272 THE BOOK OF ALFALFA 



then harrowed with the back part of the harrow or 

 brushed, and seeded with 15 to 20 pounds to the acre, 

 between the first and middle of April. The plant will 

 usually run out the weeds, and on that account no special 

 treatment is needed. The first season will produce a small 

 crop of hay, but no good seed. Unless water is allowed 

 to freeze on the land, alfalfa does not winterkill here, 

 and at two or three years of age it is at its best, continu- 

 ing vigorous for 10, 20 or 30 years without seeding. 

 The first cutting of the season yields about 2^/^ to 3 tons 

 to the acre, the second about 2 to 2^<, and the third i to 

 i)^ tons. The hay is cut when the plant has been in 

 bloom 8 or 10 days, allowed to lie for 24 to 36 hours, 

 and treated as Red clover is. The second crop is always 

 the best for seed here. The cost in the stack, on $25 

 land, irrigation costing 50 to 75 cents an acre, is $2 a ton. 

 To put this into 100-pound bales costs $2.50 a ton. On 

 the ground it sells for $3 to $5 a ton, while the seed 

 brings $3, $4 and $5 a bushel. An ordinary yield of 

 seed is 300 pounds to the acre, and this is threshed with 

 the same machine used for grain, at a cost of about one- 

 fourth of the seed. The straw is worth about one-fourth 

 as much as the hay. We consider alfalfa hay, for cattle, 

 sheep, and hogs, far superior to clover, but for horses 

 timothy is best. It will keep steers and sheep fat all win- 

 ter, providing they are under shelter, and is excellent for 

 milch cows. The pasture for swine and cattle is far bet- 

 ter than clover, and for work horses and sheep it is good, 

 but not the best for horses that are driven fast. Cattle 

 will bloat about as they do on Red clover when turned 

 onto it after rain, dew, or frost. To rid land of a stand 



