The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1928-04-12
Charles Hutchinson Explains
Safe Rules to Follow in
Planting, Cultivation
GET SCARIFIED SEED
Fields Should Be Thoroughly
Tested for Acidity-Soils
Suitable for Bacteria

in a genuine Grimm field is caused
by lack of little nodules on the
roots, the owner pasturing it off
too late in the fail, cutting it off
too late in the fall, putting his
livestock on it too early in the
spring, or by a solid sheet of ice
or sleet forming over the field,
which smothers the plants out, or
the field was not cultivated prop
erly and blue grass and weeds of
various kinds set in and smothered
the alfalfa plants.
The original Grimm field will be
seventy years old this spring and
has proven to US that when a field
is properly cared for, it will raise
and produce proftably for an in
definite length of time.
Having visited over 10000 diff
ferent fields in Minnesota, we are
in a position now to give the meth
DDS that have given satisfactory
results on various types of soils in
every section Of Minnesota. There
are few principles by which, if
followed to the letter, alfalfa can
be established on a farm with
every bit as much certainty and,
of course, with more permanency
than any other crop that grows on
Minnesota farm.
Get Grimm or Cossack Seed
Don't take chance on using any
other variety except Grimm or
Cossack. We have found many,
many failures in different sections
of the state of all varieties except
these two, where men have given
their fields every possible care and
followed out the best principles for
alfalfa culture, so why take a
chance Isn't it best to profit by
others experiences that have cost
them hundreds of dollars and have
the certainty of knowing that you
are going to have an abundance of
alfalfa to feed your stock the COM
ing winter?
First of all, get certified seed.
There is sufficient certified Grimm
seed available so that all can at
least start with a few acres, if
they order their seed just as soon
as possible. There is also consid-
cradle amount of certified Cossack
available. / see no reason why
anyone should change from Grimm
or Cossack if he has Grimm now
established on his farm. Itwould
be better to keep one single va
riety on your place. But if you
have other varieties of alfalfa, ev-
en- though they have been success
full up to the present time, on your
farm, get some certified seed of
either one of these varieties and
start patch this coming season.
Get Scarified Seed
Secure scarifed seed whenever
possible because if put in, in the
method / am going to outline be-
low, 10 pounds will be sufficient,
and it will give as good stand as
Is to 20 pounds of unscarified
seed.
Pick out a piece of land that has
produced you good yields of corn,
potatoes, grain crops of all kinds,
that is as free from weeds as pos
sible. This as a rule will be one
that was either in potatoes, corn
or root crops last year. If sweet
clover or alfalfa mas been grown
successfully on this land before,
you will not need TO inoculate your
seed or your ground.
Testing for Acidity
Let's say you have never had
any alfalfa or sweet clover on your
farm, and let's say that this piece
of land that you have chosen for
alfalfa was in corn last year. If
the fodder was cut off it, all you
need to do is to go on and disc
it up in good shape and then har-
row it and drag it. This could
easily be put in excellent condition
for alfalfa this next year. If you
live west of the Minnesota line
belt and the soil is not alkali, you
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