302 STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



Alfalfa has a long period of bloom and some of the earlier pods 

 mature long: before the later pods, so that it is sometimes difficult to 

 determine the best time to harvest the crop. The harvestiui; should 

 be done at the time that will permit the savinjj of the largest amount 

 of well matured seed. Usually this is shortly before the earliest pods 

 begin to shatter their seeds and when about one-half to three-fourths 

 of the pods are brown. The harvesting of the seed cro]) should not 

 differ materially from Dig harvesting of clover seed, the most iniportant 

 C(»nsideration being iv) handle the crop in such a way as to prevent 

 the shattering of the seed. The cutting should be done when the alfalfa 

 is somewhat toughened by dcAv. A self-rake reaper or mower with a side 

 delivery attachment should be used to prevent the team from tramping 

 out the seed. The crop should be handled as little as possible and should 

 preferably be stacked before dry enough to lose any seed and be 

 allowed to remain in the stack for several weeks before threshing but 

 may be placed in small bunches while in a tough condition and threshed 

 from the field if the weather is favorable. 



PLACE FOR ALFALFA ON THE FARM. 



Aside from its value as a soil improver there are three important 

 places that alfalfa may occupy on the Michigan farm, as follows: Seeded 

 alone as a hay crop; seeded alone as a pasture crop for hogs and under 

 certain conditions for other classes of stock, and for mixing with the 

 grasses and clovers for meadows and pastures for all kinds of stock. 



Under soil conditions favorable for the growing of this crop, it is 

 generally advisable to use the alfalfa for all three of these purposes. A 

 good stand of alfalfa may be expected to produce more hay than any 

 of the grasses or clovers and the annual risk and expense of seeding is 

 largely done awav with. Every general or stock farmer should seed a 

 small acreage near the barn as a pasture for hogs. On many farms a 

 portion of the soil is only fairly well suited to the growing of alfalfa 

 besides some of the grasses should be seeded to produce a hay for the 

 horses and to avoid the danger of bloating when used for i)asture, so 

 that it does not seem practicable to devote all of the seeded area of 

 the farm to alfalfa. Even under these conditions alfalfa if seeded with 

 some of the grasses and clovers usually proves to be a very valuable 

 part of the mixture. The seeding alone of a large acreage at the first 

 attempt is not recommended, as the risk of failure in the hands of the 

 inexj)erienced grower is too great, but the alfalfa seed should be mixed 

 with the regular seeding of clover as suggested above and should also 

 be seeded alone on a small acreage and this increa.sed from year to year 

 until the desired acreage is secured. 



Alfalfa is a leguminous plant, and closely related to the clovers, 

 cow peas, beans, etc.. and like thom is able with the aid of the bacteria 

 which live in the nodules on the roots to take its supply of nitrogen 

 from the atmosphere. It thus improves the soil in the same way clover 

 does. However, after the alfalfa has been seeded in the field for several 

 years and the nitrogen content of the soil increased by the decay of 

 roots, nodules, stubble, leaves, etc., the crop will feed on the nitrates 

 made from this source and will take a smaller percentage of its nitrogen 

 from the atmosphere. The alfalfa then does not do as much to build up 



