The gazette-times. [volume] (Heppner, Or.) 1912-1925, 1915-02-19
Growing of Alfalfa
"The Queen of Crops"
CONTINUED from Last week.)

ture either obtained from the
Government or from some firm who
propagate 1t, and it costs about 81
per acre for the inoculating fluid.
Directions always go with the prep
aration and should be carefully fol-
lowed. Another means of incubation
is obtained from dirt from a we'll
established alfalfa field About 800
to 800 pounds per acre of this should
applied by hand late in the after
noon or on cloudy day, and the soil,
after 1t has been taken from the al
falfa field, should be kept a little
moist and not be allowed to dry by
the direct rays of the sun. The bac-
terra of incubation for alfalfa are
very sensitive, and the sunlight kills
them. Another means of incubation
for alfalfa Is obtained from dirt un-
der the roots of sweet clover, and
this is usually along the public roads.
Sweet clover is SO intimately con-
nected with alfalfa that the nodules
on its roots furnish inoculation for
alfalfa as no other plant does. The
inoculation should be applied i'm
mediately before the seeding and
lightly narrowed in. II the land has
been seeded with a machine, it will
need no other treatment, but if it
has been applied by hand or by wheel
barrow seeder, then the surface of
the field should be very lightly har-
rowed and never rolled after seeding.
Treatment Of Meadows.
Many fields of alfalfa have been
destroyed by weeds and grass taking
them after few years of good pro-
duction. Bluegrass is one of the
worst enemies of alfalfa, and this and
all other weeds can be easily eradi-
Gated by. means of a good spring
tooth harrow run crossways over the
field. Some will doubtless say that
the harrow will tear alfalfa all to
pieces, but have never seen a single
crown of alfalfa destroyed by
spring-tooth harrow. You can lit
orally tear the field all to pieces by
narrowing both ways, yet the alfalfa
is not disturbed, and it grows all the
better for the working and the weeds
and grass are killed. A disc set
slightly slanting is sometimes used
to cultivate an alfalfa field. If
farmer can not set sprlhs-loolh
narrow, theh would recommend
disc harrow run one way and fine
tooth narrow run across the lleld.
"ouiu recommend oy an means 10
Keep an al ahiihdls OH the alfalfa
meadow. Inc Tess tralhplns IL sels'
the pe.ter Is grows. however, many
men deslre 10 pasture ailaiia ana
some nave zone SO very successfully
poth WIN sheep anu hoss' anu III tne
west ana SCUM ahaiIa meadows are
grazed curing the WINTER win horses
ana cattle
Improving the Soil.
AS doubtless MANY of Won know
that after an alfalfa field which has
stood for several wears Is plowed and
planted to other crops, the succeed
ing crops on this are far better than
on other land where alfalfa has not
grown. The reason for this is, be-
cause the lime and phosphate have
been put into the soil, IN addition to
nitrogen. which alfalfa breathes in
from the air and deposits through its
roots by means of the little nodules
of bacteria growing on the roots of
alfalfa and other legumes, and it is
a wise provision of Nature that these
plants breathe in nitrogen and de-
posit it into the soil through these
little terminating cells. The more