Grains and Forage Crops 111 



which is still to be tested out in California, if any one should be 

 inclined to do it. Some one-cow suburbanite would be in condition to 

 try the scheme first. Probably you refer to disking, and for that an 

 ordinary disk is used with the disks set pretty straight to reduce the 

 side cutting, and this is done at diflferent times of the year by different 

 growers. By doing it when the ground gets dry in the early spring 

 much of the foul stuff is cut out before the alfalfa starts strongly. But 

 disking seems to be good whenever in the year the soil is dry enough 

 to take it well. 



Suburban Alfalfa Patch. 



How can we rid the alfalfa of ivccds? As we are obliged to hire help, 

 and do not succeed in getting the hay cared for until xve have mostly 

 stalks without leaves, I have put the cow on it to pasture it off. 



The cow knows how to handle it, but you will not get as much 

 alfalfa as if you cut and carried it to her. If you cut sooner you will 

 get rid of many plants which are propagated by the seeds wliich they 

 produce, and you will also get better hay, more leaves and fewer stalks. 

 Cut it about the time it begins to bloom, not waiting for the full bloom 

 to appear. 



Alfalfa and Bermuda. 



I have land zvhich ivas seeded to alfalfa some 15 years ago and has 

 been pastured continuously until it was almost all Bermuda. I had it 

 thoroughly plowed, disk harroivcd and sozvcd to oats; disk harroivcd in, 

 and drag harrozved. After cutting for hay this year I intend putting it in 

 Egyptian corn in rows, so it can be cultivated to get rid of Bermuda. I 

 have also been advised to plozv the land immediately after harvesting corn 

 and let it lie until next January and then plow and sozv to barley and 

 alfalfa as I wish to groiv alfalfa. Kindly let me know if method is right. 

 The land is sandy loam and under irrigation. 



Whether you will fully succeed against Bermuda grass or not is doubt- 

 ful. It is probable, however, that you can reduce the Bermuda so that 

 other cultivated crops can be continuously grown. Common experience is 

 that Bermuda will hold on unless you have hard freezing of the 

 ground to a considerable depth, as they have in the northern States. 

 The best use that you can make of land infested with Bermuda is to 

 get as good a stand as you can of alfalfa and let the alfalfa fight for 

 itself. The combination of alfalfa and Bermuda grass makes very 

 good hay or pasturage. We should, however, sow the alfalfa alone 

 and not handicap it by sowing with barley. The Bermuda will smile 

 at that advice. Egyptian corn can be planted in rows, 2}/2 to 3 feet 

 between the rows to admit of easy cultivation 



Bermuda Grass. 



What is the value of Bermuda grass as a forage crop for cattle, 

 more particularly dairy cozvs? 



Bermuda grass is generally condemned because of getting in 

 places where it is not desirable and of being almost impossible of 



