558 Report of the Department of Animal Husbandry of the 



favorable, and it is well to sow liberally. An uneven stand is 

 very unsatisfactory. An even stand, where the plants are sev- 

 eral inches apart, will give as large a crop as a much thicker 

 stand, but generally where hay is made, a thick stand is desired. 



The seed should be covered, but the covering of soil should 

 be as thin as possible, except on very light soils in a dry time. 

 Although several methods of sowing the seed have given good 

 results at this Station, the method usually followed has been to 

 sow the seed broadcast and follow with a very light or brush 

 harrow. Sometimes a very successful method is to drill in the 

 seed and harrow very lightly across the drill marks. Sometimes 

 simply rolling after broadcast sowing is desirable. 



It will not pay to sow late in the summer. June sowing is 

 perhaps as late as should be risked. The young plants are hardly 

 able to endure the winter until they have had several months 

 growth, although mature plants appear able to withstand very 

 cold weather if the soil is not wet. The first winter is the hard- 

 est. 



Seed. 



Pure seed is essential. Only bright, plump, clean seeds should 

 be sown, for shrunken seeds may produce weak and worthless 

 plants. The seed resembles that of red clover, but is larger. 

 Fresh seed has a greenish-yellow color, but after it has been 

 kept in the light for a time it becomes reddish brown. Good seed 

 retains its vitality several years if kept under favorable condi- 

 tions. 



The presence of the seed of narrow leaf plantain it is of vital 

 importance to avoid. This is a long brownish seed, like a diminu- 

 tive date seed, and is easily detected without the aid of a glass 

 by any one familiar with it. 



Early Treatment. 



In order to check the growth of weeds a mowing machine can 

 be run over the field of young alfalfa with the cutting-bar raised 

 to avoid cutting near the crowns of the young plants. If the 

 clipping is not too heavy it can be left on the field, and will serve 



