The Hays free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1908-1924, 1920-05-27


year the 46 counties west of the 98th
meridian were credited with 283, 574
acres by the Kansas state board of
agriculture. Following the severe
drouth of 1911, there was a sharp de-
cline to 249,01 acres in 1912. Steady
annual decreases affecting nearly all
counties reduced the acreage to 207,-
SCI by 1913. The greatest decrease
was in the block of eight counties in
Guiding Cove, Trego, Sheridan,
Graham, Rocks, Decatur, Norton and
Philips. These counties reported Co.
474 acres in 1910 and only 36,7O9
acres in 1913, a decrease of 62 per
cent.
When Dry Years Come
During cycle of favorable seasons
just preceding 1910, stands Of alfalfa
were easy to obtain and keep. Nearly
every farmer with bottom land sowed
at least few acres, many farmers in
the broad, fertile valley of Sappa
creek in Norton county, for example,
having as much as so to 60 acres of
alfalfa. These fat years were, how
eyer, followed by lean, dry ones. Es-
tablished stands Of alfalfa began to
die out from drouth and grasshopper
attacks, and from too close pasturing
late in the fall and early in the spring.
Persistent attempts were made to
start new alfalfa fields, usually with
out success.
Every cloud is said, however, to
have a silver lining, and there is
reason to believe that the Western
Kansas alfalfa situation is no excep-
ton to this rule. A number of farm
ers have been able to maintain and
even to increase their alfalfa acreage
despite dry years, finding it their
most profitable crop in the last few
years of $25 to $50 hay prices. The
Fort Hays Experiment Station has
doubled its alfalfa acreage in the last
10 years, and now has $50 acres of
this crop on Big Creek bottom land.
Fifty years of weather records afford
US ample reason to expect from time
to time, cycles of years as favorable
to alfalfa as those just preceding
1910.
Several things may be done to
maintain the established alfalfa of
Western Kansas. One of these. is to
limit pasturing, especially with
horses. This spring while awaiting
the growth of native pastures, too
many horses have been seen on alfal-
ia, biting the crowns off to some ex-
tent as well as nipping all the tender
stems as soon as leaves appear. An
other penny-wise pound-foolish prac-
tice is observed in the zeal with which
some alfalfa is moved or pastured
as late in fall as possible to get it all.
Not as much winter protection is
necessary IN Kansas as in states far
ther north. Late pasturing NAV
therefore be more safely practiced
within reasonable limits, but too
close or frequent grazing Or moving
at any season is one of the surest
ways to eventually kill out alfalfa.
Hogs pasturing alfalfa should have
enough range so the crop will be able
to keep ahead of them and make their
cuttings of hay. The hogs should be
rung to prevent roofing.
Grasshopper control also is essen
tial. Liberal spreading of poisoned
bran mash around the edges of the
field will go a long way toward break
ing the 'hoppers of their lively appe-
tIte and prevent them from killing
out the irregular border strips one or
more rods wide that would otherwise
be destroyed.
Renovation of some kind may in
special instances be worth trying to
kill weeds and grass where the alfalfa
is getting thin, or to destroy grass
hoppers' eggs in the fall. No form of
tillage for broadcast alfalfa has. how
ever, given increased yields at the
Fort Hays Experiment Station. The
disk or any other machine that splits
the alfalfa crowns should be used
only sparingly If at ALL
Attempts to reseed grasshopper
eaten borders often fail and it seems
impossible to thicken up thin stands
of alfalfa. Several years ago, C. r.
Weeks of the Fort Hays Experiment
Station began the practice of ploW-
ing such places and seeding Sudan
grass at Is to 20 rounds an acre
about May 10. This plan has proved
so satisfactory that many farmers
have adopted it. The Sudan grass
hay is excellent for feeding with al
falfa and for use in topping stacks.
Of equal Importance with preserv-
ing old stands is the problem of start