The Lamar register. [volume] (Lamar, Colo.) 1889-1952, 1910-06-29
MONEY in ALFALFA
Quick and Certain Cash Producer
With Little Expenditure.
Irrigated Lands Are Naturally Chosen
for Crop, Because There It Finds
Conditions Best Suited
to Its Liking.

Alfalfa is rightly looked on as a
money producer that is quick and GER
tain. 1t can be secured with little ex-
penditure and only short wait for
returns. The returns from the fields
sown the past winter will come in as
rapidly as any crop of cereals and one
cutting follows another right along.
Alfalfa seems always to be salable
commodity. 1t is a cash crop as soon
as the hay is in the cocks. 1t often
pays best to sell it directly from the
field, as there is loss in weight in
stacking it, and very often the stacks
are damaged by rain.
Water is the cry of the thirsty al
falfa field Water, Water! 1t pays
to have water abundant and easily
applied. The irrigated lands are
naturally chosen for alfalfa. for there
1t finds conditions best suited to its
liking. In sections of the country not
under a ditch system, the meadows
along the rivers and brooks make the
best alfalfa fields. as they are usually
well subirrigated. There is still much
Of this land implanted in the state.
Alfalfa will grow and produce one or
two cuttings. with little water. living
but not growing long enough to cut
during August and September. Com
mercial success in alfalfa growing
means that all the crops, not less than
six, should be worth harvesting: in
some favored locations where heat
and water abound. ten. yes. even
twelve crops, are cut in year. writes
M. K. Sherman In California Guilt
vator.
1t is foolish work to plant poorly
leveled land to alfalfa. as ten dollars
a year spent In labor In irrigating. in
a series of years counts up to more
than the labor of securing perfect lev
els. The losses in the little patches
that are bare OF alfalfa. when added
together. amount to considerable
number of feet. and soon in 60
acres, one acre Is not In bearing. Lit
tie losses need safeguarding rather
than the larger ones. The tools
for leveling land are fully described
In bulletin that may be secured from
tho agricultural experiment station
at Berkeley. Some of the most i'm
portant accessory tools are home
made. The large leveler or grader
that brings down the small bumps to
q perfectly smooth surface Is prob
ably the tool that will help most. This
follows after the ordinary scrapers.
and makes their work perfect.
Where water IL not plentiful, late
in the season or even as late as Au-
gust. a heavy irrigation to soak the
soil deeply will help the later crops.
L. l~,,l lar Iv tv,,a ,f hAo
with hardpan four to eight feet be-
low the surface. In sandy or light
soils, II the alfalfa is irrigated a week
before cutting. It adds to the crop
coming next in shortening the time
between the two crops; the land Ii
shaded by the standing alfalfa and no
scalding occurs. This has been done
for many years by some few careful
growers. II had sandy land ! would
try It, as the theory looks plausible.
Every year one sees scalded alfalfa
fields, where the water has been left
standing under the burning sun to
cook the tender plants. On the heavy
land the horses beg down n the irri-
cation comes before the cutting
the irrigation is light enough to avoid
this trouble. the hauling OF the hay
and mowers running on the land
might make II too compact Heavy
soils need more careful handling than
sandy loan. A slight irrigation be-
fore cutting and a heavy one after
wards can be practised with success
on these lighter soils.
In the hot weather the levelness of
the field has n controlling influence on
the success Of the crop. for the irriga.
ton must be quickly done to be safe.
The loss from scalding may be rendered
absolutely nothing. II the water is
turned into the field at daylight. and
at six o'clock is turned on. This
means level fields that no one must
watch and stand waiting for the water
to run over. This morning irrigation
should be only heavy enough to wet
the surface down a couple OF inches.
After supper time turn In a full head
Of water. letting 1t run all night. CIV
ing the field a good soaking. Turn It
OF at six O'Clock or earlier. II the
head OF water is large. The object Of
this is that the first running water is
put on the land in the morning while
It is cool enough to wet the surface
but does not flood 1t This water evap-
crates all day under the sun and at
nightfall the land is cool and ready to
take the heavy irrigation without
harm resulting.
With plenty OF water from the sky
and plenty from the irrigation bitches,
the present time is full of promise of
abundant feed for next year. Alfalfa
as n farmers crop far surpasses any
thing a ranch can grow. Grapes go
up and grapes go down; peaches one
season pay. the next they are fire.
wood It runs the same In all the
fruits. but give alfalfa little care
and the dairy COW little too. and re-
member the humble. despised pig and.
pouf, the mortgage is burned and
the home our own.
Aphis and Blight.
When aphis attacks garden plants