Alfalfa in Kansas. 213 



expert using a good hand lens. Occasionally seed of two of the bur 

 clovers (Medicago arabica and Medicago denticulata) are used in the 

 adulteration of alfalfa seed. Fortunately, however, the number of cases 

 of actual adulteration of alfalfa seed in this country is comparatively 

 small. The situation that the farmer ordinarily has to contend with is 

 seed of low vitality and seed containing a considerable percentage of 

 weed seeds. 



KEEPING THE WEEDS OUT. 



In order to get a stand of alfalfa free from weeds two things are 

 plainly necessary. First, land free from weed seeds, and second, alfalfa 

 seed free from weed seeds. No matter how clean the alfalfa seed, if the 



land is foul with crab grass, foxtail 

 and other weeds the alfalfa crop will 

 suffer, and the seedsman will often get 

 the blame that properly belongs to 

 the grower himself. To get alfalfa 

 land free from weeds it is often the 

 best plan to run it in a succession of 

 cultivated crops for several years un- 

 til most of the weed seeds in the soil 

 have sprouted and died. 



Where alfalfa is to be sown in the 

 spring, the land should be plowed as 

 early as possible and then disked or 

 cultivated with either the common or 

 the Acme harrow every week or ten 



FIG. 192. Dodder^eeds, highly dayg untu pknting time> which ig 



usually well into May. This will re- 

 sult in killing a vast number of weeds. The alfalfa seed should then be 

 planted as soon as possible after a rain, in order that it may germinate 

 and the seedlings may grow as rapidly as possible and thus crowd out the 

 remaining weeds. 



In case of fall seeding after wheat or other spring grain, the stubble 

 should be plowed or disked immediately after harvest and kept disked 

 and harrowed until seeding time. Millet, or cowpeas to be cut for hay 

 make good catch crops to hold the land from the time the spring grains 

 come off until seeding time. In the case of land that is very foul with 

 weed seeds, however, summer fallowing, with frequent harrowings pre- 

 vious to fall seeding, is the best practice. (See "Weeds" in index.) 



HAVE THE ALFALFA SEED TESTED. 



Having cleaned up the ground, the next thing necessary is to be cer- " 

 tain of planting clean seed. Almost any person can tell when a consid- 

 erable quantity of weed seeds are present in a sample of alfalfa seed, but 

 the grower will often overlook smaller amounts of weed seeds that are 

 still present in sufficient quantity to be harmful. This is especially true 

 of dodder, the seeds of which so closely resemble alfalfa in color. 



