be
ed well and then very lightly har- -
ed. The seed should always be 5
n alone, without a nurse crop of Or
kind.
he field should be moved whenever -
weeds begin to shade the alfalfa,
whenever the growth comes to -
dstill or begins to turn yellow; or
n