The Athena press. [volume] (Athena, Umatilla County, Or.) 18??-1942, 1911-07-21

While the rains that have been re-
ceived throughout Oregon during the
month of May have been extremely
beneficial, they have interrupted and
delayed spring seeding. Because of
the unusually cold weather of April,
which, according to the weather rec
ords kept at Corvallis, was the coldest
April on record, the late spring seed
ing should give equally good or super
ior returns to the early seeding. for
many of the crops.
The early soWn corn, alfalfa and po-
tatoes have been held back by the
cold weather, and the same is true
of the kale, rape, mangels and bar
ley. If advantage has been taken of
the lateness of seeding time to give
several extra civilizations to the seed
bed, getting rid of young weed
growth, and conserving moisture, the
late seeding will probably, in the ma
jority of cases, give superior yields.
This is especially true if extra care is
used in giving the last fitting to the
SCeu D6u JuSI UGlOI6 SOWIlS.
With the weather much warmer,
the surface soil moist and mellow,
thoroughly fined and free from weeds,
the latter part of May this season
offers ideal conditions for the seeding
of alfalfa, clover, rape, corn, barley
and even potatoes. For the first three
the spring plowed land has had time to
settle so that thorough discing to a
depth of about four inches, followed
by narrowing, will put the ground
into excellent shape for the seed. For
the alfalfa, of course, it is to be re-
memberd that throughout Western
Oregon, except possibly on the sandy
river drift soils, inoculation soil, OBJ
tanned from the surface of success
full alfalfa field, should be broadcasted
over the new seed bed at the rate of
100 pounds to the acre, and immeda-
tely narrowed in. The soil should be
preferably scattered on a cloudy day
or towards evening, so that the bac-
terra may not be injured by the sun
shine. To facilitate the spreading of
| oO OlIldll ctll ClIOduG vi lIlOIuldGlOn sui
it may be mixed with four or five
hundred pounds of the soil of the
field to be inoculated, so that a suffi-
cient bulk will be had to be broadcast
ed easily and evenly. Of course, in
oculation is entirely unnecessary in
Oregon east of the Cascades, owing to
the lesser rainfall of that region, the
alkaIinity of the soil, and the ap-
parently universal presence of the al
falfa bacteria throughout the soils of
the region.
Following the incubation the alfal-
ia seed may be either broadcasted or
drilled in, preferably the latter. 1t
has been found that drilling in the
seed makes a much more economical
use of it, insuring more even and
larger termination of the seed, be-
cause of it's being placed at uniform
depth in moist soil. Where drilled in,
the seed should not be sown deeper
than an inch and a half, care being
taken to set the drill to seed shallow
ly. Where the shallow seed bed rec
commended for small seed has been
prepared and the ground is firm, the
drill wheels should not sink in deeply
enough to place the seed below the
depth recommended. Where a grass
seeder attachment for the drill is had
it is merely necessary to connect the
grass seeder box to the grain tubes so
that the alfalfa seed will be drilled in
in the regular manner. Where there
is no grass seeder attachment the al
falfa may be mixed with meal at the
rate of one-third part of alfalfa seed
to two-thirds corn meal or ground bar
ley, and the mixture put in the grain
hopper box and sown like grain at the
rate of about one bushel per acre for
Western Oregon seeding. This would
make about eighteen pounds of seed
per acre. Owing to the universal
lower termination of alfalfa seed this
year (the average termination of all
the samples received at the Corvallis
seed testing laboratory being about
S5 per cent, instead of the normal 95
per cent?, the heavier seeding named
is recommended. Where the seed is
broadcasted by hand or with a chest
seeder not less than twenty pounds of
seed should be used, and this should
be narrowed in. AS | have mentioned
in previous articles, the alfalfa seed
should, of course, have been sent in to
the seed testing laboratory for exam
ination as to purity and termination
before purchase or seeding, to be cer-
tain that the seed has sufficient vital
ity to make stand and is free from
dangerous weed seed, such as dodder,
which is becoming so common in
alfalfa.
1t is equally important, of course,
that the alfalfa ground should be free
of weeds, as foul ground is worthless
for alfalfa seeding. Clean ground can
be obtained best by growing a culti-
waited crop, we'll manured. the year
previous to seeding the alfalfa. Po-
tatoes are an especially good crop to
proceed the alfalfa, but any we'll
manured and thoroughly titled crop
will do.
In Eastern Oregon on the wheat
lands the alfalfa should preferably be
Ross Of Cows MIX.
A COW that loses her milk beew>s~