Semi-weekly herald. [volume] (Durango, Colo.) 1907-1917, 1910-02-24


or June, blowing about five inches
deep. letting ground lay idle until
about the 10th of July, except harrow |
once or twice to collect moisture, and
when ready TO seed put on disc or har'
row. cut up ground in fine shape. and |
then put on leveler and get ground
| well leyeled before it is drilled. Get
good two-horse drill with good
seeder attachment that TALES correct
| ly and where a person seeds alfalfa
and timothy mixed. seven pounds oil
alfalfa and two of timothy, mixing
well together, drilling from one to
two inches deep. Get the best quality
of seed See that these seeds are
cleaned well from wheat seed. the
best seed is the cheapest. The broad
cast seeder, the Hoosier or some other
good make is the best. If the ground
| is not level and in good shape level it
again after it is drilled Don't SOW
seed by hand or with a hand seeder.
Don't seed with any grain crop be
cause alfalfa is quite tender plant
when young, needs all the nutriment
of the soil. also sunshine and free
circulation of the air. When seeded
with grain II is shaded too much, also
does not get enough moisture. For
seeding alfalfa alone | would use ten
pounds of No 1 seed to the acre, but
from my own experience / prefer al
falfa and timothy mixed. 1t makes a
better quality OF hay. After seeding
and leveling ground in alfalfa l next
use corrugator that has runners
about twenty-five inches apart. This
can be made out of couple of pinons
or some other hard wood. Use PKG
inch plank and spike with twenty-pen
ny nails the two runners. Sharpen
points of runners well SO as to make
good marks. If ground is soddy use
small points on runners. In CORFU
eating corrugate as near across the
field as you can Next, If there is not
moisture enough to bring seed up
make your head lateral and sub-lat-
erals below and turn in fair head
of water into your main lateral and
lsub-laterals When IT can be have a
strip of land seeded in sod below the
sublaterals to keep from washing
ground, then set moderate amount OF
water for each corrugate and stay
with irrigation most of time until first
irrigating is done, and keep corrugates
| -. ,,,I,
as you can, also from running over
other corrugates and packing ground
so seed will come up. If IL should not
rain after you have irrigated field
and it keeps dry irrigate again in ten
days; and generally a third irrigatine
is all II needs through summer and
fall | believe and have had good sue
cess in late irrigating, also pretty early
the ground from cracking. After the
first year harrow over my young
Ialfalfa with good steel harrow. After
the second year use a disc with three
or four horses Disc it good and use a
leyeler after it. If ground needs 1t
then follow with corrugator with
shoyels. Disc as early in the spring
as ground will permit. | aim to irri-
gate alfalfa about every ten days, aim
ing to quit about a week before hay
will be ready to NOW. In cutting al
falfa ] aim to commence cutting when
one fourth to one-half in bloom-that
is when cut for horses or cattle. When
cut for hogs when blooms but little.
As soon as 1t willis enough | rake in
windows and shock in medium sized
shocks In two or three days / haul
into shed. Don't stack alfalfa hay
out in the field as more is lost in one
or two years than will pay for sheds.
After The first crop and hauled in
shed put on head of water on alfalfa
fields at once unless there comes a
soaking rain and irrigate it thorough.
ly
When should first crop of alfalfa
hay be cut? If season is early here
1t can be cut June 25. If late about
July 3. II cut June 20 there can be
three crops cut in our section, the
!, third cutting as it starts to bloom for
, hog and dairy feed | have given this
=. system a trial. In conclusion / wish
to say that after five years l have had
= in raising alfalfa and I have found
these methods the most successful and
| would advise every new settler who
has never taken good farm journal
to take one and keep posted as it will
6 pay. Respectfully,
w. A. GORE.