FOURTH ANNUAL YEAR BOOK — PART VI. 389 



stood too long and the stems go hard, but my steers and cows ate it 

 well and the hogs pick up the scattered leaves. 



I planted the peas and beans lest the alfalfa should fail to do well, 

 and also with the intention of improving the soil, so that in succeeding 

 years, if the alfalfa grew, it would be improved from the fertility added 

 by the peas and beans. Rains came frequently and the alfalfa made a 

 good stand, but its second crop, which I left standing for winter pro- 

 tection, was not so vigorous as it might have been had I mowed it early 

 to keep down the weeds and make the alfalfa branch out and then cut 

 a second and third time. However, it has stood the winter well thus 

 far and as such soil is not inclined to heave I feel confident of a fine 

 crop this year. I shall cut it three times ^his year just before the seeds 

 form and feel confident that I shall have a fine crop. 



The drainage from a hill seeps under the field in question and the 

 nature of the soil will retain sufficient moisture. Hence I conclude 

 that alfalfa will make this old field the most fruitful ten acres on my 

 farm. I have arranged to get 1,000 pounds of alfalfa infected soil to 

 sow on this field and 200 pounds per acre of steamed bonemeal. Ad- 

 joining the field is a bog of black soil fifteen or twenty feet deep. I 

 shall next fall try the effect of this bog soil hauled out in manure 

 spreaders and put on a portion of this field. 



Two miles from my farm there are eight or ten acres of alfalfa 

 on a hill, which is sandy clay soil, beneath which is a gravel bed at 

 twelve or fifteen feet. The alfalfa is two years old and was cut three 

 times, yielding in all about two and one-half tons. Year before last 

 was drouth year and it did not get a good start, but was cut twice, 

 making about one and one half tons. The third crop produced seed, 

 which fell and materially improved the stand. 



I shall try alfalfa this year as a supplemental crop on seven acres 

 of very sandy soil, which produced one and one half tons of clover 

 and timothy last year. I shall sow ten pounds of alfalfa per acre, disk 

 it lightly and run a drag over it. 



Rape sown with oats produced a fine tall pasture here last year, 

 and sown with corn, when the corn was laid by on June 20th, grew two 

 to two and one half feet high. The corn and rape were pastured down 

 by steers before the cane ripened. The astringent quality of the rape 

 prevented the soft corn from loosening the bowels of the steers. After 

 the steers were yarded, the rape came up again and made good pas- 

 ture during October, November and a part of December for my cows. 



I intend sowing mammoth, clover and rape in that field of corn 

 this year, and plant pumpkins with the corn. I will also plant early 

 one of the earliest varieties of corn and turn steers into part of the 

 field by August 1st before the flies get very bad and before the pas- 

 tures get very dry, and thus grow some November beef. 



Ogle County, Illinois. 



