Yerington times. [volume] (Yerington, Nev.) 1907-1932, 1915-01-16
ALFALFA EXPERIMENTS
MADE AT SOUTH
DAKOTA STATION

DAKOTA STATION
Cooperative tests by drought-re-
sisting alfalfa from Siberia have been
made by hundreds of farmers in
South Dakota under the direction OF
N. +. Hansen, horticultuilst of the
experiment station at Brookings, s
ID. The experiments have been i'm
portant not only in the discovery OF
varieties adapted to arid conditions
but also in working out better meth
DDS of cultivation. The results are
given in Station Bulletin al, and seem
to indicate transplanting of one year
roots, instead OF seeding, in getting
a stand on dry land. Readers de
string complete report should OBJ
tain copy of the bulletin.
Ny experience, says the author of
the bulletin, is that by raising alfalfa
plants in well inoculated soil, every
plant is abundantly provided in the
course of the first season with nod
ules containing the nitrogen gathering
bacteria so essential TO the growth OF
the plant. This reason alone would
be very strong one in favor OF this
new method, since there is much com
plant due to lack of incubation in
many soils, and the farmer can see
the nitrogen gathering baceria with
his own eyes.
My belief is that the present meth
DDS of disking are extremely inJuri
Gus; that we should not mutilate al
fafa plants by disking and narrowing.
This is in distinct contradiction to the
present recommended practice, but ex-
animation many plants that have
been split through the heart with the
disk or harrow shows they heal with
difficulty, and many are blackhearted
or diseased, giving free access to bac
eria. An alfalfa plant should be good
for at least four centuries, but this
means that the heart OF the plant must
be held sacred A field set out IN
plants can be cultivated one way like
fodder corn and then laid by for the
season By giving each plant just the
right amount OF space i'll the begin
ming, the useless mutilating OF the
plant is avoided AT Ipswich | found
Is plants to the square foot; at HUI
ron, in a garden, | found - plants on
two and one-half square inches-all
of them being as big as a darning
needle.
&,
onstrations were set two feet apart
in the rows, with rows three feet eight
inches apart so that the common corn
cultivator can be used. My opinion is
that they should be given cultivation
one way just like fodder corn but per
haps check row machines will be de
vised to make feasible cross cultiva
ton in early spring and after each
cutting.
Alfalfa is a very poor fighter the
first years as the main strength goes
below the ground hence it is often
choked out by weeds, which make
more top than root. But by setting
out a good-sized alfalfa plant, often
as big as your middle finger, they
can hold their own better against the
weeds.
The plants should be raised the first
year in good garden soil that is well
inoculated, They may be transplant
ed in the atumn of the first year but
the bulk of them should be kept in
outdoor cellars, such as used for stor-
ing potatoes or trees, or they may be
heeled in close together in burrows
made with a plow. In 1910 at this
station on piece of good garden soil
60xl65 feet, $4,000 Orenburg plants
were raised, which is about two hun
dred and twenty thousand plants per
acre. Probably much more could be
done if no cut worms, etc, appear
These were raised in drills, much like
carrots and beets. For the purpose
of raising the most seed, perhaps
single plants in hills 2x4 feet may be
better than sown close together in
rows At his rate, if set 2x4 feet, or
5,445 plants per acre, one acre would
raise enough plants to set 40 acres.
OF course the best method for the
maximum seed production will devcl
op with further experience. After
seed of these new varieties becomes
abundant, every farmer can follow his
own method for raising seed