The Oskaloosa herald., 1913-05-15

led disc it and harrow it or shovel
Iagain until you get rid of the weeds,
land continue this treatment until Au'
gust. We used twenty pounds of seed
ITO the acre.
Get good piece of ground. If in
,clined to be wet or spongy tile it. Our
success was on a slough which we
tiled out thoroughly. In August pre-
pare your soil. Disc 1t and harrow 1t
and get it in good shape as solid as
possible; put on your bacteria, har-
row it in, take your drill and drill
ABOUT two-thirds of your seed one way
and cross drill the other one. third, or
/ broadcast and harrow 1t.
| You will be surprised i'm about three
days-if the ground is in fairly good
lcondition and the air reasonably
warn-to find your alfalfa jumping
out of the ground.
| We do not use any nurse crop for
our August planting and the frost got
the last crop of weeds before they got
VERY large. In the fall we gave a light
dressing of litter manure, which we
intended as protection in the winter.
There being no snow last winter the
protection was perfect.
We sowed the twenty-eighth of Au-
gust and by the time the frost came
the alfalfa was about six inches high
when winter stopped it doing business
and put it to sleep. 1t wakened up
about the last of March and on the
twentieth day of April-about twenty
days after 1t commenced working-we
got the bouquet at the top of this
article, thirteen inches high.
The first crop will be ready to cut
lin May, We expect to get reason
fable number of covers when it comes
to the cutting season. We will cut
what We can take care of, shock it in
the evening and cover it, and when
we get all our covers used we will
put the alfalfa in the barn.
If we have a decent season we ex-
pect to have three crops and hog
pasture. Experts who have been
growing alfalfa claim it is worth 800
an acre to any farm for the forage,
growing and fattening purposes; and
that the plant itself is more valuable
to renovate the soil than even red
clover.
We have five acres of as pretty a
stand of alfalfa as ever you saw.
Come and look at it, 1t is free. Climb
over the fence. Have an alfalfa
lunch. Join the procession! Ride in
the band wagon. Let's have an alfalfa
club composed of farmers and agri-
Iculturists.
We have bosses on the farm but |
boss the bosses, and | want to say to
you that we are going to raise alfalfa.
Come and join the band Get your
name on the lambs book! Alfalfa is
the salvation of the country. What
we need is more cattle and hogs.
Your cattle and hogs and corn and al
IfRIfa are your bank account; your
wheat and oats liability in this yicin-
iity.
We are farming in Scott township,
among the absolutely elect since the
creation of the world. We admit the
fact. We all belong to the Olivet
Grange and are going some. Get a
move on you or you will get run over
! II you do not get in the band wagon
you will have to walk. AS Horace
Greeley said, i am an agriculturist;
/ make my money in town and spend
lit on the farm" Go out to our farms
and we will show you what Ames will
! do for your farm. We are not only
book farmers but most of us work.
Send the boy and girl to Ames and
you wont know the "old place" in five
years after they get hold of II.
| Fraternally and eternally yours for
alfalfa. w. r. LACEY.