Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1911-07-17
King Of Hay Crops.

Alfalfa is the king among hay crops.
the queen among soil tmprovers, the
prince among drouth resistant plants,
says w. c.. Palmer. 1t comes nearer to
giving something for nothing than any
thing else on the farm. 1t will produce
more hay per acre and hay Of high
feeding value. While giving that VAL
liable crop Of hay it will at the same
time leave the soil richer in nitrogen
and humus every year that it occupies
the land and supplies the very things
that the grain crops take out the
fastest and leaves the soil in the great
est need Of. Still the whole story is
not told, as weeds can not grow readily
after the alfalfa gets good stand and
if they should grow little the alfalfa
is cut before the weeds are ripe so they
can not go to seed. The roots go deep
and so open up the soil better than the
subsoiler. The one disadvantage in
growing alfalfa is that it is a little diff
ficult to start; so when a good stand is
secured 1t ought to be left for several
years. 1t is not a good rotation crop
like clover. This is really no great
drawback tho, as it will produce a crop
that is worth more than any crop that
can be grown.
Alfalfa will grow on any good soil
that is we'll drained; in sand it will not
do so well, and hard pan interferes with
its root growth. Standing water is
death to it. When starting alfalfa it
must be kept in mind that alfalfa has
bacteria living in nodules on its roots.
These germs furnish the plant with
nitrogen 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 1t needs and
more, too The alfalfa plant has in
a measure lost the power Of taking
nitrogen from the soil as the other
crops do, so it can not make much
growth alone. It in turn furnishes the
it is cooperative affair, each fur
nisllinR that which 1t can secure the
easiest.
When the alfalfa is starting It does
not have the germs on it's roots and so
IS very delicate and mus: BE given coed
care. The best way to do that is to get
some soil from q field that has been
growing alfalfa successfully for few
years and SOW 1t on the new field at the
rate Of 200 pounds per acre.
The best way to prepare the soil Is
to manure for crop Of coxn-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 a good preparation, as win also po-
tato ground. But in any case 1t should
be MANFRED. When the alfalfa is up
eight to ten inches it should be cut
! back. This will not hurt the alfalfa;
in fact, will do it good-but will be
hard on the weeds The amount OF
seed corn sown Should vary with the
rainfall; under irritation or where the
rainfall is abundant more seed than
specified above should be sown., It has
been found by experiments that where
| the plants were nine inches apart, three
cuttings were secured in 1910, and the
yield was nearly two and one-half tons.
where the plants were only two inches
e,s alae.,t half q
] ton was secured. In digging out the