ARID AGRICULTURE. 



131 



PREPARATION Sowing alfalfa in the sod or on sod land sel- 

 dom results favorably. Alfalfa seed has become 

 scarce and expensive and should never be wasted 

 or thrown away in a poor seedbed. New land 

 should be cultivated in some other crop at least 

 one year before it is seeded to alfalfa. The seed- 

 bed should be moist and well packed. On this 

 account it is advisable to plow in the fall. Where 

 irrigation is practiced too much care cannot be 

 given. The careful leveling and smoothing of 

 land which is to be seeded to alfalfa is necessary. 

 The crop is to remain on the soil for from two 

 to ten or more years, and avoiding future ex- 

 pense of difficult irrigating will pay many times 

 over. It is well carefully to level the ground 

 and then try it by giving a flood irrigation before 

 the seed is planted. If there are holes or bumps 

 which are hard to irrigate, go on again with the 

 Fresno scraper, land grader or home-made level- 

 er. Either irrigation or sufficient length of 

 time and attention given to conservation of 

 moisture should always be practiced before 

 planting alfalfa seed. It is important that there 

 should be enough moisture in the soil to germi- 

 nate the seed and give the plants their first few 

 weeks of growth until they get eight or ten inches 

 high before another irrigation becomes neces- 

 sary. 



Where the seasons are short alfalfa should be 

 sown as early in the spring as the ground can be 



