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THE DAWN OF A NEW ERA

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Agricultural Extension Department

International Harvester Company of New Jersey
: CHICAGO USA

COPYRIGHTED 1914 BY THE
AGRICULTURAL EXTENSION DEPARTMENT

INTERNATIONAL HARVESTER COMPANY OF NEW JERSEY

“ly

FOR MORE AND HARDIER ALFALFA

IN THE

NORTHWEST

Alfalfa now being successfully grown in every county where
tried intelligently.—The value of this crop is not
appreciated.— Alfalfa and corn with
live stock means prosperity

for the Northwest

By J. G. HANEY*
Agricultural Extension Department, International Harvester Company of New Jersey

While alfalfa is one of the oldest known agricultural plants,
it is apparently just beginning to be recognized and its true
value appreciated in the western hemisphere. The land devoted
to alfalfa in the United States at
present is between five and six mil-
lion acres or an area about equal
to the small state of New Jersey.
It seems strange to those who are
familiar with this wonderful plant
that as late as the beginning of the
twentieth century it should come,
as it does as an agricultural revela-
tion.

Alfalfa is successfully grown in
every state in the Union and in
most of the provinces of Canada.
It is grown below sea level in the
valleys of California and on alti-
tudes of more than eight thousand
feet in the mountains of Colorado.
It is quite safe to assert that
alfalfa can be grown successfully wherever small grains are
now being grown in the northwest.

J.G. Haney

* Mr. Haney has charge of demonstration work in the Dakotas and Minnesota,
for the International Harvester Company of New Jersey. Requests for additional
copies of this bulletin and for information on local conditions should be addressed
to him at Grand Forks, N. D.

A E38

4 Alfalfa Should be Grown On Every Farm

History |

The alfalfa plant is designated by many different terms—
alfalfa and lucern (the latter being the French name) are the
most common. It has been cultivated as a forage crop for more
than twenty centuries. It is believed to be a native of the cen-
tral district of western Asia and is still found in an apparently
wild condition in the regions of the south Caucasus.

It was introduced into Greece at the time of the Persian war,
about 470 B. C. The Romans carried it from Greece to Italy.
From Italy it was introduced into Spain and the south of France.
It was carried from Spain to Mexico at the time of the Spanish
invasion, and ‘thence to the west coast of South America. It
was brought from Chili to California in 1854, and from there it
spread over the arid regions of the Pacific coast where it is now
cultivated almost to the exclusion of other forage plants. It
was introduced into the state of New York as early as 1820, but
is not yet grown extensively in the eastern states.

Grimm Alfalfa

Grimm alfalfa is a very hardy strain, adapted to growing in the -
Northwestern states where conditions seem too severe for the
common alfalfa. The seed of this variety was brought to Min-
nesota from Germany in 1857, bya German farmer named Grimm.

Professor W. M. Hays, while with the Minnesota Agricultural
Experiment Station about 1890, found Mr. Grimm growing
this alfalfa and at once began calling attention to its
hardiness and excellence for Minnesota conditions. Pro-
fessor Hays stated that atone time they had advised farmers
it was not worth while to attempt growing alfalfa in the North-
west as conditions were too severe for it. Mr. Grimm had never
heard of this advice and in his twenty-five years’ experience
with alfalfa had not yet discovered that it was not adapted to
Minnesota conditions. A.B. Lyman, of Excelsior, Minn., was
one of Mr. Grimm’s neighbors and perhaps the first to recognize .
the hardiness and value of this alfalfa, and has been very active
in extending its growth. So valuable is this variety that when
possible to secure the seed it should be grown in the northwest
in preference to all others.

Varieties
While there are numerous varieties of alfalfa, and more are
being added each year by selection and introduction, for the
Northwest, the Grimm alfalfa is proving to be all that could be
desired. This variety isso well adapted that no one need hesitate
to plant it, or wish for anything better,

Alfalfa Increases Farm Values 5

Alfalfa seed from Montana also gives very good satisfaction
in most of the Northwest. It is probable that this seed is a

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A good root system on a 4-year-old alfalfa plant from
Northern Minnesota, Polk county

descendent of Grimm or from a source which renders it hardy.
While it is not to be expected that much can be accomplished in

6 Alfalfa The Most Profitable Farm Crop

acclimating alfalfa in a short time itis very reasonable to ex-
pect that seed which is produced in the Northwest will be more
hardy than seed from a Southern climate.

The alfalfa plant is so old and has undergone so few changes in
the centuries past that theonly hope of procuring hardier varie-
ties is in introducing them from regions with climatic conditions
similar to ours. The question of hardiness is so important that
it is considered useless to attempt to grow alfalfa in northern
Minnesota or North Dakota from seed of the varieties common to
the principal alfalfa regions. Grimm alfalfa holds first place as
to hardiness, while seed from Montana and Canada, and from
the varieties known as Baltic and Turkestan, seem to give
satisfaction in about the order named.

Uses and Value of Alfalfa—Feeding Value

Alfalfa, either green or in hay, as feed for all kinds of farm
animals, is the most highly nutritious and palatable that can be
raised in the Northwest. The following table from Farmers’
Bulletin No. 339 shows its value as compared with several other
kinds of feed:

Digestible Nutrients in Alfalfa and Other Forage Crops

Digestible nutrients
Dry Matter) Protein in 100 pounds
Kind of Forage in 100 in 100 “Se =a
pounds pounds Carbohy- Ether
drates Extract
Pounds Pounds Pounds Pounds
Green: Alfalia =i. 2 > eee 28.2 3.9 1237 0.5
Fresh Clover =.) ae 29.2 2.9 14.8 0.7
AAfslta Haye ae 91.6 11.0 39.6 12
Clover (Way: sci ce ee 84.7 6.8 30.8 1.7
TimOthy Saye = ste ss 2 ees 86.8 2.8 43.4 1.4
Cow pea ay ook 2 fo. oe ete 89.3 10.8 38.6 it
bY,"61 gree Papel iter Wap Sea gen ay ene MA) 88.1 12.2 39.2 Dot
Shelled Corns: o28 225. Tota area 7.9 66.7 4,

The following table indicates the actual feeding value of eight
different kinds of feed, based on the amount of digestible
nutrients containedin them. It will be noted that the value of
alfalfa hay is slightly more than double that of timothy, and the
equal of corn.

Actual Feeding Value of Different Feeds Based on Amount of
Digestible Nutrients

Feed serie Feed ponte
Wresh Alfalfa 2002s. $7. 00 1Tiniothy Hay... 2-222) ) nee
Fresh Clover205 oi sic. 5 96. |\Cowpea Hay <2 .2222.
ATA ia Ae 0d ote 20 16-1] Wheat. Bransss teoeees 22 80

Glover: Way. 2. 2 ose. 14 12. 1Shelled.Corns<°cu-23 v=: 20 16

Alfalfa Out-ytelds Other Crops 7

For Dairy Cows

Alfalfa is particularly valuable as a feed for dairy cows. When
properly cured, it has more nearly the effect of good June
pasture than any other feed. It will be noted that wheat bran
is worth only slightly more than alfalfa hay, and when the
palatableness of the hay is taken into consideration, this

“The Proof of the Puddin’’” Cows like alfalfa
A scene which should be more familiar in the Northwest
difference also disappears. The dairyman feeding bran with the
ordinary roughages such as prairie hay, millet, timothy, or corn
fodder, could well afford to exchange one-half of his bran for an

equal number of pounds of good alfalfa hay.

