The Miller press. [volume] (Miller, S.D.) 190?-current, 1911-02-16
TALK ON
Well Known Seedman Gives interest
ing Paper at Pierre

ANAA" - A~ paw vi W ~ c~hVA
at the Conservation Congress:
My first experience with this plant
dates back TO 1884, at which time ]
was living in the Southeastern part
OF Brule county. I only sowed one
acre at hat time, and the crop was
not an entire success. Our land was
new and not in proper condition, but
believe today that ii the proper seed
had been procured, for instance a
hardy strain of Turkistan, the re-
suit would have been very much diff
ferent than il was. Good seed was
very hard to get, about the only kind
on the market was imported seed
TO this day imported seed except in
rare instances is something that the
Northwestern farmers must steer
clear of.
A later experience demonstrated two
principles which are widely talked OF
today, but the significance. of which
did not dawn on me until that time.
At the time | refer TO / was located in
Lake county. / sowed twenty acres
and sowed the alfalfa with about II
bushels of oats per acre. The stand
was not what ! had hoped Tor and
probably studied deeper into the mat
ter of alfalfa culture then than at any
time before. Upon careful inyestiga-
ton | found that where the oats were
real thin that the alfalfa made a
fine rank growth the first season and
came through the winter very well.
There were a great many places where
the oats grew rank and shaded the
young alfalfa plants which caused
them to grow tall and spindling. In
these places they winter killed. In
preparing the seed bed for this crop
there was a portion Of it which receiv-
ed considerable more pulverizing than
the rest and early in the season it be-
came very evident that the alfalfa on
the well pulverized portion of the field
had a better stand and stronger
growth than on the balance of the
field. Two deductions were made
from this experiment which are that
the seed bed for alfalfa must he pull
verified, thoroughly pulverized and
that alfalfa should never be own
with a nurse crop, as when sown alone
it has every opportunity to make a
good strong healthy plant carly in
the season, and when this is the case
ii will stand the winters.
PREPARATION OF SEED BED.
is well drained. Most any kind of soil,
If the subsoil is not h~ardpan, will
raise alfalfa.
In latitude about the 18th of
May is the proper time. Further south
many farmers SOW their alfalfa after
they have taken off a crop of small
grain, but | do not advise that in
the Northwest. as alfalfa should be
sown in this latitude before June 18th.
! first want to impress on you the
Importance of having your land in
proper condition and I advise early
fall blowing ii possible and plenty
of pulyerizing before the ground
freezes up for the winter. The first
work on this land in the spring should
be a good disking or pulverizing as
soon Is the frost is out of the ground.
You can then wait until about the
10th of May when the weeds have
gotten well started then disk and har.
row until the land is in the best pos
sible condition to receive the seed.
do not want you to think that you
can only grow alfalfa on fall blowing
for one of the best fields of alfalfa
| ever had was sowed on land that
was not plowed until the first of June.
! narrowed this field just as fast as
it was plowed and had the ground in
as good condition as if we were gong
TO plant onion seed or the finest flow
er seed on IL. s
About the Goth of August or the LIST
of September you can cut the second
time. If the season has been favor
able for starting alfalfa, you should
get about one ton per acre. You can
NOW within two inches of the ground
as the crown root has formed by this
time. | would advise not to cut or
pasture after the LIST of September
the first season.. The alfalfa should
have h balance of the growth to
protect the young plants the first win
ter.
HOW TO SOW.
After your land is thoroughly pull
verified, sow broadcast from twelve to
fifteen pounds OF alfalfa seed per
acre. A great many advise twenty
five or Thirty pounds per acre, which
IL the seed has proper terminating
qualities | consider a waste OF money.
pounds of seed Per acre will
put about seventy-tive seds on each
square foot, IL the seed you SOW is
pure and will terminate as it should
you could then loose 20 per cent by
different causes and still have a SUI
ficient stand. do not cover too deep.
Alfalfa will not stand deep covering.
A great many people make a mistake
in deep seeding. l have always found
that a light narrowing Is all that is
necessary to give good results.
IL you have followed the instruc-
lions have given you for the first
year, ! have no reason to doubt but
what you will have a field of alfalfa
that will be the best paying invest
ment you have ON your farm. This
season IL you do not wish to harvest
a crop OF seed, you can cut 1t three
times. IL you wish to secure a crop
seed, do not cut it later than the 10th
OF June. 1t will take from that time
to mature a good grade of seed.
Every pound of alfalfa hay that IS
properly cured is worth a pound OF
wheat bran. Bran has been selling the
last twa yoorc FROM, con M ~ cog m