122 ARID AGRICULTURE. 



lias furnished a considerable portion of the sup- 

 ply. Very few have planted alfalfa for the pur- 

 pose of producing seed. When alfalfa fields gel 

 old, run out, and the plants thin so that they do 

 not produce sufficient yield of hay, it is the com- 

 mon practice to leave them for seed. Such fields 

 give yields of from two to seven bushels of seed 

 per acre. Old plants produce small amounts of 

 seed. For large crops young and vigorous plants 

 are necessary. There are three secrets in suc- 

 cessful alfalfa seed production. First, isolation 

 of the plant ; second, young and vigorous plants ; 

 third, favorable conditions of growth. 



METHOD or Alfalfa for seed should not be sown as the 



PLANTING 

 FOR SEED 



PLAN-] ordinary hay crop. To secure plants which arc 



far enough apart to make strong, thrifty growth ; 

 to secure proper fertilization of the flowers ; to 

 prevent crowding; to favor cultivation and irri- 

 gation, seed should be thinly sown in rows from 

 two and one-half to three and one-half feet apart. 

 The method recommended is to take off the shoes 

 or stop up the holes of a drill to make the rows as 

 wide as wanted, and then plant as little seed as 

 possible (two or three pounds per acre). The 

 small amount of seed may be mixed with ashes 

 or soil to help spread it evenly. When the plants 

 come up, if they are too thick in the row, they 

 may be spaced with a hoe, as with sugar beets, 

 or when very small may be harrowed crosswise 

 to take out part of the plants. 



