Grains and Forage Crops 113 



coarse stuff could be covered in to advantage, but it would be 

 dangerous to do it in tbe spring. Clean land and tliorough cultiva- 

 tion to save moisture cnougli for summer's growth is tin- only 

 rational spring treatment. 



Clovers and Drought. 



/ haz'c sandy loam zdtJi some allcali. In zi'ct years it is regarded 

 as too damp in some places. Can you give me any information on the 

 following points? I have praelically no water for irrigation and I feel 

 sure that alfalfa zt'ould not grozv zvithout it. Do you think that clover 

 zi'oiild make one or more cuttings without zcater? 



Red and white clover are less tolerant of drought than alfalfa, 

 which, being a deep-rooting plant, is especially commended in dry- 

 farming undertakings. Red clover will grow better on low wet lands 

 than will alfalfa, but the land must not dry out or the red clover 

 will die during the dry season. None of the plants will stand much 

 alkali. 



Clover for Wet Lands. 



What kind of alfalfa zvill do best on sub-irrigated land zvhich is 

 very wet? I have sozvn it in alfalfa and it grozvs finely for tzvo or three 

 years, but then the roots rot and die. 



It is impossible to make any kind of alfalfa grow well on very 

 wet land, that is, where the water comes too near the surface. 

 Alfalfa has a deep-running tap root which is very subject to standing 

 water. You can get very good results from the Eastern red clover 

 on such land, because the red clover has a fibrous root which is 

 content to live in a shallow layer of soil above water. But red clover 

 will not stand drought as well as alfalfa, because it is shallower 

 rooting. It is necessary, therefore, that water should be perman- 

 ently near the surface or surface irrigation be frequently applied, in 

 order to secure satisfactory growth of red clover in the drier sections 

 of California. It is also necessary that neither land nor water carry 

 alkali. 



Frosted Grain for Hay. 



The freeze struck us pretty severely. I had 125 acres of summer- 

 fallowed wheat zvliich I had estimated to make 20 sacks to the acre of 

 grain. It zvas breast high in places already, and zt'as just heading out. 

 The frost pinched the stalks of this grain in several places and the heads 

 are now turning zuhite. It is ruined for grain. There is lots of fodder 

 in it, and it should be made into hay. If so, should it not be cut and 

 cured at once? What is the relative zvorth of such hay as compared zvith 

 more matured hay? Would the fact that it is frozen make it injurious 

 to feed? 



If the whole plant seems to be getting white, the sooner it is 

 cut the better. If the head is affected and the leaf growth continued, 

 cutting might be deferred for the purpose of getting more of it. 

 Hay made from such material will not be in any way dangerous, 



