88 ALFALFA FARMING IN AMERICA, 



straightens up again as soon as it thaws and goes 

 on growing in a few days. No animals should ever 

 be let tread upon it when it is frosted. Indeed 

 it is better for the alfalfa never to be depastured. 



The First Growth. The first growth is usually 

 strongest, perhaps because of the long rest it has 

 had during winter, and * maybe because of 

 more abundant soil moisture in the spring. 

 In Ohio it begins to bloom in late May or 

 early in June. In more southern states it 

 blooms earlier; sometimes in Louisiana it will 

 bloom in April, or even earlier. The height of 

 alfalfa at blooming time varies with the soil and 

 variety. Ordinarily it is about 30 to 40" high. In 

 very good alfalfa soils with abundant irrigation and 

 good suns, it may be much higher. The writer has 

 grown it on his old Utah ranch fields so tall that only 

 the heads of the deer were visible as they stood 

 nearly submerged in alfalfa verdure. In some soils 

 where roots cannot go deep it may not get higher 

 than 24". 



Time to Cut. When bloom begins time is near for 

 alfalfa harvest. One cannot judge by state of bloom 

 altogether when alfalfa should be cut, however. 

 Perhaps in some western soils it does not matter 

 when it is cut ; no great harm results from cutting it 

 at the wrong season. In all eastern regions, how- 

 ever, it is very necessary that it should be cut at the 

 right time. Failure to know when to cut it often re- 

 sults in losing altogether the thrift of the next cut- 

 ting, and maybe losing the alfalfa completely. One 



