56 Kansas State Board of Agriculture. 



Elk county: "One of the most injurious things I know of is the 

 practice of cutting young alfalfa too soon; it is nearly certain death to 

 cut before in bloom." 



Labette county: "Repeated clipping of spring-sown alfalfa with the 

 mower set rather high will get rid of weeds. Clip often enough so that 

 raking is not necessary." 



Kingman county: "Big weeds can be kept down by mowing often, but 

 crab grass and other like weeds are hard to control." 



Jackson county: "Clip with the mower two or three times the first 

 year. Alfalfa never yields much the first and second years on upland. 

 Mow regularly and be patient." 



Logan county: "Mow when the alfalfa plant is about 12 or 15 inches 

 high, setting the cutter par just as high as possible." 



Mitchell county : "I find the best way to destroy weeds is to mow them 

 off a little above the young alfalfa." 



Osage county: "Use the mowing machine with the cutter bar set high. 

 Coarse weeds very seldom injure a stand if clipped before they become 

 woody." 



Mitchell county : "Keep them clipped off but not too closely. If heavy 

 enough to smother the young alfalfa, rake and remove." 



Seward county: "I let them all come together till the alfalfa is in 

 bloom and then cut with the mower." 



Scott county: "It is impossible to destroy the weeds the first year. The 

 second year the alfalfa will do it if you have a good stand." 



Hodgeman county : "Mow as soon as they get above the sickle bar and 

 'fire it into 'em' every time, the first season. Disk early the second year." 



Johnson county: "The first alfalfa I ever raised, fifteen or more years 

 ago, the grass and weeds were about to take. I disked one way. Then I 

 disked it the other way. It seemed to help." 



(See pages 241 and 332.) 



WEEDS IN OLD ALFALFA. 



The question was asked, "When crab grass, foxtail or blue grass begin 

 to get a hold on a field of alfalfa, how should the field be treated?" Forty- 

 five per cent of the growers expressed the opinion that the only thing to 

 do is to plow the field ; 44 per cent suggested remedies, where the infesta- 

 tion is not too great; nearly 11 per cent, located in the western third of 

 the state, said that they are not seriously troubled in this way ; and some 

 growers asserted that while nothing seems to control blue grass, crab grass 

 and foxtail may be controlled. Of those suggesting remedies, nearly 73 

 per cent recommended cultivation in early spring and immediately fol- 

 lowing the different cuttings, 27 per cent recommended mowing, and a few 

 growers reported that burning over the field in early spring will help. 

 Here are some of the reports : 



Russell county: "We have no crab grass here, but we have foxtail. I 

 plow it up when it is too bad. If we can get the alfalfa one year old, 

 foxtail won't hurt it." 



Wabaunsee county: "If the grass is on account of a thin stand it 

 should be plowed up and reseeded, otherwise disking may do good." 



Rawlins county: "Disk thoroughly, running the disk plates nearly 

 straight." 



