THIRTEENTH ANNUAL YEAR BOOK— PART XII 693 



A number of the most successful growers report that they disk their 

 alfalfa every spring. Still others disk after the second and third cuttings. 



The ordinary disk has no doubt been used more generally for this 

 purpose than any other implement, but it is not nearly so good an im- 

 plement as the spring-tooth harrow or the alfalfa renovator. "While in- 

 dependent plants sometimes develop from portions of the crown of the 

 alfalfa which are cut off by the disk, this hardly happens often enough 

 to be of great value in thickening the stand, while the plants may be in- 

 jured by presenting a favorable opening for fungus diseases. Whatever 

 benefit is derived from cultivation with the disk is due to other factors 

 than that of an increased number of plants. 



The spring-tooth harrow, constructed of stiff springs ending in small 

 shovels, which are in continual vibration as they pass through the soil, 

 is very efficient in removing the weeds and grass, without in any way in- 

 juring the alfalfa plants. Weeds and grass are shallow rooted and are 

 easily pulled up. Alfalfa roots penetrate many feet into the soil and when 

 the narrow shovel of the spring-tooth harrow comes in contact with 

 them, it springs far enough to one side to pass the plant without in- 

 juring it. 



Sometimes the desired results are not secured from cultivation be- 

 cause the work is not thorough enough. Many times the man doing the 

 work is afraid of injuring the alfalfa. We have cultivated alfalfa until 

 it seemed that no living plant could remain, and until the field ap- 

 peared to be a perfectly prepared seed bed, yet the old crowns threw up 

 new shoots and before frost the alfalfa stood 14 inches high, 4 inches 

 higher than other alfalfa on the same field which had not been culti- 

 vated. This increased vigor was due in part to the fact that where the 

 alfalfa was not cultivated the grass was crowding it badly, while on the 

 cultivated portion no weeds were to be seen. Ordinarily we would not 

 recommend so severe treatment as this, but we do wish to impress the 

 necessity of thorough cultivation. 



A correspondent states that on one occasion he disked an alfalfa field 

 thoroughly and seeded it to oats, thinking that the alfalfa was practically 

 gone. Later the alfalfa came on so vigorously as to crowd out the oats, 

 making an excellent growth of alfalfa which was cut for hay. Since 

 then his alfalfa fields have been thoroughly disked to very good advantage, 

 practically every year. 



It is true that excellent stands of alfalfa have been maintained for 

 several years without cultivation, but the blue grass is likely to be 

 found very troublesome after two or three years. This will be found es- 

 pecially true if the alfalfa is pastured at any time. 



TOP DRESSING 



Much benefit has accrued from top dressing the alfalfa field with a 

 good grade of manure, 4 to 6 tons an acre, late in the fall. If this can 

 be scattered with a manure spreader the results will be more satisfactory. 

 Plats treated in this way have given a much greater yield of hay than 

 other parts of the same field not treated. 



