The circle banner. [volume] (Circle, Mont.) 1914-1939, 1923-01-12
TREASURE STATE FARM AND LIVESTOCK

be purchased at any drug store.
Alfalfa seed is best sown with q
drill. Less seed is required per acre
and the seed that is sown is covered
to more uniform depth. Grain
drills with grass seed attachments
\ are most convenient. For drilling in
! rows on small acreage the garden
drill is used great deal. Two gar
: den drills fastened together and
drawn by horse makes very good
arrangement. Seeding in rows 80
inches apart on bench land is recog-
nized the best method for seed pro-
duction and requires much less seed.
If broadcast seeding is done, the seed
is covered with harrow. Broadcast
ing requires one-third more seed than
drill seeding.
Amount of Seed to Sow
In drilling on well prepared seed
bed, to 8 pounds of seed that has
termination of IS to 95 per cent,
and drilling in 80 inch rows, 1 pound
of good seed is plenty. Under favor
able conditions five pounds will give
good stand and much better stand
for seed production and Just as good
for hay. Under irrigation 10 to 70
pounds is recommended on account
of the vigorous growth it makes.
Depth of Seeding
Alfalfa should not be seeded deep
er than two inches in light soils and
in clay soils about one inch, although
in valley gumbo soils If the top inch
is dry and powdered it is better to
seed two inches deep and place the
seed in moist sof1 rather than leave
it in dry loose soil. The seed will |
terminate quickly and be up in a |
week, whereas, If seeded in dry, loose |
soil, the seed would wait for a rain |
and then the gumbo soil would crust |
and considerable injury is the result |
and perhaps no stand at all. There
fore, on gumbo soil place the seed
in moist soil even if 2 1-2 inch seed
ing is necessary.
Care the First Season
If the weeds come up, it is we'll
to clip the alfalfa rather high. This
can be done two or three times and
is necessary to cut down the weeds.
On bottom land small crop of hay
can be taken. Leave good growth
of stubble for the winter for protec-
ton to the crowns.
In the spring of the second season
the field may be narrowed or lightly I
disced. The discing destroys the
weeds, opens the soil and helps to
prevent the run-of,f thus adding more
moisture to the SOIL
Time of Cutting
This is where a great many mis- :
takes are made. The first cutting is :
taken too late. The best and in fact 5
the only way to tell when to cut the :
first hay crop is to examine the !
crowns and start the mower as soon :
as the basal shoots start. These ba- :
sal shoots should never be cut off =
with the mower. Start in time so !.
that it is not done as it severely in E
jures the money crop, the crop OF :,
gold, the crop of seed. 1t delays the n
growth and causes it to flirt with
Jack frost, dangerous and expensive =
Irritation. Then too the low leaves e
mature and fall off and the stems get 2
coarse and woody and the hay loses g
much of its value. The hay crop =
should be off the field by June 1 or :,
20 at the latest if the seed crop is - =,
going to have time to mature. Dry =
pring the hay crop should be cut :,
arlier and on bench land the first -
rop should be left for seed crop. o
Seed Crop =
On bench land, but one crop and =
hat seed crop. The alfalfa straw y
makes very good stock feed. The
armers and ranchers all sell their :,
Italia hay and feed the alfalfa straw ss
0 their own stock with apparently se
S good results. The tendency is to &c
1t the cutting of the seed crop go -
DO long and subject it to the frost. ;"
here are always more blossoms COM a. a.,
lg on and the crop Is let stand think ~
lg of great production and thus it ~ ~
ften results in great loss of seed, ~
DR. if the seed is frosted it turns "a
ark brown and Is sold as frosted "
80 ~ d;aoo,,-,+ 20 ero,,, AZ 70 = he
NC Mound IF tbe oaad cron is st
~ bafora frost and buncbed in al
,,a1I ,;1a, Of onoo ~ nrotact the te
led and stems from the sun so that
lie seed may draw food from the ce
ems. the seed that Is full grown as
Ut green in color will harden and an
,lor up in good condition and the gu
nall green seed dries up and can be az
nnad ou+ and +bo Good cron mt in tn
oond;tion re- tbo cron IL sta
oI,od hyy frost oil in,uaturo GOOD da
uCQ0Q by lTOSJ dill lu1ludIuI6 S0Gu
neither full sized or not turns dark In
own and loses it's value by one pa =,
urth, and the frost also causes the Ill
pc seed to shatter more, which is -
considerable loss in a field of any r.
ze and the straw is also of poor Iii
lality, for the value of the straw is II
the leaves and most of the leaves II
IL off after being frosted. Out of III
10000 pounds of seed the Valley H
,unty Alfalfa association cleaned II
d graded 10000 pounds Of dark II
osted seed that sold for 4 " cents H
IS per pound, thus costing the farm II
) $3.50 which could have been sav-H
by timely cutting of the seed crop.
tention to some of these few dell
lis will greatly increase the value H
the alfalfa seed crop in northern H
)ntana. The average yield of hay II
r bottom land is about three tons H
r acre and $50 pounds of alfalfa l.
I'D. Hay at $500 in stack and =
IAN seed at 20 cents per pound,