For Beef Cattle

For fattening beef cattle, alfalfa certainly has no equal as a
roughage. A large cattle feeder once told the writer that alfalfa
hay would save him one-half his corn when compared with other
kinds of roughage. It is generally figured that it will require
1,000 pounds of grain to produce 100 pounds of beef with mature
cattle and the ordinary roughages such as prairie hay, corn
fodder, or millet. When good alfalfa hay is fed with corn, the
amount of grain required will be reduced nearly one-half. This
same fact holds true with the feeding of all classes of live stock.
The alfalfa balances the ration to such an extent that less other

8 Alfalfa Balances the Corn Ration

feed is required to make agiven gain. This is particularly true
with young stock, which require a large amount of the growth
producing element, protein.

It is remarked that a field of alfalfa is a hog’s idea of heaven,
and the way they respond in gain and thriftiness while pastur-
ing on alfalfa, indicates that this must be practically true. The
Kansas Experiment Station has shown that an acre of alfalfa
will produce 776 pounds of pork during a season. This calcula-
tion was made by deducting the probable gain due to a small
amount of grain which was fed while they were on the pasture.
It is possible to winter mature hogs on good alfalfa hay and
only a very small amount of grain. This fact should appeal

Alfalfa and corn is all they care for

very strongly to the farmers of the northwest as there is such a
long period that the brood sows must be kept up and fed.

The last cutting of alfalfa should be saved for the hogs as it
is usually cut greener and contains a larger percentage of leaves.
Alfalfa pasture is the very first green thing on the farm in the
spring and remains green all summer. Every farm in the north-
west should be equipped so as to keep over a dozen brood sows.
There is no great expense connected with building a hog house
in which the pigs could be farrowed in early March and be ready
to begin making use of the alfalfa pasture as soon as it is large
enough. By the first of September they are just the right size
to turn into a field of early flint corn which they would convert

Alfalfa Rich in Digestible Protein 9

into. ham and bacon at the least possible expense to the farmer.
At the same time they would be putting this ten acres of land
into such shape that if seeded to wheat the succeeding year, the
yield should be twice or three times the average of the state.
This plan is gaining in favor very fast in the northwest and is a
profitable one.

Alfalfa, both green and as hay, is also fed to horses. When
beginning to feed alfalfa, care should be taken that horses do
not eat more of it than is good for them, as it is so much richer
than other hays. If the precaution is taken to limit the amount
fed, and also to reduce the grain ration to about one-half, no
injurious effects will be noticed. Alfalfa hay alone is too rich a

Spring pigs on alfalfa pasture, J. D. Bacon farm, Grand Forks, N. D.
What methods more wise could the farmer combine than
raising alfalfa and fattening swine. (Silo and
winter stock shed in background)

feed for horses and cattle. There should always be some grain
or roughage such as corn, oats, corn fodder, prairie hay, or
millet, fed with it. When fed exclusively, it is liable to pro-
duce coarseness, especially in colts.

The value of alfalfa for sheep is attested by the fact that the
alfalfa regions of Colorado are full of sheep feeding quarters,
where large flocks from the mountain ranges are fattened.

Alfalfa is a great poultry feed, either eaten green from the
fields in the summer time, or chopped and fed in the winter.
Chopped hay or meal mixed with a small amount of grain, put
into a barrel or tub, and hot water poured over it and allowed
to steam for a few hours, will be eaten as greedily as green feed

10 Requisites of Successful Alfalfa Growing

in the summer time and will have a good effect in maintaining
the egg production.

As a bee plant, alfalfa is almost the equal of sweet clover.
This is a fact that is not fully appreciated, but the heaviest
yields of honey per stand are secured in alfalfa regions. The
honey is of excellent quality as is evidenced by its standing in
the markets. Bees also have a very beneficial effect on the
seed-producing quality of the alfalfa as will be noted later.

While the most important use of alfalfa is in producing hay,
it nevertheless has a place in the pasture mixture. Owing to
the fact that it is liable to produce bloat, it is unsafe to pas-
ture cattle or sheep on an exclusive alfalfa pasture; but this
difficulty apparently disappears when the alfalfa is sown with
other grasses. Alfalfa roots so much more deeply than the
grasses, that it will grow among them and be very little affected
by their crowding. In the northwest, brome grass, timothy,
western rye grass or orchard grass, may be sown with alfalfa
with excellent results. About five pounds of alfalfa and the
usual amount of grass seed should be sown to the acre.

REQUISITES OF SUCCESSFUL ALFALFA GROWING

Alfalfa, when well established, is one of the most vigorous
and persistent of agricultural plants. It will endure weeds, dry

%, pi bg ai

Sheep are profitable in the Northwest — Alfalfa and sheep,
a good combination

Requisttes of Successful Alfalfa Growing Il

weather, and other unfavorable conditions to a remarkable
degree. It will also crowd into the edges of alkali spots further
than most other plants. It, however, responds readily to the
favors of soil and climate and because of its great value asa
crop should be given favorable conditions to startin. <A deep,
firm, fertile, well-drained, moist soil, rich in lime, reasonably
free from weeds, and inoculated, will generally insure success.

Alfalfa roots very deep and for this reason it is advisable to
have a soil into which the roots may penetrate and which also
contains moisture. It will produce as much on a thin, dry soil
as any other crop, but when there isa chance for it to reach
permanent moisture through ten to thirty feet of good soil, it
will, once established, go on producing crops every thirty to
forty days during the growing season with very little regard to
climatic conditions. The roots of alfalfa penetrate dry soils or
dry gravel beds very slowly and often the poorer portions of
a field will be found to be underlaid by such material. On such
soils thin seeding will succeed much better than thick, because
the roots of a few plants wil! find moisture to penetrate deeper
and perhaps go through the dry strata while many plants ina
thick seeding would not be able to do so.

The Preparation of the Seed Bed

The preparation of a seed bed is essential mainly as a means
of storing moisture. When the rainfall is under twenty inches,
the land should be plowed ten inches deep and summer-fallowed
or, if the soil would drift from such treatment, a thin planting
of corn may be grown on the land to prevent drifting. If itis
not necessary to consider storing moisture it is preferable to
precede the alfalfa by a cultivated crop, such as corn, potatoes,
or beans. If possible the land should be manured.

