The Dickinson press., 1914-01-24
NEEDS
FIRM SEED BED
SUMMER FALLoW TO SAVE MoIs.
TURE-PLoW DEEP - WORK
LAND DOWN WELL, MAX.
ING GOOD SEED BED.
AL FALFA FIELDS II
LAST FOR YEARS
Follow With Packer - Disk to Kill
Weeds-Use Pegtooth Harrow to
Level Ground-Seed Should 30
Put In Moist Soil.

WSSQ6-OSc TS8tOOIn TVdTTO" ~ =
Level Ground-Seed Should 30
Put In Moist Soil.
BY j. q. HANEY, Agricultural Exten-
sion Department.
international Harvester Co. Of New
Jersey.
The preparation Of a seed bed Is es-
sential mainly as a means Of storing
moisture. When the rainfall Is under
twenty inches, the land should be
plowed ten inches deep and summer.
fallowed or, If the soil would drift
from such treatment a thin planting Of
corn may be grown on the land to pre-
vent drifting. If it Is not necessary
to consider storing moisture 1t Is pre-
ferable to precede the alfalfa by q
cultivated crop, such as corn. pota-
toes, or beans. If possible the land
should be MANFRED.
A Firm Seed Bed Essential.
Alfalfa requires q firm seed bed. For
this reason 1t Is not advisable to pillow
the land Immediately before seeding.
as it is almost impossible to get the
soil sufficiently firm again: e
In western Kansas, herds Of cattle
are rounded up and driven over the
fields to pack the soil after blowing it.
If, in order to get the land leveled up
and in shape to seed, 1t is necessary to
plow just before seeding, this blowing
should be as shallow as possible, and
packer, roller, and harrow used to
make it solid again. Before seeding,
the surface of the field should be pro,
vided with perfect drainage by the
use of leveler, grader, and plow.
bitches may be made broad with slop-
ing banks, 30 as not to interfere with
seeding or moving. Alfalfa will not
grow where water stands and freezes
over It in winter or gets stagnant In
summer. -
If good surface drainage is provided
so that the crowns of the plants have
plenty Of air and the soil is sweet;
there need be very little concern as
to how deep it is to the water table.
In regions Of plentiful rainfall it Is
advisable to plant alfalfa on land hay.
ing good natural drainage.
The land seeded to alfalfa will not
need to be prepared again for six to
ten years, hence, three or four times
as much work can we'll be put on It
In preparation for alfalfa. A satisfac.
tory preparation made on the I H. q
farm at Grand Forks, N. D., in 1913.
was as follows.
The land was in wheat in 1919
(should have been fall plowed but
we did not get the farm until March};
was MANFRED during the winter, dou;
ble-disked as early as possible, plowed
as soon as dry enough (about the mid!
die of May, and ~plow followed by
Campbell s~ub-surface packer and har:
row. Wild oats started SO the land
was double-disked ten days later, and
narrowed the second day after disk!
ing. AS the land was rather cloddy
and no rain fell, a frog-foot roller was
used. A land levelDr was then run
both ways as the field was full Of dead
burrows and back burrows from prev
ious forty years. blowing. The land
leveler was followed by the peg-tooth
harrow.
About ten days later another fine
crop Of weeds was double-disked and
the harrow used later. The middle. Of
June the field was narrowed and rolled
again with a frog-foot roller, just pre-
| vious to seeding with the grain ORIG
The single disk drill loosened up thu
surface sufficiently for a soil mulch
Except in a few dead burrows which
were filled with loose, dry dirt, tie
seed was put in moist soil about ope
lnah from surface. Regardless Of tn
fact that there was not. rain Of one
half inch at any one time previous 4
July LIST, and the rainfall for the SO
son was as follows: April, 1.OS ina
May, 1852 in; June, 1.21 in; July, 20
In, we have a good, thrifty stand O.
alfalfa. The field Is even and in flint
condition and should continue to yielt
for ten years, though we will doubtless
not leave 1t down that long.
ALFALFA MAKES MORE WHEAT