The Pioche record. [volume] (Pioche, Nev.) 1908-1925, 1911-06-24
KING OF HAY CROPS
Alfalfa Is One Of Best Drought
Resistant Plants.
Crop Comes Nearer to Giving Some
thing for Nothing Than Anything
Else on Farm-Also I'm
proves the Soil.
CRv w C PAL.MERl


Alfalfa is the king among hay
crops. the queen among soil improv-
ers, the prince among drought resist
ant plants. 1t comes nearer TO giving
something for nothing than anything
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 1t will at the same
time leave the soil richer in nitrogen
and humus every year that 1t occupies
the land, and supplies the very things
that the grain crops take out the fast
est and leaves the soil in the greatest
need of. Still the whole story is not
told, as weeds cannot grow readily
after the alfalfa gets a good stand and
II they should grow little 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 disadvan
tage in growing alfalfa is that 1t Is
/ little difficult to start; so when 9
good stand is secured 1t ought to be
, left for several years. 1t is not s
a good rotation crop like clover. Thii
. is really no great drawback though, al
q it win produce a crop that is wortl
a more than any crop that can b.
a grown.
y Alfalfa will grow on any good sol
G that Is we'll drained; in sand 1t wi
h. not do so well, and hard pan interfel
v feres with its root growth. Standin
n. water is death to it. When startin
o alfalfa 1t must be kept in mind thf
alfalfa has bacteria living in nodult
on its roots. These germs furnis
the plant with nitrogen which the
take from the soil air. They put
into a form that the plant can III
and so supply the alfalfa with the Mir
l gen that it needs and more too. IT
T alfalfa plant has in measure 10
the power of taking nitrogen from t
soil as the other crops do, SO 1t G.
not make much growth alone. 1t
turn furnishes the germs with 10
Of a different kind so 1t Is co-ope
tive affair, each furnishing that viii
1t can secure the easiest.
When the alfalfa is starting 1t d.
not have the germs on its roots 8
SC ia very delicate and must be gi'
- good care The best way to do t
y is to get some soil from field t
has been growing alfalfa successf'
for few years and SOW it on the l
field at the rate of 200 pounds
acre.
The best way to prepare the
fl to manure for n crop of corn---c
cultivate the corn--then SOW the
falfa on the disked corn stubble,
ting In eight to ten pounds per acr
and with the drill so as to get
seed buried one to two inches-do
SOW any nurse crop with 1t. A b
airs. fallow that has been kept free fl
weeds will also be a good preps
ar ton, as will also potato ground.
0G in any case it should be manu-
When the alfalfa is up eight to
Tut inches it should be cut back. This
70 not hurt the alfalfa in fact will d
good-but will be hard on the we,
The amount of seed corn sown she
our vary with the rainfall; under irr
nes, tion or where tho rainfall is ahund
irst n,ora saad +bon snacieea above oh,
laii be sown. 1t has been found by
NC periments that where the plants "
ono nine inches apart three cuttings "
wiz secured in 1910 and the yield was n
ly az tons, while where the pl;
~ !, were only two inches apart only
- 20 cutting of about half ton was
y cured. In digging out the roots
was found that where the plants v
-. far apart the roots went down sc
to eight feet while IN the case of
plants that were close together
- roots did not go down more
three feet.