A Firm Seed Bed Essential

Alfalfa requires a firm seed bed. For this reason it is not
advisable to plow the land immediately before seeding, as it is
almost impossible to get the soil sufficiently firm again.

In western Kansas, herds of cattle are rounded up and driven
over the fields to pack the soil after plowing it. If, in order to
get the land leveled up and in shape to seed, it is necessary to
plow just before seeding, this plowing should be as shallow as
possible, and packer, roller, and harrow used to make it solid
again. Before seeding, the surface of the field should be pro-
vided with perfect drainage by the use of leveler, grader, and
plow. Ditches may be made broad with sloping banks, so as not

12 Requisites of Successful Alfalfa Growing

to interfere with seeding or mowing. Alfalfa will not grow
where water stands and freezes over it in winter or gets stag
nant in summer.

If good surface drainage is provided so that the crowns of the
plants have plenty of air and the soil is sweet, there need be
very little concern as to how deep it is to the water table. In
regions of plentiful rainfall it is advisable to plant alfalfa on land
having good natural drainage.

The land seeded to alfalfa will not need to be prepared again
for six to ten years, hence, three or four times as much work
can well be put on it in preparation for alfalfa. A satisfactory
preparation made on the I H C farm at Grand Forks, N. D., in
1913, was as follows:

The land was in wheat in 1912 (should have been fall plowed
but we did not get the farm until March), was manured during
the winter, double-disked as early as possible, plowed as soon as
dry enough (about the middle of May), and plow followed by
Campbell sub-surface packer and harrow. Wild oats started so
the land was double-disked ten days later, and harrowed the
second day after disking. As the land was rather cloddy and no
rain fell, a frog-foot roller was used. A land leveler was then
run both ways as the field was full of dead furrows and back fur-
rows from previous forty years’ plowing. The land leveler was
followed by the peg-tooth harrow.

About ten days later another fine crop of weeds was double-
disked and the harrow used later. The middle of June the field
was harrowed and rolled again with a frog-foot roller, just pre-
vious to seeding with the grain drill. The single disk drill
loosened up the surface sufficiently for a soil mulch. Except in
a few dead furrows which were filled with loose, dry dirt, the
seed was put in moist soil about one inch from surface. Re-
gardless of the fact that there was not a rain of one-half inch at
any one time previous to July Ist, and the rainfall for the sea-
son was aSfollows: April, 1.08in.; May, 1.52 in.; June, 1.21 in.;
July, 2.86 in., we have a good, thrifty stand of alfalfa. The
tield is even and in fine condition and should continue to yield
for ten years, though we will doubtless not leave it down that

long.
Time of Seeding Alfalfa

There is little doubt that for the Dakotas and Minnesota,
alfalfa should be seeded in the spring. Under favorable mois-
ture conditions, in South Dakota and southern Minnesota al-
falfa might be successfully seeded after winter rye or wheat,
though not without considerable risk from dry weather and
early frost.

Alfalfa in Rows 13

The cost of alfalfa seed, and the importance of securing a
good, strong growth the first year, warrant giving it full pos-
session of the soil for the entire season. Sharp frosts may in-
jure or even kill young alfalfa, hence it is advisable not to seed
until such danger is past.

In case the land is known to be rather foul, it should be
double-disked early, and all weeds kept down by harrowing or
disking until the middle of June or even later. This overcomes
the weeds and puts the soil in good shape. There is danger,
however, in seeding later than July 1st, that dry weather will
damage the alfalfa.

Amount and Method of Seeding

There are more alfalfa seeds in one pound than there are
plants on the average acre of alfalfa that is three years old.
This indicates that it is not a question of pounds of seed, but of
securing good seed, and providing conditions that will make the
seed grow to strong, vigorous plants.

Only good, strong, acclimated seed should be sown—Grimm
alfalfa holds first place as to hardiness, and Montana grown seed
seems to give satisfaction in nearly every instance. There is
undoubtedly a great difference in seed, though perhaps not so
much as some advertisements would indicate. The experiment
stations should be consulted as to kind and source of seed, and
samples submitted to them for purity and germination tests.

In the dryer sections on a properly prepared seed bed, tive
pounds of seed per acre sown with a grain drill has given anample
stand. Eight to twelve pounds is usually recommended for
average conditions if the seed is drilled in; if sown broadcast,
one-half more seed should be sown. If a grass seeder is not
available to use on the drill, the seed should be mixed with some
other fine material to give it bulk and prevent leaking and
drilling too thick. j

Owing to variations in drills, a measured quantity of the
mixture should be put in the drill and the area of land seeded
by this amount noted, so as to be certain that the proper
amount of seed is being puton. Fine screened sawdust, bran,
cornmeal, or parched millet may be used. Inoculated dirt is
used when dried in the shade, but is rather hard on the drill.
Two parts of bran to one of seed, with drill set at one-half
bushel of wheat per acre, should seed about the right amount.

Alfalfa seed should not be planted very deep—the depth
depending somewhat on the soil. If the seed bed is in
proper condition, sufficiently solid, and moist, one inch should
be deep enough. The seed bed should be so solid that the drill

14 Alfalfa in Rows

wheels do not sink in more than an inch, which will admit of
regulating the depth of the disks accurately. The seed should
not be sown unless the moisture in the soil is within one inch
of the surface—it is a waste of seed and work to plant in a dry
soil. Press wheels for firming the soil on the seed in the drills
are very important. Where there is any considerable amount
of alfalfa or grass to be seeded on. a farm, there should be one
small drill, preferably eight-foot, equipped with grass seeder
and press wheels. One team will handle this drill and a more
careful job can be done.

Seeding in Rows so as to Cultivate

A quite popular method of seeding, especially in the dryer
sections for seed production, is to plant in rows 24 to 30 inches

Alfalfa in rows — 7 weeks old from seed —I HC farm

apart, so that the alfalfa may be cultivated between cuttings.
This method requires the same conditions as to seed bed, etc.,
as thick seeding. The seeding may be done with the small
grain drill by simply putting cardboard or boards over the feed

Alfalfa in Rows 15

cups which it is desired to have closed. By using a grain drill,
there are several rows, depending on the size of the drill,
exactly the same distance apart —only the joint rows varying
according to the care in driving. ‘This admits of using a large
cultivator the same width as the drill. Beans, sorghum, and
many other crops may be seeded the same way.

Anything that is liable to deprive the young alfalfa plants of
moisture or plant food should be treated as a weed, whether it be
wild oats, pigeon grass, oats, barley, wheat, or what not.
Under favorable conditions of soil and moisture, a nurse crop
may not interfere with successfully starting alfalfa, but those
who have sown alfalfa often, prefer seeding alone. If a nurse
crop is sown,,it should be seeded very thin—half the usual
amount, and should be cut early before maturing. Beginners
had better seed alfalfa alone.

