Charlevoix county herald., 1912-03-16


perlence taught him how TO remedy
his early failures until during the
last three wears he has used no other
hay than alfalfa and he Gun grow
crop with more certainty Of success
than he can OF red oloyer or any other
forage crop.
SOIL FOR ALFALFA.
Alfalfa seems TO thrive well on san
dy or clay soils provided they are well
drained. Permapept moisture should
not br nearer than five feet OF the
surface. IL does not do we'll on Tich
muck lands or lands naturally wet,
and standing Surface water will Kill
alfalfa in two or three DAYS. Alfalfa
needs a fairly rich soil tu start on
IL is a mistake To SOW il On poor lan
without liberal fertilization,
SOWING ALFALFA
Alfalfa should be sown just az early
~ the spring AS possible. in April or
March if possible. FrOsts, ol even
Ireesipg weather. Will not hurt the
YOU x alta ia plants. u grows IN
cold weather when most weeds are
dormant and early seeping gives !; b
chance 10 ger ahead Of the weeds. IL
may be sOwn alone ar with q nurse
crop, ii the latter is used, bushe.
of barley TO the acre is The best The
writer soYs il alone and generally gel
one good crop of hay the same season
aud sometimes two. Twenty pounds
Of seed 10 the acre is about The rgh
amount 10 SOW. / prepare my groun
thoroughly making a good seed bed, J
SOW broad cast, use u werder To cover
the seed aud then roll the ground.
While | have never in0culoted my
soils with alfalfa bacteria. the value
of good stand OF alfalfa ID SO grea
! that | recommend inUculatipn. IL
NAV be done in three ways. First. by
treating the seed with a culture OF
! b icteria which can be obtained at the
Agricultural College. Second. by SOW
Ing pound OF sweet clover seed to
every twenty pounds OF alfalfa
Third, by sowing on the tield, soil
taken from an Old alfalfa field or along
the road where sweet clover flOurishee
CLIPPING AND CUTTING.
Unless the weeds show up very had
| | would not clip IL until the alfalfa
shows blossoms. OfJen the first year
4 will turn yellow when six or eighi
iucbes high. Now 1t down al once
aud II VIII come up nice and green
( Let il SO INTO winter with an after
uath six inches high TO hold the snow
TIaN no CUT ALFALFA HAY.
Most people cut alfalfa too late. AS
soon as blossoms begin To appear 1t Is
time 10 cut the crop. This Is very i'm.
portant especially with the first crop.
LIZ the first crop IL allowed to get into
full bloom before cutting, the next
crop will be seriously Injured. IL Is
said that u will pay TO cut the first
Nlpp WI dbu tOoO ~
post pone the cutting for weather oon-
ditiops. Narrower, the hay has a
greater feeding value if cut early and
the stand will be benefited.
CURING THE Hay.
Alfalfa Will stand more wet wealth
er in the cock than red clover. II al
lowed To lie in the sun too long the
leaves will rattle off. In practice af-
ter cutting l allow II to get well wilt
ed, then rake it up and let it stand
and cure IN the cock for several days.
Then open up the cocks for about
an hour TO dry oG the sweat and then
draw. In rainy weather, which is
probable during the first aud third
cutting, lind hay caps Of great value.
For these l buy common unbleached
sheetiug 10 inches wide, making q cap
40 inches square. In EACH corner /
sew an S-ounce stone to weigh them.
Such cap costs nine cents and will
do excellent service for years IL taken
care Of.
ALFALFA HAY AS A DAIRY FEED
Chemical analysts shows that we'll
cured alfalfa hay has the same food
value as bran, poupd for pound. Here
lies its value, to the dairyman, "a It
furnishes him the necessary protein
for milk ration. Fifteen pounds Of
alfalfa hay and % pounds Of corn 81
lage furnish number one balanced
ration for l,20p pound dairy COW. 1t
is doubtful II II will pay u. feed graip
with such ration, Horses will leave
their grain 10 eat alfalfa. Fed alone
IL makes au ideal winter ration for
the brooc sow.
VALUE TO TIE SOIL
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