The Devils Lake world. (Devils Lake, N.D.) 1911-1911, 1911-03-03
TALKS
ABOUT ALFALFA
AGRICULTURIST TELLS FARM.
ERs HOW TO HANDLE
ALFALFA CROP

ERS HOW TO HANDLE
ALFALFA CROP
Alfalfa Is the king among hay
crops, the queen among soil improv-
ers, the prince among drought re-
sisting plants, says w. c. Palmer of
the A. c., who is in the city this
week. 1t comes nearer to giving
something for nothing than anything
else on the farm. 1t will produce
more hay per acre, and hay of a
higher feeding value than timothy,
bronze grass, or western rye grass.
In most of North Dakota it will pro-
duce more than clover, and especial
ly west of the valley, and has high
er feeding value. While giving that
valuable crop of hay it will at the
same tims leave the soil richer in
nitrogen and humus every year that
it occupies the land, and supplies the
very things sthat the grain crops take
out the fastest and leaves the soil in
greater need of. Still the whole story
is not told, as weeds cannot grow
readily after alfalfa gets a good
stand and If they should grow a lit
tie the alfalfa is cut before the weeds
are ripe SO they cannot go to seed.
The roots go deep and so open up
the soil better than the subsoiler
The one disadvantage in growing al
falfa is that it is little difficult to
start; so when good stand is Sc
cured it ought to be left for several
ears. 1t is not good rotation crop
like clover. is really not great
drawback though, as it will. produce
crop that is worth more than any
other crop that can be grown.
Where will alfalfa grow and how
should it be started Alfalfa will
grow on any good soil that is well
drained; in sand it will not do SO
we'll and hard pan interferes with its
root growth. Standing water is
death to it. When starting alfalfa ii
must be kept in mind that alfalfa has
bacteria living in nodules on its
roots. These germs furnish the plant
with nitgrogen which they take from
the soil air. They put it into form
that the plant can use and SO supply
the alfalfa with the nitrogen that ii
plant, has in measure, lost the pow
er Of taking nitrogen from the soil
as the other crops do, so it cannot
make much growth alone. 1t in turn
furnishes the germs with food of a
different kind SO it is cooperative
affair. each furnishing that which it
can secure the easiest. When the al
falfa is starting it does not have the
germs on it's roots and so is very
delicate and must be given good care
The germs will multiply faster in the
soil if it contains manure, and if the
germs are not in the soil it may be
necessary to introduce them. The
best way to do that Is to get some
soil from a field that has been grow
ing alfalfa successfully for a few
years and SOW it on the new field at
the rate of 200 pounds per acre.
For North Dakota the best way to
prepare the soil is to manure for a
crop of corn-clean cultivate the
corn-then SOW the alfalfa on the
disced corn stubble, putting in eight
to ten pounds per acre-and with the
drill SO as to get the seed buried, one
to two inches-do not SOW any nurse
crop with it. A bare fallow that has
been kept free from weeds will also
be good proposition, as will also
potato ground. But in any case IT
should be manured. When the alfal-
ia is up eight to ten inches it should
be cut back. This will not hurt the
alfalfa; in fact will do 1t good-but
will be hard on the weeds. Professor
| oHdW ICCO1lllCAO6 o"IuE IIC ttI-
falfa when it is up to six inches. This
will kill weeds and remake the dust
mulch. When sown with the drill the
plants will be so deeply rooted that
it will not pull out many plants II
the harrow teeth are set with back
ward slant. The amount of seed
sown should vary with the rainfall /;
under irrigation, or where the rain
fall is abundant, more seed than
snecified above should be sown. 1t
was found at the Dickinson sub-sta-
ton that where the plants were nine
inches apart three outlines were Sc
cured in 1910 and the yield was near
" two and one-ha1f tons. while where
the plants were 'sown only two inches
anart only one cutting of about half a
ton was secured. In digging out the