TRANSACTIONS OF STATE AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. 101 



For hay production a thick stand should be aimed at, as the hay will 

 be finer, less woody, and more nutritious than when the stand is thin. 

 The time of seeding varies with the locality, the season being October 

 or November for fall sowing and February to April for spring sowing. 

 The object is to sow when there is sufficient moisture to sprout the seed 

 and bring the young plant to the third or fourth leaf before killing 

 frosts occur. By far the greater amount of planting is done in the 

 spring, and the writer favors February as the time in which to sow. 

 This will give the young plant a good start in growth before the spring 

 moisture is dried out of the ground, and it usually escapes being killed by 

 frosts. Do not plant a nurse crop unless the land is prepared for flood- 

 ing, and even then the utility of a nurse crop is ver} r doubtful. 



The writer has had best success in planting by sowing the seed upon 

 the evenly plowed field without harrowing and then covering the seed 

 with a brush drag. Delay irrigation until the young growth shades the 

 ground, if possible, as the water packs the land and causes it to bake; 

 and, when commenced, must be continually repeated throughout the 

 entire season. 



Alfalfa Hay. — The making of hay requires considerable skill to pro- 

 duce a first-class article, on account of the nature of the plant. If the 

 hay is stacked or put in barn before the stems are cured, it is liable to 

 heat and mould; and if allowed to get too dry, the leaves will all drop 

 off and a large share of the best part of the forage will be lost. Cut 

 when the field commences to bloom. If allowed to stand until in full 

 bloom or after, the stems become stiff and woody and are not so fit for 

 stock to eat. Cut in the forenoon and rake in the afternoon, and do 

 most of the curing in the windrow and shock. Handle as much as 

 possible in the morning when the hay is damp from the night air. It 

 is best to stack in the field rather than to put at once in barn, as the 

 hay can be put up greener without danger of heating. The art of mak- 

 ing good hay is to be acquired by practice and observation rather than 

 by following directions. The result to be aimed at is to stack it when 

 it is just sufficiently cured to keep without heating, and yet green 

 enough for the leaves not to drop off. 



Crop. — The number of cuttings in this county are from four to six per 

 season. During the heated season with plenty of moisture a crop will 

 be ready to cut every four or five weeks. When grown for seed, the 

 second crop is the one usually saved for this purpose. The first crop 

 does not seed so well. The yield is variable from year to year. Prob- 

 ably three hundred to six hundred pounds to the acre is the average. 

 The seed weighs sixty pounds to the bushel. 



Pure Seed. — In buying seed, look out for weed seed, especially Johnson 

 grass. This seed is easily seen, as it is very much larger than alfalfa 



