ALFALFA 



341 



is ordinarily not serious. It certainly is not beneficial 

 as some writers have claimed. The disk harrow alone is 

 not effective against blue-grass, but needs to be followed 

 with the spike-tooth. 



When grass is troublesome, it is commonly recommended 

 that alfalfa should be thoroughly harrowed after each 

 cutting. By this means, the life of the field may be ex- 

 tended several years, at least in some localities. 



FIG. 34. An implement for harrowing fields of alfalfa. 



At the Kansas Experiment Station a plot disked every 

 year for 3 years yielded at the average rate of 9922 pounds 

 an acre, while one not disked gave a yield of 10,269 

 pounds. 



405. Alfalfa in cultivated rows. Alfalfa planted in 

 rows has often been grown in an experimental way in 

 humid regions where broadcasting is unsuccessful on ac- 

 count of weeds. Such a type of cultivation has never 

 come into actual practice in such regions, mainly because 

 other leguminous crops succeed in spite of weeds. 



