Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1914-11-10
Alfalfa In Nort1,e11, Io,Da

than TO the cornfeld the hrse thing
each morning despite the general be-
lief that q late August corndeA ID =
paradise for pigs.
Near Hanlontown In Worth county
John Lee has two acres seeded to Al
falfa on ground slightly sandy and un-
derlaid with gravel which 10 found at q
depth of about three feet He prepared
the ground by blowing in the fall and
disking dragging and pulling weeds
by hand from the succeeding spring
until July when he sowed the seed with
q broadcast seeder. going over the
ground twice in the Same direction.
This was very thrifty little field
when seen the latter days OF August.
On opposite sides OF tho road that
marks the boundary line between
Wright and Humboldt counties two
neighboring farmers have established
alfalfa plats. On the Humboldt side
s. /. Oppedahl broke up piece Of tim
othy and clover sod, worked 1t into
condition and sowed the seed for the
new crop. The ground Is level with
deep heavy black soil and partially
tiled. BY Sept. Is he had a splendid
stand OF alfalfa averaging about eight
inches in height, the only conspicuous
foreign vegetation being q growth Of
water grass" which sprang up az a
result of excessive rains which fell
during late summer.
James MCGOWAN. on the Wright
county side Of the road also selected q
tract in clover and other tame grasses
for his trial but he began by putting
in a crop Of oats and sowing the al
Fol TOR ia ha
too. is heavy soil higher and with
more slope than the Humboldt mans
field and to the observer in the road
there Is very little IL any difference in
apparent results except Ole haDs bunch
es of oats where the other has water
grass. Both sowed the seed broadcast
but MCGOWAN found that ants had coll
lected the little seeds in places in his
field and hereafter he will drill In his
alfalfa, thereby getting it in deeper SO
that 1t will not be disturbed.
On his Dickinson county farm near
Lake Park. Mr. William Wunder has
a one-acre alfalfa plot. Here the soil
is deep and heavy with gravel several
feet below the surface. This was a
piece Of meadow plowed up and cropped
to. potatoes two successive years. then
plowed in spring, disked occasionally
until early fall and sowed with a broad
cast hand seeder. 1t was cut twice
this year and produced foar good loads
of hay. There is some timothy and
clover on the ground, also considerable
foxtail. Mr.. Wunder next time. will
not use potato ground because OF the
foxtail that Will grow up. Neither will
he select a place surrounded by trees
as the intense heat that prevails in
such places about cutting time dam
ages the crops and delays the sue
ceeding cutting.
w. F. Krukow OF Hampton, Frank
lin county, has succeeded in establish
ing a fine six acre alfalfa field on his
farm. He selected a slightly sandy
tract rather low but well drained. This
field was a timothy and clover pasture
in which an energetic herd OF hogs
made a thorough search for under
ground delicacies last fall. The follow
ing spring the field was plowed. disked
twice and the seeding was done In
the early days OF June. Some pigeon
grass" appeared with the alfalfa but
after the first cutting which was made
the latter part of August, practically
nothing except the desired crop start
ed another growth. Six good loads OF
hay were taken of the tract.
The men who have made these sue
cessful experiments in alfalfa raising
are unanimous in the statement that
almost all depends on the preparation
Of the ground before seeding II weeds
are allowed an even chance with the
grass there will not long be much grass
but IL the tract to be seeded is reason
ably well drained the weeds and weed
seed disposed OF. a reasonable degree
OF intelligence employed in the plant
ing and cutting, alfalfa growing is as
simple a matter as raising clover In
any OF the north central counties OF
the state.
c. E. WILSON.