rapidly increasing the seed supply of new varieties by making a 

 "little seed go a long ways." But in the humid areas of the East 

 and Middle West, seed production is not a practical or general suc- 

 cess. 



High Priced Seed. 



Here, alfalfa seed, at such excessive prices of from one to two 

 dollars a pound has been advertised and sold for transplanting on 

 the basis of one acre only requiring about one pound of seed. If 

 transplanting were successful for hay production or seed production 

 in the humid states the price of the seed would not be of serious 

 consequence, but in the light of our experience in Wisconsin it appears 

 to us that transplanting has been primarily advocated by some as 

 a means of selling special varieties of alfalfa at fabulous sums. 



When to Cut Alfalfa 



first crop of alfalfa should be cut when the field is in the 

 advanced bud or has just begun to bloom. Of course, we cannot 

 give any set date for this cutting but it will come about the last of 

 May or the first of June, depending much on the season. Just at the 

 time the flower buds have formed at the top of the plant and per- 

 haps a few of them have already blossomed, it is well to examine 

 the crowns of plants in several places throughout the field. (Fig. 6.) 



Watch for the New Sprouts 



Here at the base of the stems will be found the little shoots or 

 sprouts which produce the second growth and crop. They may be 

 very small and you may not find many. It is best then to wait for 

 a few days before cutting until you can observe a considerable num- 

 ber of these tiny little leaves and stems sprouting from the base of 

 the alfalfa plants. When they have reached an average length of 

 from one quarter to three quarters of an inch the cutting stage is 

 at hand. The experienced alfalfa grower knows only too well how 

 important it is not to delay the mowing if rain does not interfere. 



The small shoots once started grow very rapidly because after the 

 alfalfa begins to blossom much of its strength is utilized in devel- 

 opment of the second growth. If it becomes two to three inches 

 or more in length the sickle will cut the tops off and these small 

 stalks will be checked in their growth. New shoots will then slowly 

 develop from the crowns and the second crop of alfalfa will be delayed 

 from two to three weeks in its growth and harvest. Furthermore, if 

 the soil is infested with blue-grass, or foxtail, or other plant enemies 

 of alfalfa, they may soon take possession of the field and seriously 

 crowd the alfalfa while it is slowly recovering from the effects of 

 having the first and the beginning of the second crop cut at the 

 same time. This is what happens if alfalfa is cut when in full 

 bloom. Furthermore, the delay not only applies to the second crop 

 but the third crop as well, which should never be cut later than the 

 second week in September in the northern states. However, if the 

 third crop is not ready until the middle or latter part of Septem- 



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