Treatment after Seeding

Dashing rains and drying windsare to be feared after seeding.
The former may run the soil together over the seed, and cover it

, Mowing alfalfa planted in rows and cultivated, 70 days from seed,
1HC farm, Grand Forks, N. D.

so deeply that it cannot get out. Dry winds may take the
moisture from the soil before the roots have taken hold
sufficiently and the plant be killed. Rain followed by a bright
sun and wind often crusts the soil so that the alfalfa cannot
push through —it will be found curled up under the crust. A
roller, weeder, or harrow may be used to break the crust, though
such methods are not often satisfactory.

Generally a fair crop of weeds may be expected to start along
with the alfalfa. Alfalfa, when once established, is a very
vigorous, hardy plant, but when young it is not so, and must be
given every advantage possible. As soon as the weeds are seen

16 Sow Alfalfa in Well-Drained Soil

to be getting ahead of the alfalfa and are four to six inches high,
the mower should be run over it to clip the weeds back. The
mower should not be run too close to the ground. The alfalfa
will usually branch from very close to or just under the ground
after the first cutting, but it is not advisable to cut too close
unless it is necessary to do so to get the weeds.

When to Mow Alfalfa

The mower must be used every two to four weeks during the
first summer. This is one of the imperatives of success. If
alfalfa is not mowed often, it grows tall and spindling, often tries
to bloom and produce seed, turns yellow, and dies. Mowing
prevents this, and the strength of the plant is used in root
growth, instead of in trying to bloom and produce seed.

What is a Stand

Be very slow about condemning the stand of alfalfa. Quite
often, regardless of mowing, what appeared to be a good stand
will seem to have disappeared by fall. Be very careful right
here. Many good stands of alfalfa are plowed up because they
do not appear to be what they are. Just leave it until the next
spring is well advanced. 1f there is one plant to each square
foot, there is a surprise awaiting. Where alfalfa has not been
_previously grown, there are good reasons why it may not ap-
pear to amount to much for the first two or three years. Thin
putches may be thickened up the second or third year by disk-
ing and reseeding them.

Don’t Cut or Pasture in Late Fall

In the Northwest, one of the most common mistakes made
after a stand is secured, is to leave the field bare by late cutting
or pasturing. Alfalfa must have a good heavy blanket in the
winter. There should be a growth of eight or ten inches left
for protection. It should not be cut later than twenty or thirty
days before the date of the first killing frost.

So many conditions may affect the late growth that it would
be impossible to state definitely the date, or the length of time
before frost, when cutting is advisable, but it is very essential
that there be a good protection for winter. For this reason,
pasturing must be done very carefully. Alfalfa should not be
pastured at all until the third year, and then not late in the
fall. If itis pastured too close, coarse manure or rotted straw
should be spread over it for protection. This can be raked off
if found to be too heavy, but harrowing in the spring so as to
evenly distribute the manure will usually be all thatis necessary.

Seed Both Ways AG

Inoculating Soil for Alfalfa Growing

There is no doubt but that a share of the difficulty in start-
ing alfalfa is due to the absence from the soil of a sufficient
number of virile nodule-forming bacteria peculiar to the alfalfa
plant, but it must be remembered that these bacteria grow or
live on the alfalfa roots, and that their presence in no way
affects the starting of thealfalfa plant. The same conditions—a
sweet, fertile soil, moisture, and warmth—which are necessary
to the starting of alfalfa, also promote the growth of these
bacteria.

These nodule-forming bacteria are essential to the alfalfa,
and in most instances, unless the land has grown alfalfa, artifi-
cial inoculation should be resorted to. Inoculation is so essen-
tial, that the first field planted on the farm, ora part of it at
least, should have an application of alfalfa bacteria. It is be-
cause of the absence of sufficient bacteria in the soil that very
often an apparently good start of alfalfa is slow in gaining
headway, requiring two or three years as previously referred to.

Sweet clover, either white or yellow, apparently has the same
kind of bacteria in the root nodules as alfalfa, hencein localities
where sweet clover grows wild, inoculation ddes not seem to
be necessary. In localities where sweet clover does not grow,
and alfalfa is not grown to any extent, artificial inoculation
should be resorted to.

Methods of Inoculation

There are two sources of securing inoculating material. The
most convenient method is by using the pure cultures. These
are put up in cans, boxes, or bottles, and after manipulating
according to directions the seed is simply moistened with the
preparation and allowed to dry, just previous to seeding. When
properly handled, this method is satisfactory and good results
are obtained.

A second method is to secure soil from an old alfalfa field
that is known to be inoculated, or from where sweet clover
grows. About 300 pounds of soil per acre if carefully distributed
—either drilled in or sown broadcast and harrowed in is suffi-
cient. The dirt must be dried for drilling, but it must not be
exposed to the sun, or the bacteria willbe killed. The fertilizer
attachment for drills is very convenient for this purpose. When
sown broadcast by hand, it should be sown only on cloudy days
or after sundown, and harrowed in immediately. This should
be done just before seeding. Unless the soil is very easily ob-
tained and work is no consideration, the pure cultures will be
found most convenient.

18 A Firm Seed Bed Necessary

A One Best Method of Starting Alfalfa

Personal talks with several hundred farmers of the North-
west who have had experience with alfalfa show that they
agree in many respects as to the best methods, which may be
summarized as follows:

Apply ten or more loads of good manure per acre on good
clean land, fall plow, and use packer or disk, but do not get
surface too fine. Disk early in spring, to conserve moisture
and keep weeds down. Continue such treatment until the
middle of June. Potato land is preferable to either stubble or
corn ground, and need not be fall plowed. However, well rotted
or fine manure should be applied and thoroughly disked in. If
weeds get started during wet weather, plow as shallow as possi-
ble and thoroughly pack and harrow before seeding. Sow eight
to twelve pounds of good Grimm or Montana seed, alone, June
lst to 15th, and keep weeds cut close the first year.

Good Seed Important

It has been so clearly demonstrated by the Experiment
Station and many individual farmers that it is not safe to plant
any but the hardy varieties of alfalfa, that it is not worth while
for any one to do any further experimenting in this regard.

A great deal of seed is adulterated and contains the seeds of
noxious weeds. The State Experiment Stations and Depart-
ment of Agriculture maintain laboratories for testing the purity
and germination of seeds and there are ample laws to protect
the purchaser. Dealers or farmers advertising seed are usually
willing to submit samples which may be sent to the Experiment
Stations or Department of Agriculture where their purity and
vitality will be determined free of charge. These samples
should be asked for early so that there will be ample time for
tests to be made. The dealer should be told that these samples
are to be submitted for test and if they prove to be all right,
you should see to it that you get seed similar to the sample
which was sent you.

It is sometimes considerable trouble to the dealer to furnish
these samples, and to obviate this, he may ask seed inspectors
to examine his stock and issue a certificate of such examination
which should be sufficient guarantee to the purchaser. Seed for
the Northwest must be of the hardy varieties, of strong germi-
nation, and free from adulterations and noxious weeds.

