If the soil has not previously grown alfalfa it should be inoculated 



at corn-planting time, or the seed may be treated with a good bac- 



e before seeding. The corn is cut for silage or fodder, 



and unless the stubbles are harrowed down the following spring they 



will cause considerable trouble with the first cutting. 



Quack Grass Fiercest of all Farm Weeds 



Weeds are always with us and they profoundly affect all our 

 methods of crop production. Canada thistles are no match for an 

 established field of alfalfa when the two plants come into a hand-to- 

 hand combat for possession of the soil. But not so with the fiercest 

 of all farm weeds quack grass. 



This dreaded enemy will get the best of alfalfa unless badly in- 

 fested soils are freed of its aggressive growth by cultivated crops or 

 summer fallow before the alfalfa is seeded. Even then a few spots 

 of quack may appear throughout the field, and no matter how thick 

 the alfalfa may be these spots will survive in spite of its rapid growth 

 and frequent cuttings. Though we can grow good crops of alfalfa 

 hay, even though the field may contain a few patches of quack grass, 

 we can never hope to eradicate this weed with alfalfa as we can get 

 rid of Canada thistles. 



Helpless as a New-Born Babe 



With all due credit to alfalfa as a weed fighter, it must be stated 

 that during its first six months of growth it is quite as helpless as a 

 new-born babe to control those too numerous common weeds of the 

 farm, such as foxtail, pigweed, lamb's-quarters, and so on. While 

 they menace alfalfa in its early stages they seldom cause sufficient 

 injury to the stand to require any attention in the way of control 

 except for those weed-killing cultural practices which are applied to 

 the soil before the alfalfa is seeded. 



Weeds May be a Protection 



Last August I visited a number of newly seeded alfalfa fields in a 

 central state. Some of them had been sown with a nurse crop last 

 spring; others had been sown alone in June. They were all very 

 weedy. 



"Where in the world do all those weeds come from? My land is 

 usually not weedy and I use good, clean seed. What shall we do 

 about them?" These were universal questions wherever I went. 



"Let them alone," I replied. "They are short and nearly ripe 

 now and will soon stop growing. This winter the dead stalks will 

 hold the snow and prevent winter injury from alternate freezing 

 and thawing. The dry weather^has been favorable to their growth. 

 They do some damage, but cutting them close to the surface would 

 hurt the alfalfa still more. 



Clipping First Year to be Avoided 



"It's only when weeds get up about two feet high, and are 

 so thick that the alfalfa is in danger of actually being crowded out, 

 that clipping should be practiced. Then get out your mower and 

 whack them off, setting the cutting bar at least 'six inches above the 

 ground, so as to cut as little of the alfalfa and as much of the weeds 

 as possible. Haul off the clippings before they smother the plants 



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