The Raymer enterprise., 1911-01-26
DRY FARM ALFALFA
Secret Of Art Is Accumulation Of
Sufficient Moisture.
TIIth Of Soil at Time Of Flowing Mat
ters Nothing, But at Time Of
Planting II Matters Every
thino-Tlme TO Plant.

Iby Il X PARSONS. Parker, COLI
The art Of raising alfalfa without ir-
rigation Is to accumulate sufficient
moisture In the subsoil and then get
the roots down into It. Two to three
feet OF moisture will carry the al
falfa whole year and insure stand
whether 1t rains or not. BY plowing
In the fall ten inches deep we can
usually conserve this amount Of
moisture by springtime. But for those
who plow only six or seven inches
deep 1t is better to fallow the land
whole year.
Dry year plowing In the fall, as
explained In previous paper. Is not
detrimental, provided the ground is
not planted until spring. The tilth Of
the soil at time Of blowing matters
nothing. but at time Of planting 1t
matters everything.
The best time to plant is usually
about the goth Of April Late plant
Ing Is dangerous for all small seeds
which have to be planted near the sur
face, for In hot weather the top inch
or two dies out very quickly. and II
the seeds sprout and the next rain is
too long in coming the whole stand
may die out before the rootlets can
reach the wet dirt down below.
1t can be seeded broadcast by hand
or drilled. but the solid wheel drill is
not as good for the purpose as the
split wheel, which l am glad to see
they are commencing to manufacture
for all purposes. The split wheel
leaves an unpacked streak In the seed
row for the young sprouts to come
through and obviates the necessity
OF forcing their way through a crust.
which is great advantage when the
rains are few and far between. Ten
pounds to the acre is good amount
to plant.
In 1908 we had two feet four inches
OF moist soil to start with: We
planted April Is; a soft snow May
brought 1t up, light rain May Is
helped It along. then 1t turned dry and
did not rain again until July 20.
total OF ten weeks drought. The al
falfa grew about six inches high. and
We had a fine stand. We cut, weeds
and all. In August, leaving It on the
ground.
Alfalfa can be planted In rows and
cultivated as often as necessary, but
when planted in the ordinary way It
can be cultivated four times In the
season. which Is as often as the gen.
eral run OF farmers will cultivate any.
thing The first year 1t can be lightly
narrowed In the fall or II not very
large It can be left alone. for II 1t
lives until August 1t will hold its own
anyway. The next spring 1t can be
narrowed before sprouting and after
each cutting After the second year
the disk may be used cutting deep
or shallow, according TO the size OF
the plants.
Farmers sometimes complain that
after year or two their alfalfa dies
out. There are two reasons for this.
One Is shallow soil with a poor sub.
soil: the other Is not conserving
enough moisture at the start to allow
the roots to penetrate deeply enough
into the subsoil to become thoroughly
established. The idea Is this. after
crop Is started II uses up about all
the moisture as It comes and there Is
very little left over II there is no re.
serve Of moisture accumulated before
planting the subsoil never becomes
saturated and the roots can never get
into It. The alfalfa is living from
hand to mouth and the first dry win.
ter knocks II out
1t Is the same with any crop. The
normal length OF the roots OF small
grain, for instance. is somewhere
about four feet. but II man who
never conserves moisture plows only
six inches. his subsoil Is bound to be
dry, the roots do not 60 into It and
he is trying to grow four-foot root
In six-inch space.