Sow on Clean Ground 19

Making Alfalfa Hay

Alfalfa hay is no harder to cure and handle than red clover;
in fact, the stiffer stems make it somewhat easier to dry and it
is less liable than the clover to damage in appearance by light
rains or heavy dews. There are no mysterious signs or acts to
be mastered in the handling of alfalfa hay. It has been found
by analysis that the feeding value of the hay is greatest at the
time when about the first one-tenth of the blooms have appeared.
The hay becomes woody quite rapidly as it gets older and the
digestibility of it naturally decreases.

~

Side Delivery Rake in an Alfalfa Field

At the Colorado Experiment Station it was found that the
cutting affected the protein as follows:

Stage of Maturity Protein, per cent.
Coming in bloom, about one-tenth, 18.5
Half in bloom, 14.6
In full bloom, 12.9

It is also noticed that when alfalfa is cut early, the next crop
starts more readily than if cut later. The appearance of tillers
or buds in the crown is an indication of time to cut, but this
must not be considered alone as they are always present. Alfalfa
six weeks old from seed will show these buds fully developed and
ready to start growth as soon as the main stems are cut off.
The stage of maturity and condition of weather are essential
factors in determining the time to cut.

Curing Alfalfa Hay

The leaves of alfalfa contain nearly four times as much pro-
tein as thestems, aton of dried alfalfa leaves containing as much
protein as 2,800 pounds of bran, hence every effort should be
made to cure the alfalfa in such a way as to save all the leaves
possible. The method of curing will vary with the condition of
the crop, ground, and weather. When alfalfa has made a slow

20 Alfalfa A Poor Weed Fighter

growth, and the ground and weather are dry at the time for
cutting, there is no difficulty in curing. Often, under these
conditions, it is safe to rake within a few hours after mowing,
and stack a few hours after the alfalfa has been put in the
windrows. When alfalfa has made a rapid growth and is rank
and succulent, and the weather and ground are damp, the prob-
lem of curing is a difficult one. It is easy to dry the leaves, but
the stems will contain much moisture after the leaves are too

The hay stacker and sweep rakes save labor in handling alfalfa

dry. Alfalfa hay should become so dry before stacking that
when a handful of stems are twisted together, no water can be
squeezed out.

If the weather is very unfavorable and continues wet so that
the hay cannot be dried, it may be stacked wet, if the precaution
is taken to put fifteen to twenty pounds of salt or air-siacked
lime per ton in the stack asit is put up. In fact, it is probable
that the hay will be damaged much less by heating in the stack
than by molding in the shock or windrow. When stacked wet or
green, the hay may turn a dark brown and will often have an
odor almost as strong as plug tobacco, but it is relished by stock
and apparently has lost very little of its feeding value.

Use Strong Clean Seed 21

In handling more than 200 acres of alfalfa in southeastern
Kansas, where the rainfall was 36 inches and alfalfa makes 4 to
5 crops a year, in five years only a small portion of one cutting
onasmall field was lost entire. <A part of this was overflowed
and the ground was so soft for nearly a week after the rains that
it was impossible to get on the fields. As a general practice,
the hay was stacked within a reasonable length of time after it
was cut, whether it was dry or not. Hay left in the windrow or
cocked for a week or ten days during wet weather will mold very
badly. If put ina stack it will go through a heating process
which destroys all the mold and leaves the hay in a very palat-
able condition for stock. It is not advisable to put wet or green
hay in the mows or sheds because if there is not free access to

The motor baler handles alfalfa economically

air, spontaneous combustion is liable to occur. A number of
large barns have burned from this cause, although the occur-
rence is rare.

When a heavy rain occurs immediately after cutting, the hay
should be raked as soon as the top is dried off. Then as soon as
the surface of the ground is dried somewhat, the windrows should
be turned over. It is not advisable to cock hay on wet ground
as it will dry out much more readily in windrows. In any case
do not be discouraged because the hay has gotten wet. Stack
it up and build a fence around it and your cattle and hogs and
everything else will go through the fence to get to it.

When there is any large amount of alfalfa hay to be loaded
and put in the barns, the hay loader should of course be used.
In this ease the hay must be allowed to cure in the windrow.
The swath loader is not practical for alfalfa as there is too great
a loss of leaves if the alfalfa is left in the swath until cured,

22 ; Stack Wet Alfalfa with Straw

The balanced grapple fork for unloading wagons is preferable to
slings or any other device. The side delivery rake, of course,
gives the best satisfaction for windrowing the hay to be taken
up with the hay loader. On large fields, the stacking is usually
done in the field and the sweep rake and stacker used to handle
the hay. The hay is taken out of the windrow or cock with the
sweep rakes. This reduces the work to the minimum and if the
stacking is carefully done and the stack topped with green
alfalfa or slough grass, there is not a great deal of waste.

Asa general thing, the first cutting is the only one there is
any troublein curing. In handling wet alfalfa hay some farmers
make a practice of putting a couple of feet of dry straw at the
bottom, then alternating a load of alfalfa hay and straw until
the stack is complete. The wet or green alfalfa will impart its
taste and odor to the straw and the stock will eat the straw
almost as readily as the aifalfa.

Another method of curing green or wet alfalfa hay when a
large barn is available is to spread the hay out about 2 or 3 feet
deep over the floor. It will not heat to speak of, and after this
is dried, the next cutting can be put on top of it. Stack
bottoms of brush or rails should always be built to stack on, as
this saves a lot of hay. Cock covers of canvas are used by many
and give excellent satisfaction in protecting the hay while cur-
ing in the cock.

TREATMENT OF OLD ALFALFA

Cultivation

There is a possibility of weeds and grasses coming in to some
extent, but these can be overcome largely and the yield of alfalfa
increased by cultivation. Those who are not accustomed to
handling alfalfa will be greatly surprised at the amount of cul-
tivating that can be done on an alfalfa field to its advantage.
Fields that have been pastured and apparently thinned out, can
be disked both ways with a sharp disk set to cut to its full
extent, then harrowed, and the crop be greatly benefited by the
treatment.

It would appear to those who have never tried it that such
treatment would destroy the alfalfa, but it will not. In the
drier section of the alfalfa regions it is a quite common practice
to disk and harrow the alfalfa after each cutting to destroy
weeds and conserve moisture. Besides the disk harrow there is a
tool made expressly for this purpose, known as the ‘‘alfalfa
renovator.’> This is similar to the disk harrow except that
spikes take the place of disks. Thespring tooth harrow is

Harrow After Cutting 23

also a very valuable tool for cultivating the alfalfa and it is
claimed by many that the spring teeth will dodge around the
plants and do the cultivating without injuring the crowns to
the extent that the disk harrow does.

Old fields of alfalfa should at least have a cultivation with
disk and harrow in the spring as soon as the ground is dry enough.
If possible, such cultivation should be before there is any growth
started. Occasionally, fields are seeded too thick and it is desired
to thin them. This can be done by running furrows through
the alfalfa with a sulky plow, one to two feet apart, and then
cross-harrowing until the ground is level again. One-half to
one-third of the plants can be cut out in this way. In the seed-
producing regions this is quite often a good practice.

