The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1913-09-03
ALFALFACROPW0N1
DrOuth Helped Seed Crop In
stead of Injuring 1t.
Cottonwood Falls Man Has
Seed Bringing $65 Acre.

| Cottonwood Falls, Kan, Sept. g.
! One of the most valuable alfalfa seed
crops ever raised by alfalfa growers
of this country is being threshed and
marketed now. While the hot, dry
season has been running the corn crop
I and drying up pastures, it has been
making the alfalfa men good money.
| Farmers here have threshed crops
which have made ten bushels to the
acre, while from four to six bushels
is a common yield along the Cotton
wood valley and other creek bottoms
this season. A few fields have made
only two or three bushels to the acre
but even such light yield as this is
not so bad, as it will make the grow
er from $40 to SIS an acre. On the
other hand, the men who are getting
from six to ten bushel yields are get
ting all the way from $50 to sos an acre,
not to speak of the hay crops which
will be harvested from the same fields,
which are worth $40 or $12 for each
cutting.
Dry Weather Is Helpful.
Rather unusual conditions are neces-
sary to bring about a bumper alfalfa
seed crop, but the chief requisite seems
to be plenty of dry weather after the
plant begins to blossom. AS a general
thing the second crop is the best for
seed and it is this crop from which
farmers here are now getting their DIG
yields. After the first cutting of hay
had been put up early in the season.
there were plenty of rains to give the
second crop good start and then IL
turned dry. AS alfalfa sends it's roots
deep into the ground-sometimeS to
depth of 10, IL or even 20 feet-the
plant is necessarily a hardy one ana
is not affected by a lack of rain as
soon as the other crops. For this rea-
son an alfalfa seed crop may be anu
is often produced without a drop OF
rain.
Just why alfalfa seed is failure IN
a wet season but will make big
yield in a dry year when scarcely any
thing else can be raised, Alfalfa grow
ers explain as follows: With an abuno-
ance of moisture and frequent heavy
rains, the plant grows up quickly, rank
and tall. 1t will bloom and the SEED
pods will form, but that is about as
near as seed crop as it ever arrives,
for all the strength seems to go into
the growing plant itself, which is heavy
and luxuriant, but which makes only
a big hay crop. On the other hand, IL
only enough rain falls to put the crop
in good growing condition, and then the
season turns dry before the plant be- |
gins to blossom, and continues dry |
during the time the seed pods are form
ing and maturing, the result Is in
tendency of dry weather to reduce the |
growth of the plant naturally causes a
greater development and heavier hlllnS
of the seed pods.
Many Get Big Yields.
In a big seed crop the plant may
stand barely foot high and appear to
one unfamiliar with alfalfa to be a
failure when in fact every plant is
heavily laden with seed, the most valu-
a BILE thing Kansas farmers have ever
raised.
Among the Cottonwood valley farm
ers who have big seed yields this year
is A. NJ Breese, who this week thresh-
ed 800 bushels of seed from a 150-acre
field, getting an average of six bush
els to the acre. The seed is of fine
quality and at the prevailing prices of
IS to Sc a bushel will sell for $4,000 or
ST. 800 A neighbor-Harry Starkey-
who also threShed his crop this week
obtained from a 30-acre field 305 bush
els or an average of more than 1O
bushels to the acre which so far is the
best seed reported here this year +.
Shaft, another Cottonwood valley farm
er, threshed out the snug little sum of
81, 500 worth of seed from his farm
few days ago and still has another
field to harvest. J. E. Gayer, J. o.
Charles Ward, Frank Cope
harvested crops in the last few days
yielding all the way from three to
seven bushels an acre.
What will doubtless be the greatest
alfalfa seed crop ever raised in this
county, however, is now being cut on
the c. NJ Gregory farm just east of
this city, containing more than 400
acres from which 1000 bushels of seed
is expected.