The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1911-07-18
SEEDING OF ALFALFA
Must Be Done in the Spring in
the Humid Sections.
Farmer Cannot Always Secure Stuff
Client Moisture to Insure Germina-
ton In Aupust-Does Better
With Nurse Crop.

In central Nebraska and west, the
farmer Is In a manner compelled to
SOW his alfalfa In the spring, for the
reason that he cannot always secure
sufficient moisture to insure germina-
ton In August seeding He must
therefore SOW In April, May or June,
when conditions are such as to insure
full stand, says Wallace's Farmer.
A half stand Of alfalfa Is practically
no stand
In the humid section we do not rec
ommend spring seeding at all Al
though some men have been successful
with 1t, 1t is altogether better to seed
In August when, with proper care, the
farmer in the humid section can be
reasonably certain of a supply OF mois-
ture sufficient to terminate his alfalfa
seed. Where farmers In the humid
section still insist on sowing their al
falfa In the spring, however, we ven
ture to make some suggestions:
There are but two ways OF sowing
alfalfa In the spring, either with a
AAoA 90 SAOP VI WASAOut. W. VOuAu NV
care to sow alfalfa without a nurse
crop until we had In some way sprout-
ed and killed the annual weeds which
come up and grow with such luxuri-
ance In the spring
II we were intending to SOW alfalfa
In the spring We would begin treat
ment as early as possible, as If we
were preparing for corn. We would
disk as soon as the ground was In
working condition. We would pillow
after disking. and harrow after
blowing, and harrow whenever we saw
the weeds starting until in May. We
would then seed to alfalfa, giving it
the full use Of the land.
If weeds grew, we would not bother
with them, but allow them to grow
with the alfalfa, and then cut the crop
when 1t was beginning to throw out
buds from the crown. This will get
rid Of the annual weeds. There are q
class OF weeds, however, that come up
later, and these will give you trouble
1t Is the custom of good many farm
ers, when weeds begin to spring UP
and threaten to smother the alfalfa
to clip them back The trouble with
this Is that this clipping does not hell
the alfalfa but hurts it, for the reason
that alfalfa is not accustomed to being
cut until it throws out buds from the
crown, or the root, near the ground
The weeds keep growing right along
however, even if cut back; and in oul
experience we have found that this
method of clipping alfalfa before it il
ready to throw out buds is a positive
disadvantage.
If nurse crop Is used, we would
select the earliest; winter wheat, 1
the stand Is not too thick, or, better
still, winter rye. BY sowing alfalfs
on winter wheat when it is two O
three inches high, and then narrowing
1t as you would clover, you will kill ,
vast number of the annual weeds tina
grow In the spring. You will ais,
have conserved moisture by breakin,
up the crust; and as your wheat will
In the latitude of central Iowa, be OF
about the first week in July, the alfalf
Will scarcely have made suffi Glen
growth to be cut when the wheat |
moved The wheat itself will tend t
prevent weed growth. Rye would usr
ally be better than wheat, because |
does not usually lodge, and can there
fore be cut high, thus avoiding cuttin
back the alfalfa before 1t Is time.
II neither Of these are available, W
, would use early oats or barley, seedin
not more than bushel and half t
the acre. We would prepare tn
, ground thoroughly. continuing tn
preparation week or two longer t
get rid of the weeds, and then seed.
We do not advise this practice {
, spring sowing; but If 1t is adopted
then we think the conditions abov
outlined would be most favorable fc
securing stand.