PRACTICAL EXPERIENCES 319 



W. D. Hoard, Editor Hoard's Dairyman. — It is now 

 twelve years since the editor of the Dairyman com- 

 menced the practical study of alfalfa. A good deal of 

 experience as well as observation of the practices of 

 others has come to him in that time. He does not feel 

 that he has exhausted the subject by any means, but 

 there are a few things which he believes to be w-ell set- 

 tled principles. They may be enumerated as follows : 



1. The richer the soil the better. 



2. A carefully prepared seed bed. Too much pains 

 cannot be had here. 



3. Good seed; every farmer should test the seed he 

 expects to sow\ A great amount of failure has come 

 from w^eak, infertile seed. 



4. Side hills where the rain or melted snoW' in [March 

 will readily run oft and thus prevent an ice cap from sud- 

 den freezing is much the preferable location. 



5. Cutting it each time as soon as the first blossoms 

 appear will always bring a stronger succeeding growth 

 for the next crop. 



6. Never pasture it unless you wish to weaken it so it 

 will break up more easily the next spring. 



7. Always cure it in the cock with hay caps if possi- 

 ble. The quality of the hay is greatly superior to that 

 which is cured in the sun or windrow. 



The nutritive quality and value of alfalfa as well as 

 clover may be greatly lessened and the owner not be 

 aware of it, by allowing too much sunshine on the hay. 

 To throw away the feeding value of any food by un- 

 wise methods of handling or curing is very poor econ- 

 omy. For this reason farmers should make a closer study 



