The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1911-08-02
A FIELD OF ALFALFA
FOR EVERY FARM

Every farmer in Iowa should grow
alfalfa and now is the time to make
ready to put in a field of it.
Alfalfa can be grown successfully
on nearly all Iowa soils, says PROBES.
sor II. D. Hughes Of the farm crops
department of Iowa State college in
bulletin just issued by the expert
ment station at the college, providing
that proper methods are followed.
The fact that a few men fail with
their first attempt, he adds, should
not discourage, because the per cent
of failures is not much greater than
in securing a stand Of such crops as
red clover, timothy, etc. The col
,ege is getting reports from all sec
tions of Iowa indicating that alfalfa
is producing large yields of fine quail
ity hay this season on almost every
soil in the state.
Alfalfa should be grown for three
good reasons:
l. Because the soil needs it. 1t
puts more nitrogen into the soil than
any other crop that grows.
2. Because the live stock needs 1t.
Alfalfa, with it's rich protein, Lal
ances the corn ration.
3. Because it pays better than
clover several times over.
Professor Hughes cites the expert
ence Of the college dairy farm with
alfalfa this year and two years pre-
ceding to show the profitable nature
of the crop. A field Of seven and
one-half acres was seeded August,
1908. IN 1909 and 1910 the cuttings
were cade with total yield of over
five and one-half tons per acre each
year. In 1910 this field gave also con-
siderable pasturage. This season The
first crop was cut June II with an
average yield Of two and three
fourths tons per acre for the whole
piece, and there are two more cut
tings to be heard from. A plot on
the experimental fields seeded in Au-
gust, 1908, gave three cuttings with
5.25 tons per acre in 1909, 5.16 tons
in 1910, and 2.25 tons with the first
cutting this season.
Professor Hughes sets forth these
essentials for successful alfalfa
growing:
1. The soil must be rich, because
alfalfa is a large and rapid grower.
Most good corn land will grow alfalfa
when properly handled. Alfalfa takes
rich soil, but it leaves it still richer.
2. The land must be thoroughly
we'll drained, either naturally or by
tile or bitches. Alfalfa will not thrive
in wet, soggy land, no. matter how
rich.
8. The land should be we'll ma
nured, but these yields are invariably
increased by it.
4. The seed bed must be thorough
ly prepared. To insure the best pos
sible stand, the field should be plowed
in the spring, worked into good con-
dition at once, and then narrowed or
disked every two weeks to kill weeds
and conserve moisture. This is the
surest method, but the field may be
used for an early crop. Following
the cutting of this early crop, the
land should be MANFRED at once and
plowed and disked. The soil must be
thoroughly pulverized and stirred
again and again, while the surface
should be loose, the seed bed itself
should be rather compact.
S. If tho soil is at all acid, apply
from 1000 to $500 pounds of lime
per acre.
6. If the soil contains no alfalfa
bacteria, it should be introduced.
Howeve., numerous tests indicate
that most of our Iowa soils contain
the alfalfa bacteria. incubation is
accomplished by scattering from $50
to 300 pounds per acre of soil taken
from field where alfalfa has grown.
Where such soil is not to be obtained,
soil from bed Of sweet clover may
be used. The soil should not be ex-
posed to the sun.
Z. Seeding should be done from
August 10 to 20. The seed should by
all means be put in with drill, from
three-fourths to one and one-half |
inches below the surface. One-half
of the seed should be sown one way,
and one-half the other. Towards
evening is the best time for seeding,
when any surface soil will help germ
ination.
8. Only the best seed should be
used.
More complete information about
alfalfa may be had by writing to the
farm crops department at the college
at Ames.