Imperial Valley press., 1931-07-23
BY ID. f. CREIGHTON
Assistant County Aren't

A tour to several seed fields of
alfalfa, Sudan grass and Bermuda
seed was made recently by a num-
ber of ranchers and business men
of the valley. Large surpluses Of
alfalfa hay together with high
prices for alfalfa seed have inspired
a number of growers to try seed
crop.
At the time this tour was made
several fields appeared to have a
seed crop Of several hundred
pounds per acre. Since harvesting
one of the better looking fields the
yield actually obtained was about
$50 pounds per acre, rather a dis
appointing yield.
Upon examination of the soil
moisture with the shovel. soil tube
or soil auger, it was found that
the roots of the plant were restrict
ed to the top II inches to ID inches
and below this depth the soil was
poWdery dry. This condition re-
quires an irrigation almost weekly
TO keep the plants from willing.
Certainly, alfalfa plants cannot set
q seed crop of any material conse-
quence with such a restricted root
development and such limited
moisture penetration. To remedy
this condition, if it be remedial, a
plan must be evolved which will fill
the soil to field capacity to depth
of several feet during the winter
months when scalding will not take
place, in this way building up a
reserve to carry the plant through
the hay making or seed production
periods which are periods of heavy
moisture draft. Subsoiling under
certain conditions may be very
beneficial, its effect lasting up to
two years. Where alfalfa has fol-
lowed lettuce crops, excellent yields
have been noted for the first six
to IL months, due no doubt to the
abundant moisture supply which
was placed in the soil by the prac-
tice followed in irrigating lettuce.
Since seed production is the great
est effort the plant makes, it fol-
lows that it must have all the es-
sentials necessary to produce this
end product.
Another very potent cause for
low seed yield is the time of cutting.
Blooming and seed setting is quite
a continuous process with alfalfa.
The moisture supply regulates the
growth habits of the plant. To
bring the crop to maturity, there
fore, requires drying up period
after the third to sixth week. Usu-
ally the main crop of seed will be
followed through, the earliest pods
set will have opened and lost their
seed, the later bloom will produce
immature seed, SO the middle crop
is about all that can be realized.
Since this is the case most grow
ers find their biggest yields are OBJ
tanned when cutting is practiced
about the time rs per cent of the
pods have turned brown. Insects,
winds and dry hot weather are fac
tors in aiding The flowers to be-
come pollenated. The flowers are
"tripped, or opened by these forces
anu llit
ing the pollen on the stigma. The
bloom period should be a rapidly
changing one, thus indicating that
the flowers are becoming fertilized
High humidity and heavy dews
followed by bright, hot sunshine
account for much shattering in the
seed pods.
Clay soil particle migration, or
the carrying from the surface
downward through the cracks of
the finest soil particles, thus caus-
ing a tight or impervious layer
which decreases soil moisture pene-
tration thus restricting the zone of
root activity is one of the factors
at work under systems of irrigation
and one of the factors which makes
true the statement that Farming
is soil hardening process
The mechanics of cutting, curing
and threshing probably are due for
some revision. 1t is stated that the
alfalfa seed growers are
using the swather and
combine with pick up" attachment
1t is from the Argen-