PRACTICAL EXPERIENCES ^2^ 



bushel for seed. Alfalfa hay is equal to clover or timothy 

 for farm animals. For swine pasturage it is better than 

 clover ; one acre v^ill pasture lo head of swine, gainingone 

 pound per head each day. For horses and sheep it is good, 

 and as good for cattle as clover, but dangerous, as they 

 bloat and die. The best yields on upland are from three to 

 five years after seeding; and, if watered at proper inter- 

 vals, it will last 20 years. There is no difficulty in ridding 

 land of alfalfa; plow it late in the fall, level it down and 

 mark it, then water, and let it freeze up in winter. Alfalfa 

 for green manure is as good or better than Red clover. 

 Without plenty of rain, I would not recommend growing 

 alfalfa in any locality. Seed raised from alfalfa thin on 

 the ground is best. 



John H. Gordon, Laramie county. — During the past lo 

 years, I have had from lo to 200 acres of alfalfa on sec- 

 ond bottom and upland, with sandy loam from two inches 

 to six feet deep, and below this soft rock, water being 

 found at depths of 20 to 200 feet. I plow or break the 

 soil the first year, and raise a crop of wheat or oats ; the 

 second year plow deep, sow about half a crop of oats, 

 and when this is well harrowed, sow 20 pounds of alfalfa 

 seed and cover it about two inches deep. To get the best 

 results, this seeding is done about April ist, and there is 

 no trouble here w^ith weeds. In cutting the grain, the 

 alfalfa is cut off too, but it does not grow tall enough for 

 hay the first year. The plant does not winterkill, and 

 reaches its full yields by the third or fourth year ; I have 

 found no necessity for reseeding any of my land. We 

 irrigate from streams, the quantity of water used depend- 

 ing on the season. There are generally three applications 



