THIRTEENTH ANNUAL YEAR BOOK— PART XII 



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almost universal success has been secured from seeding in the spring 

 with a small grain crop, we believe that when the work is thoroughly 

 done the greatest success is had on most soils from late summer seeding. 



LATE SUMMER SEEDING 



On most Iowa soils, the surest method of securing a stand is to plow 

 in the spring or the preceding fall and summer-fallow the land; then 

 seed the middle of August, having turned under a good application of 

 mapure, and worked in lime and inoculated soil. This statement is sub- 

 stantiated by extensive observations and by a large number of reports 

 from practical men over the state. 



TABLE XX. 

 Spring and Late Summer Seeding Compared. 



While this method costs more in labor than some of the other methods, 

 it is also true that often the yield the following year is considerably 

 greater. 



If the work is thoroughly done and the land cultivated repeatedly 

 throughout the summer, there is little chance of failure of the alfalfa 

 seedings, even in very dry seasons such as those of 1910 and 1911. In 

 fact during these dry summers when 90 per cent or more of the clover 

 seedings were lost, by far the larger part of the alfalfa seedings made in 

 this way were successful. 



If alfalfa seeding is to follow the removal of a winter wheat crop, an 

 early cutting of red clover or oats cut early for hay, the land is pre- 

 pared much as though for summer fallowing. It is very important that 

 the crop be gotten off the land at the earliest possible date, manure ap- 

 plied and the land disked and plowed. This method has been used more 

 generally than seeding on summer fallowed land. When the work has 

 been thorough and commenced as early as possible, it has been very satis- 

 factory except in seasons of very low rainfall. Nearly all seedings made 

 in this way in 1910 were successful, as were also many of those made in 

 1911. The summer fallow is, however, considered as the surer, when the 

 work is thorough. 



The chief advantage of fall seeding lies in the fact that the land may 

 be quite well freed from weeds before the alfalfa is sown. The main 

 disadvantages are that more work will be required to keep the land in 

 such condition as will insure a sufficient supply of moisture, and also 

 that insect ravages are likely to be more fatal to August seedings. 



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