Old alfalfa fields respond very readily to applications of well
rotted barnyard manure. This should be applied during the
fall or winter and disked and harrowed in in the spring. The
applications should be light and frequent so as not to be raked
up with the hay crop. There is perhaps no crop grown on the
farm that will give better returns for the labor expended in
such treatment than alfalfa.

Alfalfa a Soil Renovator

The first comment usually made on seeing for the first time,
the enormous roots of old alfalfa is, ‘‘It certainly must loosen
up the soil.”” This is true. Alfalfa roots have been dug out
that have penetrated the soil 30 feet. On the College farm in
Kansas the writer helped dig out a plant just six months old
from seed, and it had penetrated the soil six feet. Alfalfa six
weeks old from seed at the I H C farm, Grand Forks, N. D., had
penetrated 29 inches. The total length of these plants was 42
inches, or just one inch per day from the time the seed was
planted. :

To those not familiar with it, the extent of the alfalfa root
system is almost unbelievable. Certainly no one will doubt the
beneficial effect of the decaying of these large roots in the soil.
As the larger part of the alfalfa root system is below the feeding
range of ordinary plants, the surface soil is resting and really
gaining in fertility during the time it isin alfalfa. Alfalfaisa -
creat silent subsoiler, equal in efficiency to tractors or dynamite.

Alfalfa as a Seed Crop

The fact that alfalfa seed has sold in the vicinity of twenty
cents a pound for a number of years, makes the production of
seed very attractive. The true Grimm alfalfa has been sell-
ing at $1.00 a pound and there seems to be as keen a demand

24 Spring Tooth Harrow Best

as ever. There certainly is a great profit in alfalfa seed at these
prices and there is no reason why the production should not be
increased. Alfalfa does not always seed regularly, the reasons
for which are somewhat hard to give.

It is noticeable that it seeds heaviest during hot, dry seasons.
Too much rainfall seems in some way to hinder the formation
of the seed. For this reason it is probable that the seed-pro-
ducing area will remain in the drier or so-called semi-arid regions.
However, this year (1913), seed seems to be forming well in north-
ern Minnesota and the northern part of North Dakota.

There is no doubt but that the seed production is influenced
to a considerable extent by the number of bumble bees or honey
bees which may visit the blossoms. Experiments conducted by
Prof. C. B. Waldron at Dickinson, 8. D., show this very conclu-
sively. The anthers and stigma of the alfalfa flower are enclosed
in glumes which apparently do not always open voluntarily. A
light hail storm, heavy winds or the threshing of the blossoms
by the wings of bees or any other means, may cause them to
open so that they may become fertile and produce seed. If
these glumes do not open and allow the pollen to come in con-
tact with the stigma during the receptive period, the bloom
drops off and there is no seed pod formed.

In portions of the West, and in South Dakota, artificial means
are resorted to, to trip the flowers. This is done by a revolving
reel or by hanging a 2x4 under a buggy so that it will just
strike the flowers and then driving over the field at a rapid
pace. This feature of seed production is as yet not fully worked
out. When it is, it may be possible to increase the amount of
seed produced.

What Crop to Leave for Seed

What crop to leave for seed is an open question, but it is
probable that in the northern part of the United States, the
- first should be left. 'The second crop is liable to be too late in
maturing to give the alfalfa sufficient chance for making growth
enough to protect it during winter. The alfalfa should be .
carefully watched and if itis seen that many of the flowers are
falling off and not forming pods, the field may as well be cut for
hay immediately and avoid further retarding the succeeding
erowth. The proper time to cut the seed crop must be deter-
mined by observing the pods. As they do not all ripen at once,
it is impossible to delay the cutting until all are ripe.

The length of the season might also determine the time of
cutting to some extent. When about three-fourths of the pods
are a golden brown is perhaps as safe a rule as any to go by.

Inoculation Insures Success 25

The usual method is to cut with a mowing machine, using a
clover buncher attachment to gather up the crop. The binder
is also used by taking off the binder attachment and allowing
the alfalfa to be thrown off loose onto the bundle carrier until
good sized bunches are collected. The self-rake is also a very
satisfactory means of collecting the seed.

In many instances the crop may be too short for anything but
the mowing machine and if it is not possible to get a clover
buncher, it may be cut and raked similar to hay. The raking
should be done soon after cutting so that there will be the least
possible amount of shattering due to driving over the crop.

It is a general practice to leave the seed crop in windrows
until thoroughly dry, then thresh immediately. If this is not
possible, the alfalfa may be stacked in long, narrow stacks, but
great care should be taken that it is so dry that it will not heat
in the stacks as this will damage the seed. A good bottom of
brush or poles should be built on which to stack the alfalfa so
that it will not draw dampness from the ground.

Threshing Seed

The clover huller or special alfalfa huller, of course will give
best results in threshing, but the ordinary separator is used to a
large extent. If corrugated teeth are put in the concaves and
these set up close and the machine fed rather slowly so that any
pods which are not at first broken open will come back through
the tailings elevator into the cylinder again, a satisfactory job
can be done. After threshing, the seed should be run through a
fanning mill to put it in good shape. If there are a considerable
number of pods still unthreshed, these may be run through an
ordinary feed grinder with the burrs set so as not to crack the
alfalfa seed, and in this way practically every seed recovered.

It is probable that the growing of alfalfa seed will be greatly
increased, now that the practice of planting it in rows and giy-
ing some cultivation has been resorted to. For seed production
it appears that the ordinary sowings are too thick; that when
individual plants are isolated and given a chance they produce
aS much as an ounce of seed. The best method is doubtless
that which has been previously described under ‘‘ Methods of
_ Seeding.”’

Transplanting Alfalfa

One would hardly suppose that a plant with such a root sys-
tem as alfalfa has, could be easily transplanted, but it is trans-
planted with good results and the practice has gained consider-

26 Leave Fall Growth for Winter Protection

able favor in South Dakota. Year-old plants are usually trans-
planted, having been taken up in the fall and kept dormant
until time to transplant. On the IHC farm at Grand Forks,
4,000 plants were set May 9th, 1913. These plants were year-
olds, raised by A. B. Lyman, of Excelsior, Minn. The plants
were dug, or plowed up, May 6th, put into bushel baskets, and
shipped by express.

The land had already been prepared and the rows marked
out with a small plow three and one-half feet apart. Witha hoe
or spade, holes were opened for the plants about two and one-half
feet apart in the row, the plants set by hand, and not watered.
The plants were set a little deeper than they grew previously.
Notwithstanding the very dry weather, a quite satisfactory
percentage of the plants grew. Adjacent to the transplanted
acre, we put out an acre, drilling the seed with garden seeder,
rows three and one-half feet apart. When these plants were

ie He @ OS BE & Hobo & Bee
‘eo 8a & OS SS BP WRN CR a

Grimm alfalfa plants transplanted —second growth first year —
just beginning to bloom

five weeks old, we took enough to replant what did not start
on the transplanted acre. We did this just after a rain, and
took no more precautions than we would in handling cabbage
plants—in fact, handled them similarly, but, as the soil was
moist, did not water them after planting.

