The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1911-07-20
KING OF HAY CROPS
Alfalfa Is One Of Best Drought
Resistant Plants.
Crop Comes Nearer 20 Giving ss--s-
hing fsr Nsthirg Than Anything
Else On Fsr--EfB, In
proves n. ssIL

l. 4.
Alfalfa E the king among hay
crops. The queen among coil .Zg-yg-
ers. the prince among drought resist.
ant plants. It ggIes nearer o. E.a1Z
something for nothing than anything
else on the farm. Dr. Ull gr0llCs
more bay PER acre. and hay o. ElzI
feeding value While giving that val
liable crop % hay lt ell az ,Ea same
time leave The soil richer iH nitrogen
and humEs eyery year that it occupies
the land and supplies the ssry things
that .he grain crops take or the fast.
est and leaves The coil IE the greatest
need o. san the whole story lz not
told, az weeds cannot RrON readily
after the alfalfa gets q good stand and
II they should grow a little the alfalfa
ls cut before the weeds are ripe 20
they cannot go 10 seed The roofs 60
deep and 30 open up the ayI better
than the rubaoiier The one disadgaH.
tage 10 growing alfalfa is that % is
a little difficult 10 start. 20 when
good stand is secured q ought 70 be-
left for several years u ls not a
good rotation crop Ike clover This
iE really no great drawback though. as
II viii produce a crop that is worth
more than any crop that can be
grown.
Alfalfa viii grow on any good soil
that is well drained. in sand o win
not DO 30 well, and hard pan lutsrfer.
feres with its root growth. Standing
water ig death 20 d. When starting
alfalfa e must be kept In mind that
alfalfa has bacteria living In uOdules
on its roots These germs furnish
the plant with nitrogen which they
take from the soil air. They put Il
into form that the plant can use
and 10 supply the alfalfa with the nitro
gen that % needs and more too The
alfalfa plant has IN a measure lost
the power Of taking nitrogen from the
roll AZ the other crops do. 20 II can
not make much growth alone Il IN
turn furnishes the germs with food
Of a different kind so it is a cO-opera.
tive affair. each furnishing that which
II can secure the easiest.
When the alfalfa o. starting Il does
not have the germs on IT'S roots and
~ IS very delicate and must be given
good care. The best way 10 do that
Is 20 get some soil from a field that
has been growing alfalfa successfully
for few years and SOW Il on the new
field at the rate Of 200 pounds per
acre.
The best way to prepare the soil
In TO manure for crop OF corn-clean
cultivate the corn-then SOW the al
falfa on tho disked corn Btubble, put.
Sing In eight to ten pounds per acre
and with the drill so as 10 get the
seed buried one 20 two incheB-do not
SOW any nurse crop with %. A bare
fallow that has been kept free from
weeds will also be a good prepare.
ton. as viii also potato ground But
in any case II should be manurcd.
When the alfalfa IS up eight 10 ten
inches II should be cut back. This viii
not hurt the alfalfa; In fact will do II
good-but viii be hard on the weeds.
The amount Of seed corn sown should
vary with the rainfall, under irriga.
tion, or where the rainfall is abundant.
more seed than specified above should
be sown. u has been found by cX-
porlments that where the plants were
nine Inches apart three cuttings we're
secured In 1910 and the yield was near.
ly 2ia tons. while where tho plants
were only two inches apart only one
cutting Of about nalf ton was So
cured In digging out the roots II
was found that where the plants we're
far apart the roots went down seven
10 eight feet while IN the case NJ the
plants that were close together the
roots did not go down more than
three feet