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


cultivation, the land crusts harder
after a rain and blows more readily
than In past years. There is no evil
dence to support the theory of some
farmers that the soil has become
poisoned against alfalfa, but it is true
that weeds have become much more
| troublesome and are responsible for
many alfalfa failures. With drouth
and grasshoppers also to be consider
ed, it is apparent that there is no
royal road to success in seeding al
faIfa. Experience, however, pionts
out number of practices that lead to
success in sufficiently high percent
age of cases to more than justify the
efforts and expense involved.
It is late to consider seeding alfal-
ia this spring, especially as seed is
scarce, but it is none too soon for
every farmer with bottom land to be
adjusting the present seasons crop
ping and tillage plans to provide a
favorable area for seeding next
spring, or possibly this fall.
At present prices a ton of alfalfa
hay will buy enough seed to SOW to
acres. Since a stand properly cared
for should last 10 to 20 years, it is
apparent that alfalfa successfully
seeded will soon pay good dividends
even if several failures must be ex-
perienced in establishing the stand.
Plans should be laid for seeding 10
acres or more annually if possible,
laying emphasis on the most thorough
preparation methods The alfalfa
crop is so valuable and so cheaply
maintained that one can afford to
give unusual care to starting it.
The first essential is right choice of
land. Bottom land with ground water
within Is to 20 feet, but not too
sandy soil, should preferably be sell
ected. Attempts to grow alfalfa on
upland in the Western half of the
state should be encouraged only
where the area to be seeded is low
enough to receive some run-of from
surrounding fields. Alfalfa on up
land, either broadcast or in rows, at
the Fort Hays Experiment Station,
yields only one or two light cuttings
annually, averaging scarcely a ton to
the acre for the season. On bottom
land, however, the station gets three
cuttings with a season yield of 2 to 3
tons.
The next point is to store plenty of
reserve moisture before seeding. To
do this it may be necessary to fallow
the land for several months.
To Reduce Weed Pests
Freedom from weeds is most near
ly attained by preceding alfalfa with
fallow or clean cultivated crop such
as corn, and by delaying spring seed
ing until a weed crop has been killed.
The grasshopper problem can best
be met by planting protection strips
of corn or Sudan grass instead of
small grains next to newly seeded al
falfa, and by spreading poisoned bran
mash.
Spring seeding on firm, clean moist
ground, usually soon after a good
rain, has prvoed best at the Fort
Hays Experiment Station. The best
rate has been 10 to Is pounds an
acre, using 4-inch alfalfa drill, or
grain drill with grass-seeder attach
ment. The best date varies widely
from April 1 to May Is, but the last
week of April or the first week of
May usually is best. Alfalfa seeded
too early starts slowly and is the most
likely to be smothered by weeds. If
seeded about May 1 after killing a
weed crop, alfalfa may be expected
to start much more quickly and vigor-
ously and keep ahead of weeds better
than seedlings made several weeks
earlier. Fall seeding has rarely sue
ceeded at Hays, but in 1915 and 1917
early August seeding following I'M
usually good rains proved successful.
If land is being summer fallowed for
alfalfa, it is therefore well to keep in
mind the possibility of fall seeding if
the moisture is plentiful and grass
hoppers are under the proper control.
Mail and Breeze