456 ALFALFA FARMING IN AMERICA. 



An ordinary corn drill such as is used in drilling corn in listed 

 furrows can be used by babbitting up the holes in the corn plate 

 and drilling new ones of proper size to drop about 15 alfalfa 

 seeds. If a blank plate is at hand, holes may be drilled into that 

 large enough to drop from 10 to 20 seeds. The germination value 

 of the seed and all factors that tend to lessen the ultimate num- 

 ber of plants must be considered in determining how thickly to 

 seed. The holes should be close enough to drop seeds at intervals 

 of from 8 to 12 inches. 



Lewis Brott, a pioneer dry-land alfalfa seed producer in western 

 Nebraska, has had successful results by using an onion seed 

 plate in a corn drill. 



Rate of Seeding and Thickness of Stand. In mature stands 

 of alfalfa in cultivated rows the plants should average about 1 

 foot apart in the row. To insure this, it is necessary that the 

 plants be much thicker at first, as their mortality under dry 

 conditions is very high. Satisfactory results have been secured 

 by seeding the alfalfa with an ordinary grain drill so set that it 

 would sow 12 pounds of seed per acre with all the holes in opera- 

 tion. With 4 out of every 5 holes stopped up, approximately 

 2 2-5 pounds of seed to the acre will be sown. 



The stand in a cultivated row need be no thicker even at first 

 than that of the rows in ordinary drilled fields, though the rows 

 of the latter are usually only about 8 inches apart. Where the 

 conditions are not favorable, it is usually best to seed more 

 thickly at first than is necessary and to thin out the plants subse- 

 quently to the desired stand. As much as 7 pounds of seed to 

 the acre have been sown in 36-inch rows without producing too 

 thick a stand for satisfactory results during the first season. 

 This rate of seeding is equivalent to 30 pounds per acre drilled in 

 the usual way under conditions of sufficient moisture with the 

 rows 8 inches apart. 



If difficulty is experienced in making the drill feed slowly 

 enough, it may be overcome for the most part by mixing corn 

 chop with the alfalfa seed or by reducing the feed in the grain 

 drill with strips of leather. 



Millet or other seed of similar size may be rendered ungermina- 

 ble by heating thoroughly in an oven for several hours and then 

 mixed with the alfalfa seed to aid in securing any desired rate 

 of seeding. Sawdust and dry soil are also frequently used for 

 this purpose. 



It is a very good plan to test the drill first on bare soil with 

 the shoes not touching the ground. In this way it is possible to 

 observe the rate at which the seed is being dropped, and thus a 

 proper regulation of the seeding can be secured. There should 



