PLANTS OF THE CLOVER FAMILY. 97 



If the plants are sown too thinly they make coarse 

 hay. Of the two extremes, excessive seed sowing 

 is the least harmful since the tendency is constant for 

 the plants to become thinner. 



The seed is usually sown about as early in the 

 spring as the ground is ready to till. But it may be 

 possible to sow the plants so early in the season in 

 certain climates that the newly sprouted plants will 

 succumb to a severe spring frost. But when they 

 do, of course, the seed can again be sown. With 

 alfalfa as with many other plants, better results will 

 probably be obtained by sowing late enough to 

 insure continuous growth. In mild latitudes it may 

 be possible to sow when the late fall rains come, but 

 the hazard to the young plants in the winter follow- 

 ing is to be reckoned with. 



Cultivation. Ordinarily no cultivation is given 

 to alfalfa. But in some parts of the continent of 

 Europe where labor is cheap, it is planted in rows, 

 and hand hoed, to give the plants opportunity to 

 develop favorably, but in this country such hand 

 labor would be too costly. It is important that the 

 roots be strong and vigorous when they enter the 

 first winter, as that is usually the greatest period of 

 hazard to the young plants. When grown on upland 

 it is not common to use the crop for food the first 

 season. But it may be necessary and highly advan- 

 tageous to run the field mower over it once or oftener 

 to prevent the ripening of the weeds that are pretty 

 certain to grow in it. Close cutting would seem to 

 be more beneficial to the young plants than cutting 

 less closely, owing probably to the better adjustment 

 of the relations as to moisture present in the soil a.n4 

 7 



