336 IRRIGATION FARMING. 



young alfalfa. This will improve the alfalfa by 

 making it more stocky, and stooling out is an advantage 

 at this time. It will also insure more certainty against 

 winter-killing, and will be found advantageous from 

 every point of view. 



After alfalfa has become established, a single 

 copious irrigation after each cutting will ordinarily be 

 found sufi&cient. Irrigation before cutting is unde- 

 sirable, because it leaves the earth so soft as to inter- 

 fere with the movement of machinery and loads. It 

 also makes the stalks more sappy, and while they will 

 retain the leaves better there is more difficulty to be 

 experienced in the curing at harvest time; and taken 

 all in all, we much prefer to irrigate after each cutting. 

 Here in Colorado we cut alfalfa three times and often 

 four times in a season, hence the stand gets as many 

 irrigations. Some people irrigate very early in spring- 

 time, before the crowns have awakened from their 

 hibernal rest, but this pradlice is not right. The chill 

 of the water in very early spring is not conducive to 

 quick growth and may often retard the plants in 

 getting an early start. We do not irrigate prior to the 

 first cutting unless the season is particularly dry and 

 the plants seem to adlually demand the water. We 

 irrigate late in the fall and apply a top-dressing of light 

 barnyard manure, which is found to be of great service 

 in several ways. The flooding of a newly cut alfalfa 

 field is shown in Fig. 69. , 



Harvesting. — It must be said of alfalfa that in 

 cutting it for hay a good deal of skill should be em- 

 ployed by the husbandman, or the results may be dis- 

 appointing. Alfalfa contains six per cent, less water 



