PRACTICAL EXPERIENCES 26l 



Francisco, at the rate of $21 per bushel. As the germi- 

 nation was defective, or the seed grown so far away was 

 not adapted to our soil or climatic conditions, a good 

 stand was not at first obtained, but I now have 700 acres 

 on Cottonwood river bottom land, having a clay sub- 

 soil underlaid by a layer of sand 20 feet below, and with 

 a good portion of gumbo, where the best alfalfa grows. 

 The soil is not especially moist until water, 20 to 30 feet 

 below, is reached. My best results have been obtained 

 on corn land, cutting across the rows with a disk harrow, 

 leveling with a plank drag, and sowing, after danger of 

 freezing is past, 20 pounds of seed per acre with a disk 

 having seeder attachment, being sure to have all the seed 

 covered. I cut the weeds off with a mower, and leave 

 them on the ground. After the first year my average 

 product annually for 10 or 12 years has been about five 

 tons per acre. That permitted to ripen seed yields three 

 to five bushels per acre. I do not irrigate. The plant 

 will thrive on upland having a clay subsoil without a 

 stratum of hardpan. Grazed closely late in the fall, it is 

 liable to die out in a dry winter. 



Benj. Brown, Osborne county. — I have had four years' 

 experience with alfalfa growing in this country, and have 

 also grown it in England, without any irrigation, and 

 now have 45 acres. The land is bottom rising to second 

 bottom, with vegetable loam and some gumbo in the 

 upper portion, and loam subsoil, similar to surface, but 

 somewhat paler, for 15 feet down. Well water is found 

 by digging 11 to 22 feet through the soil, which is 

 usually moist except in dry weather, when the upper two 

 or three feet are not. It has been found best to plow six 



