Tombstone epitaph., 1915-01-24
.fAlFA ON DRY FARM
One of the Best Drought Resist
 ing Plants Known.
Cause of Many Failures in Semi-Arie Sections Is Shallow Flowing Good Stand Obtained by Plant
 ing in Deep Seed Bed.
tBy F. R. PARSONSD

tBy F. R. PARSONSD
 Years ago alfalfa was considered as a sort of watercress that had tc be irrigated every few days. The fact is, however, that it is one of tho best drought resisting forage plants known. It has been the salvation oi dry central Asia and also of the South American deserts, where it sel' dom rains It is considered so valu' able in Peru and Chile and other coun' tries adjoining that it is often raised in seed beds and planted out by hand in valleys where there is ID rain but some damp soil on account of under flow from the mountains.
 Many plant alfalfa in the dry farm. ing states and fail The reason is usu' ally the same-shallow blowing. The art of obtaining a good stand of alfalfa lies in planting it in 9 deep seed bed In dry farm paper some years ago remember reading that q good way tc plant alfalfa was to blow the sod two to three inches, roll it, run slanted harrow over il and then put in the Sttu- IHLS VI dS Allt NblS SA NNNi i1N tAA-hA could be possibly given to dry farm. CT. Unfortunately, many believed 1t and lost their work and their seed. Some obtained a poor stand which eventually died out, but few whc were farming over wet ground man, aged to raise little Alfalfa planted in shallow plowed land seldom amounts 10 anything, even if a stand is obtained, which seldom happens except in a very wet year.
 Many will say Don't plant alfalfa on sod This is all right as far as it goes, but when these people talk sod they mean the shallow breaking that they are accustomed to.
 In countries where 1t blows, alfalfa should always be planted On sod, but it should be plowed as deeply as pos, sible-eight to ten inches at least, and well worked up on the surface.
 The sod, when plowed under deeply, holds the moisture, and the old roots hold the soil together and prevent il from blowing.
 The deeper the seed bed for alfalfa the sooner it becomes established and the heavier the crops will be as long as the field lasts.
 Almost any soil will raise alfalfa if deep enough, but if there is any rock or hardpan near the surface it will not amount to much unless there is some seepage or permanent mois' ture to help it out.
 When planting alfalfa on land which has been previously cropped, or on the new break, it is better in either case to blow in the fall as deeply as possible and winter fallow the land for moisture as described in a late issue. Nevertheless. if the winter has been wet, and the field contains about two feet or more of moist earth from the surface down, it will be quite safe to plant in the spring, provided the field is plowed as soon as the fros, is out of the ground and allowed to settle until planting time in May.
 Land plowed either in the fall or the spring should be disked and har rowed alternately until both fine and firm. The amount of seed to plant tC the acre depends on local conditions
 If every seed comes up and pro duces a profitable plant. four to five pounds to the acre would be plenty but the ordinary seed we buy seldom germinates over 50 per cent. therefore we may as well double this amount and plant 10 to l2. and if the condi tions are unfayorable or the seed planted by hand and narrowed in, il is much safer to plant l5 than 12.