The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1916-03-02

year or two because the stand was too
spotted.
-Four years ago | seeded two acres
in May on last years corn ground.
double disced the land then sowed 10
pounds per acre broadcast by hand,
seed Result, a beautiful stand of al
falia and a still better stand of pigeon
grass. | really believe that pigeon
grass grew two inches every day. But
SO did the alfalfa. | clipped this field
twice during the summer and still the
pigeon grass grew SO II could hardly
tell which was the main crop, alfalfa
or pigeon grass. | felt a little shaky
about that field all winter but in the
spring that alfalfa came on splendid,
only the stand vas pretty thick to SUIT
me and | have u that field three
times each year since, and the stand is
perfect today. However, ! always be-
grudged the loss of the crop crowded
out the year the alfalfa IA seeded
without a nurse crop, and my exper-
fence teaches me that alfalfa sown
with a nurse crop, unless the nurse
crop is clipped at the proper time, is
only about 500 reliable and in that
case the land makes no return that
year.
In 1912 | seeded two separate pieces
to alfalfa both with a garden drill, both
at the same time, one piece was head
land on a corr field of drilled corn. the
other piece was in the same corn field,
the seed being drilled in between the
corr rows. The headland piece vas
kept clean the same as the field itself,
but no corr was allowed to grow on
this headland so it was a fine seed
bed for alfalfa. ! drilled both pieces
just after the last cultivating
1sY of the corr or about July
18th. My object was to see
whether the corn field, aud
IN the standing corn was a good place
to seed alfalfa and also to see which
piece stood the winter the best. Both
pieces stood the winter perfectly and
the stand was perfect and still is at
this time.
In the summer of 1913 | seeded
broadcast by hand a piece of drilled
corn to alfalfa using lob per acre.
This | seeded just before the last cul-
tivation, and cultivated the seed into
the ground with the corn pillow and let
it go at that. This was an enigma all
summer for the rainfall was shy and
the little alfalfa plants would come up
them and they would die. | think
every seed died hat was not covered
at least one inch deep. All that which
was covered three inches deep never
came up at all. | though the crop
was gone sure. However, the next
spring a plant came here and there so
that ] should judge maybe 2lb per
acre Of the seed took root and | let it
stand for hay. And | was very glad
did, for at cutting time ! took off
nearly two tons per acre the first cut.
ting.
Again in 1914 | seeded 90 acres broad,
After the last cultivation of the corn
| covered this seed by hauling a slab
of a log over the field between the
rows with one horse, a sort of a king
road drag" This leveled and packed
the soil. We had a good rain and that
alfalfa came along splendid and was
doubly too thick on most of the field
We cut and shocked the corr on this
field leaving only the stubble for win
ter snow catching. The alfalfa was
from six inches to a foot high in DC
tober, and went through the winter
without winter-killing at all. However
this way of seeding | find leaves the
stand patchy for in seeding broadcast
the standing corr wards off lots of the
seed and right close to the corr hills
the stand is too thin.
After all these experiments | arrived
at the conclusion that the alfalfa sowr
with the garden drill between the row
of corn about July 10Th was the bes'
method ! had tried for these reasons
1st-I could get the seed at any re
CURED depth In moist dirt.
2nd-The drill pressed the soil abou
the seed, hence quick and sure germin
alton.
3rd-The growing corn protects thu
tender alfalfa plant from hot SUI ant
scorching wind.
4th-The condition of the corn fielt
soil after the last cultivation Is