Nearly all of the young plants transplanted, grew, which was
not expected. The transplanted plants made a slow growth up
to July Ist. Some of them began blooming and were cut off.
about June 25th. By July 25th, there was a much heavier
growth and all the plants were again cut, except three rows

Enemies of Alfalfa 27

which were left for observation. These made a big growth and
seeded heavily. August 15th, some ripe seed was collected and
planted and now a second generation is growing. Many of the
plants were over two feet high and when collected made a
bunch that could no more than be spanned by the thumb and
fingers of one hand.

For seed production, this system has gained much favor in
the drier sections. A machine for transplanting is being per-
fected at the South Dakota Agricultural College. Prof. N. E.
Hanson was first to transplant alfalfa, and is a very strong
advocate of this system. The growth that will result from a
single plant, when cultivated and given the use of five or six
square feet of soil, is very remarkable. Every farmer not
familiar with alfalfa should secure 100 Grimm plants and set
them in a corner of the garden and give careful cultivation.
Single plants have produced more than an ounce of seed.

ALFALFA ENEMIES
The Enemies of Alfalfa are Few

Alfalfa is subject to leaf spot or what is commonly called
rust. This does not occur frequently, but when it does, it
should receive prompt attention. The first warning is the
appearance of small black spots on the leaves. Later these
leaves turn yellow and the patches in the field where this starts
become larger, and the growth is greatly retarded. Bloom
seldom appears after rust has gained any headway. The remedy
is very simple and easily applied—mow the alfalfa as soon as
possible after the rust appears, and remove the cutting.

There are other alfalfa diseases, but they are infrequent and
of little consequence. Occasionally, young alfalfais damaged by
the blister beetle, and grasshoppers are apt to cause some dam-
age. The blister beetle and the grasshopper can be destroyed
by spraying with Paris green. Grasshoppers are easily killed by
use of a ‘‘hopper dozer’’ and poison baits, which are fully de-

-scribed in many of the bulletins published.

Squirrels and pocket gophers often damage alfalfa by throw-
ing up mounds of dirt which interfere with harvesting. These
animals can be poisoned. The gophers are fond of potatoes, sweet
potatoes, or apples and the presence of strychnine in these does
not seem to deter them from eating the fruit. Take an ordin-
ary potato and cut it into small pieces smewhat smaller than
for planting purposes, or use small potatoes. Witha thin knife
slit the piece of potato and insert into this slit a crystal of sul-
phate of strychnine about one-half the size of a grain of wheat.

28 Enemies of Alfalfa

Sulphate of strychnine can be bought of any druggist, in small
bottles. The 25-cent size will furnish enough strychnine to kill
the gophers on 100 acres.

It is well to prepare the potato bait as above described, a few
hours before it is to be put out. Evening is probably the best |
time to distribute the poisoned potatoes as the gophers work
during the night or early morning. Sharpen an ordinary broom
stick or old fork handle at one end. If there is a great deal of
this work to be done, a tool may be made for the purpose, on
which there is a place to set the foot to press it into the ground.

With the sharp stick, find the newest made mounds and by
pushing the stick into the ground, locate the runway. The
pieces of potato should be small enough to drop through the hole
made by the stick, into the runway. It has been found best to
leave these holes open as the gopher will be attracted by the
light and thus discover the bait more readily.

By going over the fields a few times, a week or so apart, it is
possible to get rid of practically every gopher in the field. This
had better be done early in the spring as the gophers are more
hungry then and will eat the bait more greedily. Occasionally a
gopher will not get enough to kill it and he will not touch the
bait again. If after two or three applications of different baits,
he still continues operations, it may be possible to get him ina
trap. This method is so successful that there is absolutely no
excuse for permitting an alfalfa field to be overrun by gophers.

In the western part of the country the prairie dog may cause
some trouble. These are easily destroyed by the use of carbon
bisulphate or poison, directions for using which will be given on
inquiry.

PLOWING UP ALFALFA

One of the first questions asked by those who are not familiar
with alfalfa is as to how such a strong rooted plant can be
destroyed when once established.

Under ordinary circumstances, alfalfa will doubtless produce
for ten years, although for the sake of rotations it should be
sown more frequently. With a good sharp gang plow, plowing
34 to 4 inches deep, there is little or no difficulty in plowing it
up. It will require perhaps one-fourth more power if the stand
is quite thick. Alfalfa is usually pastured for a year or so before
it is plowed up. This weakens the plants to some extent and
the field is more easily plowed up. If the ground is wet when
plowed and is worked down, it is not uncommon for a good
many plants to continue growing. This may be overcome by
plowing the alfalfa up after the last cutting in summer when

Save the Alfalfa Leaves 29

the land is usually dry and leaving the ground for some time
without working down.

Another practice isto plow the ground only about three
inches deep and then immediately harrow with a peg tooth
harrow. This will drag out practically all the roots. After they
have been exposed for a week or ten days, the land may be
plowed six to eight inches deep and these crowns turned under.
They are very rich in fertility and should not be raked off the
field. If the ground is to be put into small grain, they of course
would not interfere very greatly with the seeding and may be
left on the field.

ALFALFA IN ROTATION

Alfalfa is not considered adapted to use in rotations, but
there is very little ground for this assumption. It is just as
easy to start asred clover, and if the ground is inoculated and in
proper condition it will make as much growth as red clover.
Once alfalfa is well established, itis hardly considered practical
to plow itup for at least five years.

Being a very deep-rooted plant, alfalfa is able to draw on the
food supply deep in the soil. This fact renders it more beneficial
than any other crop as it allows the surface fertility to accumu-
late for succeeding crops. There are on record many instances
of the increase in crops following alfalfa. Reports from the
northwest show the yields of crops following alfalfa to be greatly
increased, in many cases doubled, depending on the length of
time the alfalfa was allowed to remain on the field.

As the price of alfalfa and clover seed is practically the same,
there is little doubt but that as good or better results will be
secured by sowing alfalfa in a rotation as are secured with red
clover.

Sweet Clover

There are two varieties of sweet clover that are gaining favor
as hay and pasture crops, the white and the yellow flowered.
These plants are closely related to alfalfa, but they are biennials,
that is, a single plant lives only two years. However, the sweet
clovers are such persistent seed producers, the seed of such high
vitality, and the young plants so vigorous, that when once
established, it appears to live from year to year. The ordinary
methods of mowing it at random along the roadsides or on
abandoned or unoccupied lots or fields, has little apparent effect.

