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of California, any time will answer from fall until spring. The soil 

 should be thoroughly prepared, and the seed sown at the rate of 15 

 to 20 pounds to the acre. If sown broadcast, about the latter quan- 

 tity will be required; if in drills, the former amount will be sufficient. 

 If the raising of seed is the main object, 12 or 14 pounds to the acre 

 will give the best results, as the plants will be more vigorous and yield 

 more seed, though they will be coarser and less desirable for feed. 



Drill-culture gives the best results, especially if the soil be dry or 

 weedy. The drills may be 12 to 18 inches apart according to the tool 

 to be employed in cultivation. The seed, if sown broadcast, may be sown 

 alone or with grain, but it generally gives the best results when sown 

 alone. It is often sown with oats with good results, but in a wet season 

 it is liable to be smothered out unless the grain is sown quite thin. 

 After the first year the harrow may be employed to advantage, and 

 even a narrow plow, of such form as will not cut the roots too severely, 

 is sometimes used with good effect, especially where the planting is in 

 rows. In all cases where weeds are inclined to appear it is desirable to 

 give some kind of cultivation every year. This is not so important where 

 the plant is irrigated as elsewhere. In much of the country reaching 

 from Texas to the Pacific, irrigation is only essential the first year, or un- 

 til the roots have penetrated deeply into the soil, though the crop is 

 greatly increased by an abundant supply of moisture at all times. In 

 parts of California and adjoining States alfalfa is grown only by irriga- 

 tion, and this must sometimes be resorted to, even when not essen- 

 tial for the growth of the crop, in order to kill the gophers, which are 

 liable to destroy the plants by eating off the roots a few inches below 

 the surface. Immediate irrigation will also prevent many of the plants 

 so eaten off from dying. 



Alfalfa should be neither mowed nor pastured until it has made a 

 considerable growth and becomes well established. 



Harvesting, Feeding, etc. Alfalfa is perhaps best known in most lo- 

 calities as a soiling plant. For this purpose it has scarcely a superior. 

 It may be cut repeatedly during the season, furnishing a large amount 

 of nutritious forage, which is relished by all kinds of stock. It is said 

 to be less liable than clover to cause slobbers in horses. There is some 

 danger, however, especially to cattle, in feeding it while wet or very suc- 

 culent, of its causing bloat or hoven. On this account it is a good plan 

 to feed it in the green state in connection with straw or hay, or to let it 

 lie several hours to become partially wilted before being fed. 



It is when used as pasture that the greatest danger occurs in the 

 use of alfalfa. Many have used it for years, both for soiling and as 

 pasture, without any injurious results, but numerous instances have 

 been reported where cattle have bloated and died from eating too freely 

 of it when succulent or wet. .In some instances cattle have been kept 

 upon it from the time it started in spring until June or July, with no 

 evil results, and then, when the growth has become very rank or been 



