REPORT OF MR. W. H. FAIRFIELD 



SESSIONAL PAPER No. 16 



471 



seeding was done, so that practically every seed sown came up. As a rule, such con- 

 ditions cannot be relied upon, so five or ten pounds of seed do not always give as good 

 a stand as was here obtained. Observation and experience in this district would indi- 

 cate that it pays to sow about twenty pounds of seed per acre on irrigated land. 



A field of 2.S acre's of alfalfa sown in 1908 was irrigated June 8, August 4 and 

 October 5 and yielded as follows : — 



First cutting . . 

 Second cutting . 

 Third cutting . 



Date Cut. 



Total for season . 



June 21 



July 26 



September 19.. 



Yield 

 per Acre. 



Tons. 



1 



1 



1 



Lbs 



1,630 



1,705 



500 



1,835 



A field of 3^ acres was seeded in 1909. It was irrigated June 10, July 2 and not 

 again till after the third cutting. The fact of it not being irrigated after the second 

 cutting accounts for the very light third crop. 



Yield 

 per Acre. 



First cutting June 22 



Second cutting . . ! August 3.. 



Third cutting September 19 



Total for season 



Another small field of .89 acres was seeded in 1909. It was irrigated June 13 and 

 August 2. 



MIXTURE OF GRASSES AND ALFALFA. 



Where alfalfa is sown with a mixture of grasses such as timothy, rye grass, etc., 

 the hay can be cut only twice during the season instead of three times, owing to the 

 fact that the grasses are not ready to cut until some time in July, which allows time 

 for only one more cutting to come on, while alfalfa when grown alone must be cut the 

 first time about June 25 if three cuttings are desired. After the grasses have been cut 

 in July, they make little growth, so that the second cutting is practically pure alfalfa. 

 The following table gives the results of three plots of one-quarter acre each, sown in 

 1908. They were irrigated twice in 1910, on June 10 and August 5, and again in tlio 

 fall, on October 3. The first cutting was made on July 13 and the second cutting 

 August 24. 