Sweet clover is considered by most farmers as a bad weed.
It, however, has long had friends who have learned its value,
and recently, especially in the drier sections and on poor soil, it

30 Alfalfa Makes Cheap Beef

is gaining much favor as a pasture and hay crop. The fact that
it has a rather repulsive odor and taste, and that stock do not
eat it to any great extent are the faults usually placed against
it. However when stock are confined to sweet clover pasture,
they soon learn to like it and fatten. very rapidly, and there
seems to be no trouble from animals bloating on clover as there
often is with alfalfa. In Colorado, along the railroads, there
are many plants of sweet clover that have been eaten off by
range cattle. In feeding value, alfalfa and sweet clover are
very nearly equal.

The white sweet clover seems to give best satisfaction for
both hay and pasture. For hay, the plants must be cut early—
about the time the first blooms appear. At this time the
repulsive odor and taste are not so noticeable as at later stages of
growth. Early cutting is best, because a second growth will
come immediately and produce a second cutting or a seed crop.
The yield of hay is reported to be equal to or greater than alfalfa.
The handling of a seed crop is somewhat more difficult than
alfalfa, as it shatters very badly. It is also essential that sweet
clover be cut high—about four inches—the first time or there
is danger of killing many of the plants.

The requirements of sweet clover as to preparation of seed
bed, method of seeding, amount of seed per acre, etc., are prac-
tically the same as for alfalfa. It is not probable that sweet
clover will be found better than alfalfa, where the latter can be
grown successfully, but in the drier sections or on land that
does not grow alfalfa readily, it certainly is worth while making
a trial of sweet clover. The agricultural papers lately have
published many instances of successful trials of sweet clover.
For lack of space these are not reproduced here.

SUMMARY

1. Alfalfa is being grown successfully in every part of the
northwest, but is not fully appreciated.

2. Farmers are rapidly coming to realize that live stock must
be raised on every farm, and that alfalfa is the surest and best
feed to be raised.

3. Alfalfa is not difficult to grow — will withstand more heat
and drouth than red clover the first year, and when well estab-
lished on good land will produce crops for many years, almost
regardless of weather conditions.

4. The requirements of the alfalfa plant are easily aoe when
its nature is understood. The very small seed, producing a
single tap root, requires: a firm seed bed so that the moisture
may be brought near the surface; manure for plant food; and

Sweet Clover Sef

soil from an old field, or pure culture to inoculate the soil.

5. Grimm alfalfa holds first place as to hardiness. Montana
isa close second. Only hardy northern grown seed is successful
in Minnesota and the Dakotas. Do not experiment with south-
ern grown seed.

6. Alfalfa growers agree on essentials. Precede alfalfa by a
cultivated crop, potatoes best—and manure land. Plow deep
the year previous to conserve moisture. Fall plow and manure.
Spring plowing should be very shallow, and packer used to firm
the soil. Disk and harrow to kill weeds until the middle of
June. If there is plenty of moisture one inch below surface of
soil, drill eight to twelve pounds of seed per acre alone, or with
three pecks of beardless barley. If season is dry, cut barley for
hay before mature. Clip weeds every two weeks, but not so late
as to leave field bare. If seed is sown broadcast, use sixteen to
twenty-four pounds per acre.

7. Cut the alfalfa for hay when one-tenth in bloom. Never
cut or pasture so late that there is not a good growth for winter
protection. Save the leaves as they are richer than bran.

8. Try alfalfa in rows for seed production—give frequent
cultivation. Transplanting alfalfa has gained much favor—is
worthy of a careful trial.

9. Old alfalfa fields need cultivation, disking, renovating, or
cultivating with spring-tooth harrow. Manuring alfalfais profit-
able—try it. It is not safe to pasture cattle or sheep on alfalfa,
but an alfalfa field is a hog’s idea of heaven.

10. Alfalfa excels every other crop, in yield, in feeding value,
as a drouth resister, as a soil enricher, is not as difficult to grow
as clover and gives double the yield. After you have failed as
often with alfalfa as you have with wheat, try sweet clover. Do
not expect to know all about this new-old crop at once. It is
necessary to grow into growing it, but make a beginning and
Grow Alfalfa.

svar eorex MMMM

The following is a partial list of available uraita a8
Write some of these addresses for such literature as they issue
on the subject:

North Dakota Ag¢gricultural College Bulletin, 95-3, Fargo, N. Dak.
University of Wisconsin, Circular 35, Madison, Wis.
The Pennsylvania State College, State College, Pa.
Agricultural Experiment Station, Bulletin 113-181, Wooster, Ohio
Agricultural Experiment Station, Geneva, N. Y.
University of Missouri, Bulletin 106-40, Columbia, Mo.
Agricultural Experiment Station, Bulletin 94-120-133-141, Brook-
ings, S. Dak.
The University of Minnesota, Bulletin 6-18, University Farm, St.
Paul, Minn.
Michigan Aégriculitural College, Bulletin 271, East Lansing, Mich.
Aéricultural Experiment Station, Circular 36, Lafayette, Ind.
Iowa Experiment Station, Bulletin 137, Ames, Iowa
University of Illinois, Bulletin 76-134-146, Urbana, III.
Agricultural Experiment Station, Bulletin 155-176, Manhattan, Kans.
** Alfalfa’? Farmers’ Bulletin 194-339
Utah State Bulletin No. 126
U. S. Department of Agriculture, Washington, D. C.
** Alfalfa Growing¢ in Illinois,’’ Bulletin No. 18, H. A. McKeene, Spring-
field, Ill.
** Alfalfa on Every Farm ’”’
** Alfalfa in the Corn Belt ”’
Press Paége No. 1
6eé 66é 6eé 22
** For Better Crops ”’
‘* Alfalfa Growing in Northwest’’
** Ror More and Hardier Alfalfa in Northwest ”’
Alialfa Studies (for Schools)
Lecture Notes for Alfalfa Charts
IHC Agricultural Extension Department, Harvester Bldé., Chicago, Il.
** Alfalfa Production,’’? H. G. Bell, Middle West Soil Improvement
Committee, Chicago, Il.
** Alfalfa— The Money Crop of the Northwest.’? The Northwestern
Line, Chicago, Ill.
** Alfalfa in America’”’ (480 Pages, $2.00), Jos. E. Wins, Mechanics-
burg, Ohio
‘‘*The Book of Alfalfa,’? F. D. Colburn (344 Pages, $2.00), Topeka,
Kans.
**How to Grow Alfalfa in Western Michigan,’’? The Western Rural
Router, Grand Rapids, Mich.

For Information on Inoculation, write, Bacteriological Laboratory,
East Lansing, Mich.

Note: If we can help you in any other way feel at liberty to

write us.

INTERNATIONAL HARVESTER COMPANY OF NEW JERSEY
AGRICULTURAL EXTENSION DEPT.
Grand Forks, N. D., or Harvester Bldg., Chicago

Holling:
pH

Hollinger Corp.
pH 8.5