12 



SUGGESTIONS TO SETTLERS IN COLUMBIA RIVER VALLEY. 



that may be necessary is done immetliateh'. Wliile the soil is still 

 moist from 50 to 60 pounds of rye and about 15 pounds of alfalfa seed 

 per acre should be sown with a grain drill to insure proper covering of 

 the seed. The drill should be provided with a grass-seeder attach- 

 ment that runs the grain and alfalfa seed out together. Because of 

 the rapidity with which the surface of this sandy soil dries, the drill 

 should be set to cover the seed about 3 inches deep. At this season 

 •of the year the weather, soil, and water are all warm, and the rye and 

 alfalfa start quickly provided the soil is kept moist. In starting 

 alfalfa in the autumn it must be sown early enough to make sufficient 

 growth to withstand the fall and winter frosts. 



Instead of sowing rye and alfalfa at the same time, the rye may be 

 sown first. Wlien this is done the land is first irrigated, regraded if 



Flc. !.— TwotriK'tsof land showing the results of secdini; at I lie lighl and a I I lie wrong si-ason of the year. 

 The young 5-acre orchar d on the left was thoroughly irrigated September 15, 1908, and immediately sown 

 to wheat and hairy vetch. The wheat and vetch germinated quickly, made a good growth before winter 

 came on, and kept the soil from blowing. The 5-acre tract to the right of the fence was cleared, leveled, 

 and sown to rye during December, 1908. This was too late in the season, for the rye grew very little 

 during the winter, and completely blew out when the first high wind came about March 1. On April 1 

 when the photograph shown in this illustration was taken, the sand had drifted to the third row of trees 



• In the orchard on the left. 



necessary, and sown to rye some two or three weeks before the time 

 to sow the alfalfa. As soon as the lye is 3 or 4 inches higli the alfalfa 

 is sown w^ith a grain drill. The irrigation furrows are then laid out and 

 the land irrigated again. There are two principal reasons for sowing 

 the rye first: (1) By the time the rye is 3 or 4 inches high the surface 

 soil will be pretty well filled with roots and will not wash so easily in 

 the irrigating furrows; (2) if the ground is filled with roots and cov- 

 ered with a growth of lye, the surface soil will not drift so easily and 

 the young alfalfa plants will be less liable to be cut off by the blowing 

 of the sand. This is very important in seeding steep sandy land that 

 it is difficult to irrigate. 



[Cir. 60] 



