The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1914-09-18

"A
subsoil is composed of coarse gravel,
shale or compact rocks. The, presence
of alkali in the soil in considerable
quantity is detrimental to it's best de-
velopment, although it will grow in
as alkaline a soil as any other farm
crop. AS a general rule, it is a good
plan to put the alfalfa on the best land
on the farm, particularly the first time
it is planted. Too much care cannot
be used in the selection of a lOamy.
well drained and well situated soil. AS
the acreage of alfalfa is increased our
less suitable types of soil may be used,
but at the beginning the alfalfa should
be sown only on the best types of soil.
The field which is to go into alfalfa
for period of from three to ten years
should have the very best preparation
it is possible to give. This prepare
ton should begin year or two before
it is time to seed the alfalfa. The APP
plication of ten to fifteen loads of well
rotted manure per acre is good prac-
tice, but not absolutely essential. If
manure is applied be very sure that it
is we'll rotted, therefore free from all
weed seeds The land should then be
seeded to corn or potatoes, or it should
be summer TILED If seeded to a cult
waited crop it should be kept we'll cult
waited during that season. and no
weeds of any kind should be allowed
to mature seed. If the land is summer
III -I10
vail. This cleans the land of weed
seeds. liberateS large quantities of
available plant food and conserveS the
soil moisture. Such land should not be
plowed the following spring. 1t may
be disked very lightly early. in the sea-
son and then narrowed at intervals
with Il heavy iron harrow in order to
start all weed seeds possible and de
stroy them before they make any
growth. The alfalfa seed bed should
be mellow and firm. free from weed
seeds and we'll supplied with water to
a depth of five or six feet. This in
sures the proper medium for the de-
velopment Of a good root system the
first year.
If weeds are especially troublesome
it may be necessary to SOW alfalfa
with nurse crop. Under these cir
cumstanceS two or three peckS of bar
ley can be used per acre and cut high
just before heading. Alfalfa may be
injured by clipping. 1t should not be
clipped until it is six or eight inches
high. and it should never be clipped
close to the ground The clipping,
however. may injure the alfalfa con-
siderably less than the weeds. 1t is
very important to get good, vigorous
plant the first season, and either a
nurse crop or weeds are detrimental to
a good, vigorous stand of alfalfa. 1t
is very rare that alfalfa can be cut for
hay the first year Even though it at
tainS a height of eighteen to twenty
four inches and blossoms it should be
left on the land for winter protection.
An alfalfa field to remain thrifty
must be cut ut the proper time. When
the new shoots begin to appear around
the crowns it is u signal that the crop
is ready to cut for hay. These basal
shoots usually appear the beginning
of the blooming period. although dry
weather may retard their growth. Ii
alfalfa is cut before the young shoots
appear the succeeding cutting is likely
to be materially reduced, If allowed
to stay too long the stems become
woody and the hay deteriorates in
quality Forty per cent of the hay is
leaves, and 60 per cent of the protein
of the entire plant is found in the
leaves. Any condition in which the
percentage of leaves is lowered or the
amount of protein lessened means q
deterioration in the quality of the hay