The Kadoka press and Kadoka reporter. [volume] (Kadoka, S.D.) 1910-1923, 1911-03-03
RAISING ALFALFA
In STANLEY CO.

CThe follow address was given by
Mr.. Dan Bierwagan, of Milesyille, at
the Farming Congrers recently held
at our state capital city:)
In compliance with the request by
Professor Chamberlain, / shall give
you a short recital of my efforts in
the line OF alfalfa culture.
My experience with this great for
age plant dates back to the year 1902.
In that year tried pound or two
of seed raised in the Black Hills. /
sowed it on land which had been brok
en- up the year before.
The first season it did very well. 1t
stood thick on the ground and was
what is commonly termed a good
stand. The winter following was
mostly killed out, only few isolated
plants which had sprung up in an ad-
jacent cornfield being left These few
plants lived for several years after,
and became quite large. This
encouraged me.
Two years later tried two hundred
pounds of Montana seed. followed
the general instructions and sowed
twenty pounds to the acre with the
result that it came up very thick.
The second year it began to die out,
and this is on ground that has since,
and is still growing good alfalfa.
Had it not been for two facts l
should have quit the alfalfa culture
for good; but this is what kept me
trying. The same year on one little
upland spot | had sOwed a small
amount of Turkestan and an equal
amount of Montana seed side by side
giving the Turkestan the highest and
poorest part of the plot.
On examination l found that the
Montana was killed out in spots,
while the Turkestan had wlthstood
the winter we'll and showed no signs
of dying out even though, as said be-
fore, bad given ii the poorest ground
higher and DRYER. While l had seed
ed the Turkestan as thick as the Mon
tsna, luckily, or better perhaps, for
tunately, large per cent did not
come up and so left the stand thin;
but the plants showed great vigor,
stooled out, and made a very strong
root. This same little plot is still alive,
and the past year, in spite of the ex-
ceedingly dry summer we experienced
in this part of Stanley county, yield
ed three abundant crops of hay. But
what became of the Montana? Well
it simply became a minus quantity.
Three years after seeding there was
not a trace of it left.
Now, gentlemen, / want to state
what learned from these expert
ments. In the first place, l learned
that the Turkestan variety is the best
for our country west of the river
where the summers are often hot and
dry and the winters are variable and
changeable, with generally speaking,
little or no snow. Second, / learned
this; that one must seed thin if one
wants to get field of strong plants.
Five pounds to the acre is a great
plentT,. also learned that one should
not expect alfalfa to be at its best be-
fore it is three years old.
I am convinced today that more
men haye failed in alfalfa culture by
reason of too thick seeding than from
any other cause. Seed thin and give
the plant chance to develop strong
root and it will grow just as many
spears of hay as it finds room for.
have counted as many as one hundred
ard fifty spears on one good strong
plant to the square foot is better than
one dozen, and really, think it is
enough. On trip through Colorado
and Utah last August. noticed in