The Raymer enterprise., 1911-05-18
SEEDING OF ALFALFA
Must Be Done in the Spring in
the Humid Sections.
Farmer Cannot Always Secure sufH-
Client Moisture to Insure Germina.
tion In Ausust-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.
uon In August seeding. He must
therefore SOW In April, May or June.
when conditions are such as to insure
a full stand, says Wallaces 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 supply of mois.
ture sufficient to germinate his alfalfa
seed. Where farmers in the humid
section still insist on sowing their al.
ialfa 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
nurse crop or without. We would not
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 II we
were preparing for corn. We would
disk as soon as the ground was in
working condition. We would plow
after disking. and harrow after
plowing, and harrow whenever we saw
the weeds starting until in May. We
would then seed to alfalfa, giving II
the full use Of the land.
II weeds grew, we would not bother
with them. but allow them to grow
with the alfalfa, and then cut the cror
when 1t was beginning to throw out
buds from the crown. This will gel
rid OF the annual weeds. There are 9
class Of weeds, however, that come ur
later, and these will give you trouble
1t is the custom Of good many farm
ers, when weeds begin to spring ur
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 1t, for the reason
that alfalfa is not accustomed to being
cut until 1t throws out buds from the
crown, or the root, near the ground
The weeds keep growing right along
however, even II cut back; and in oul
experience we have found that this
method Of clipping alfalfa before 1t Is
ready to throw out buds Is a positive
disadvantage.
II nurse crop is used, we woult
select the. earliest; winter wheat, Il
the stand is not too thick, or, bettel
still. winter rye. By sowing alfalfa
on winter wheat when 1t is two O,
three inches high, and then harrowine
itas you would clover, you will kill 9
vast number Of the annual weeds thai
grow in the spring. You will also
have conserved moisture by breaking
up the crust; and as your wheat will
In the latitude Of central Iowa, be of,
about the first week in July, the alfalfa
VIII scarcely have made sufficien,
growth to be cut when the wheat is
moved. The wheat itself will tend tc
prevent weed growth. Rye would usu
ally be better than wheat, because II
does not usually lodge, and can there
fore be cut high, thus avoiding cutting
back the alfalfa before 1t Is time.
II neither of these are available. we
would use early oats or barley, seeding
not more than a bushel and a half to
the acre. We would prepare the
ground thoroughly, continuing the
preparation week or two longer to
get rid Of the weeds, and then seed.
We do not advise this practice OF
spring sowing; but II 1t Is adopted
then we think the conditions above
outlined would he most favorable sss
securing stand.