62 THE MONTHLY BULLETIN. 



We can also buy the inoculating material, " f armogerm, " or 

 "nitragin," and apply to the seed. These are kept by deafers, and it 

 costs 50 cents to treat twenty pounds of seed. Some contend that this 

 is the better method. 



If the spring-sown alfalfa is Aveedy and likely to be choked ont, it 

 ought to be cut before the weed seeds form. In this case the cutting 

 knives should be set rather high so as not to injure the crown. Lower 

 cutting, after bloom commences, does no harm. Sowing a little alfalfa 

 seed two or three years before the regular seeding will often inoculate 

 the soil. 



HARROWING. 



An alfalfa harrow, a spike-toothed disk, is even better than a spring- 

 toothed harrow for cultivating alfalfa. This loosens the ground, lets 

 in the air, conserves the moisture and kills the weeds. Even the split- 

 ting of the crowns of the alfalfa some claim may be of use. This is 

 thought b}^ some to increase the production ten per cent. ]\Iany do this 

 the second season only in spring; others, after the first three cuttings, 

 and not a few cultivate after each cutting. The short teeth of the 

 alfalfa harrow, or renovator (Fig. 12), are especially desirable, as they 

 serve every purpose and do not tear the plants, though the alfalfa may 

 be harrowed quite severely, with no appreciable damage. In the sub- 

 irrigated river bottoms of the Sacramento Valley, the spring-toothed 

 harrow has often given much better satisfaction than has the alfalfa 

 harrow. 



THE HAY CROP. 



The best use for the "King of Crops" is for ha3^ It takes thirty to 

 forty days in favorable weather to grow the crop. In the East two 

 cuttings are the limit, while in Arizona and California five to nine have 

 been possible in the long hot seasons with irrigation. The rule should 

 be to cut as often as is possible, remembering that we should wait only 

 until it is about one tenth in bloom, or, better, until the new growths 

 start well from the crown of the plants. These sprouts should be an 

 inch long. If we cut at this time, we secure more digestible protein than 

 if we cut later. In the East, weather, especially frost, limits the season, 

 while in California there may be no limit. We can make hay while the 

 sun shines, and that is well-nigh perpetual. Again, in the East only 

 one crop, more often none, is secured the first season. This is far from 

 true in California. 



CUTTING AND CURING. 



As soon as the racemes are one tenth in bloom, the cutting should take 

 place. Then the plants have highest feeding value, and the early cut- 

 ting favors a large production for the next crop. This course also 

 increases the number of cuttings. The leaves are very rich in protein, 

 and early cutting increases the holding of the leaves. Frosted alfalfa, 

 should be cut at once, even if only half matured — a suggestion of little 

 worth in California. For horses alfalfa should be more mature before it 

 is cut, and should be fed sparingly — one and one fiftli pounds for every 

 100 pounds of weight of the animal. With these precautions it is 

 excellent. The mower should be started as soon as the dew is off. As 

 soon as the herbage is well wilted, especially if heavy, shake it up with. 

 the tedder. Before the leaves become brittle, rake it into windrows. 



