FOR BETTER CROPS 



Seeding Alfalfa iu the Middle West — In the region from 

 the Mississippi river to the western limit of tiie rain belt, alfalfa 

 thrives well, but more care is needed to get stands than in the 

 arid region proper. Spring sowings are usual, without a nurse 

 crop. A better plan is to plow the land early in Si)ring or dur- 

 ing the winter, and to work it up with disk or harrow as soon 

 as the growing season has started weed life, and thereafter to 

 harrow it after ever}' rain until some time in late May or June, 

 when the seed may be sown with confidence that it will not be 

 choked with weeds, and that there will be enough moisture 

 stored in the soil to carry it triumphantly through the hot 

 summer. The essential thing in this plan is, however, to be 

 certain to harrow thoroughly after every rain, not only to 

 destroy germinating weeds, but to conserve all of the moisture. 

 When the seed is sown it should be sown if possible with a drill, 

 about one and one-half or two inches deep Earlier in the 

 season it is not necessary to sow it so deep. The depth that 

 alfalfa seed may be sown varies according to the soil, but in 

 most of this region the soils are black, loose and loamy. 



Field Seeding in lo^va — A method that has given ver}' fine 

 results for the past few years has been practiced in Iowa ; it is 

 the sowing after a crop of wheat or oats in mid-summer. To 

 accomplish this the crop of wheat or oats is removed as early as 

 possible and at once the land is plowed. Each day what is 

 plowed is prepared with care to permit the escape of as little 

 moisture as possible. The alfalfa seed is sown alone. It needs 

 no clipping that year, goes safely through the winter and the 

 next year gives three large crops of hay. The advantage of this 

 method is that there is no loss of land and no trouble with 

 weeds or fox tail grass, the great pest of alfalfa growers in the 

 corn belt. Should the late summer prove unusually dry, this 

 method might not be successful, and in case it is to be sown on 

 clay that naturally freezes and thaws often during the winter 

 and heaves badly, the young alfalfa roots might not be strong 

 enough to resist. Thus far, however, it has given excellent 

 results at the Iowa experiment station and is being adopted in 

 other parts of that state. It is probably a system adapted to 

 Illinois conditions, especially in the northern part. 



Need of Manure in Iowa and Illinois — The soils of this 

 region are black and quite rich. And yet for many years they 

 refused to grow profitable crops of alfalfa. It was found to be 

 very difficult to grow alfalfa upon them. When it did grow it 

 seemed often to be without nodules upon the roots, and there- 

 fore devoid of bacteria. A few years ago it was discovered 

 that when stable manure was spread upon that seemingly fat, 

 black land, alfalfa was easily established upon it and inoculation 

 came naturally and abundantly, Now on all the soils of this 



