Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1913-08-11
ALFALFA FAILED;
WHEAT DID NOT
Illinois Farmer Tells How He
Turned Failure Into FL
nancial Success.
CFrom Illinois Farmers Instituted

From Illinois Farmers Institute)
The experience of NJ. w. Johnson in
his efforts to produce an alfalfa crop
is as Interesting to others as it was
profitable to him. MIR. johnson is a
farmer and a breeder of standard
bred horses; his home is at Assump-
ton, Ill, and we are privileged to
give an account of his efforts in his
own language substantially as fol-
lows:
Last year." Mr.. Johnson said, Il
selected 10 acres of gently rolling
land which had been rented for about
20 years and which was producing
about 20 bushels of corn and so
bushels of weeds Per acre per annum.
My first efforts were exerted toward
clearing the land of weeds. applied
20 loads Of manure to the acre; the
food ration from which it was made
consisted of Is per cent each OF oats
and bran, three per cent oil meal and
two per cent blood meal fed with al
falfa hay. This was plowei under early
in the spring, then two tons per acre
CT ground limestone was applied and
worked into the soil with a disk har-
row.
when the weeds came up good we
disked the land and destroyed them;
then for some time we were busy with
other things and the weeds got such
a good start we plowed them under.
When the next crop started the land
was disked, after which they grew
rank and were once more turned IN
der with the pillow. We disked and har-
| rowed at intervals until August l.,
when we sowed Is pounds per acre of
| alfalfa seed.
I'VE occurred fine stand of alfalfa
| and when it was about three inches
high the fall army worms came along
and took il. as clean as II it had been
burned. We plowed the field again
and across one-third of it we applied
900 pounds per acre of rock phos-
| phate; on another third 800 pounds
per acre, while the remaining one
| third received no phosphate.
| with a disk drill, using all the
holes, sowed one and one-fourth
bushels per acre of Turkey Red
wheat resulting in a splendid even
stand whihc appeared to be rather
thin on the ground. Timothy and Al
sike clover seed were drilled with the
wheat and each came good. In
spring l sowed an additional two
bushels of Alsike clover seed.
"On May of this year, the wheat
was IL isches high while no Other
fields in the locality were more thar
two inches. 1t continued to grow
luxuriantly until maturity and the ter
acres yielded sol bushels, machine
measure, but the separator was moi
suitable for threshing Turkey RED
wheat and much grain went into the
straw-stack instead of into the meas
ure.
'On the check strip, that part of the
field receiving no phosphate the yielC
was between 38 and 40 bushels pc
acre; where the 800 pounds per acre
, application was made, the yield wa
about so bushels per acre, and thu
/ one-third of the field receiving tn
600 pound application averaged 81
bushels per acre, while about tw'
acres of this division made 70 bushels
per acre.
Il lost my alfalfa seed and the labo
applied during preparation, but
t gained % bushels per acre of wheat
2 which at so cents per bushel is $500
: This wheat grew so thick that !
, smothered the timothy and clover
: and / am planning now to pillow tn
: land, apply enough rock phosphate t
!, bring the supply up to 1000 pound
per acre, and next spring SOW on
and one-fOurth bushels of oats pc
acre and seed alfalfa.
! Last spring rlowed up an old pas
ture, disked and worked it down tho
oughly, sowei enc and one-fourt
bushels Of oats to the acre, and whe
a the oats were three inches high
sowed inoculated alfalfa seed, harrow
cd the land both ways, and while
looked as though / were killing a
,, the oats, it was the making of then
as they are the only ones that promis
crop in this locality. The stand {
alfalfa is fine, about twelve ineht
y high and much of 1t in bloom. Whe
the oats are cut 1 will keep the weet
= moved and if the alfalfa proves
), success, will try 80 acres in GA
;. next spring"
~ Such experience as that of Mr.. job
,, son Is conclusive evidence that the
:; linois system for permanent fertili