The Ordway new era., 1915-01-01
ALFALFA ON DRY LAND
Prepare Soil One Year Before the
Seed Is SoWh.
Deep Flowing 10 Important and It ls
Essential That Moisture Should
Be Conserved to Greatest
Extent Practicable.
ny PROF. rHoMAs sHAwo

Uy PROF. THOMAS SHAWL
Alfalfa may be grown In nine.tenths
OF the land in the northwestern states.
providing the land Is properly pre-
pared. the right kind OF seed Is sowu.
and the seed is properly put into the
ground and the plants suitably cared
for.
The preparation OF the soil should
begin one year before the seed is
sown when the plants are sown on
dry land. The object sought is, first.
to clean the land. and second, to CON
serve the soil moisture as far as this
may be possible. These objects may
be secured by carefully summer fal-
lowing the land when it does not blow,
or by growing clean, cultivated crop
on 1t. and by growing Il corn crop
where the soil does not blow.
Before plowing the land for the sum-
mer fallow or the cultivated crop, not
less than dozen good loads OF farm
yard manure should be applied TO the
land. which ought to be plowed deep
ly. Deep plowing is important, except
on light, sandy land. 1t is essential
that the land shall be kept clean and
that the moisture shall be conserved
In 1t to the greatest extent practical
BILE. Whether the land Is summer fal.
lowed or a cultivated crop is grown,
1t should not be again plowed before
sowing the seed. In the early spring,
however, 1t ought to be disked. but not
deeply, and then narrowed. The har.
row may be used further at intervals
before the seed Is sown. This main.
tains a dust mulch and destroys weeds
that may sprout.
The seed sown should be northern
grown. Turkestan, Grimm and what
is called Northern Montana are all
good. Northern Montana is another
name for northern grown. All OF
these are good when they can be OBJ
tanned true to name. and all are suf
ficiently hardy.
The seed should be sown with the
drill and withoutya u nurse crop. II
should be buried from one to two
inches. When thus sown 1t comes up
evenly. When sown Broadcast It is
not buried evenly, and II dry weather
follows the stand will be uneven. II
the drill will not SOW the seed alone
1t may be mixed with something, as
dry soil, free from grit. or wheat bran
Where the rainfall is not more than
is inches In year. six pounds Of good
seed on well-prepared land Is enough
Where the rainfall is not more than
IS to 10 inches. 1t may be better to
SOW seven or eight pounds. II the
plants are too many for the moisture
in the land, the roots Will not &C
down sufficiently. and the yield Of hay
will be correspondingly reduced.
The plants may be narrowed, Il
necessary. when from five to sis
inches high, II weeds are present OF
IL the tops of the plants should lose
color, the mower should be run over
the ground with the cutterbar set &C
high as not to clip the crowns of the
plants. What is thus mown should be
left on the land to mulch the same
Before the arrival Of winter the plants
will be high enough from the subse
quent growth to hold the snow that
falls for winter protection.
When the plants are one year old
they may be disked lightly with profit
to the crop. Every year subsequently
the crop should be disked more or lest
severely in the early spring and under
some conditions after each cutting
The disking loosens and aerates the
soil and allows the moisture to pene
trate more deeply. The harrow should
follow the disk.
1t is probable that seed will be
grown by sowing the alfalfa in rows
from 30 to ~ inches distant, and
cultivating as for corn when thus
sown, two or two and a half pounds
Of seed per acre should be ample.