The date of seeding will depend upon the locality. It is well to delay this 

 operation until several sproutings of weeds have been destroyed by cultivation, 

 but in districts where the summer months are very dry the seed must be sown 

 sufficiently early to permit good growth on the part of the young plant, that it 

 may withstand the drought of later on. 



AFTER-TREATMENT. 



The first two seasons are critical ones in the life of the plant. The field must 

 be mown as often as the crop roaches a height of 8 or 10 inches, and blooms must 

 not be allowed to appear. Cutting keeps weeds in check, aids root-development, and 

 encourages growth. When growth comes to a standstill, or when plants turn yellow, 

 the mower is needed. The cutter-bar should be kept D inches away from the ground 

 during the first year, and the clippings, unless exceedingly heavy, must be left to 

 serve as a iSmlch. Do not mow too late, that the crop may enter upon the winter 

 with a growth of several inches for its protection. A very heavy growth left at this 

 time, however, is undesirable. 



If a nurse crop is present, no attention is necessary during its growing period, 

 but as harvest approaches the grain must not be allowed to smother the young 

 alfalfa-plants by lodging. Cut the grain at least 5 inches from the ground, and 

 remove the shocks as quickly as possible, in no case allowing them to stand on the 

 same spot for more than two days at one time. 



When the second year arrives, mow early to keep down the weeds. If a good 

 stand is obtained this season, hereafter .the plant usually does well. 



YIELD. 



The yield that may reasonably be expected from alfalfa will depend upon the 

 locality, the season, and the variety used. Sixteen tons of green fodder per acre, 

 or 4 tons of hay, should, at least, be secured when the field is well established. The 

 average obtained for eight years at the Oregon Agricultural Station has been : Of 

 green fodder, 20.3 tons per acre ; or of hay, 6.2 tons. 



FERTILIZING REQUIREMENTS. 



Professor J. H. Grisdale, of Ottawa, says : " Just as when sown to clovers and 

 other legumes, both the physical condition and the average plant-food content of 

 a soil are improved and increased rather than injured or depleted by being under 

 alfalfa for a time. Certain amounts of the chief elements of plant-food are, how- 

 ever, removed by each crop, and the application of farmyard manure in the fall, at 

 the rate of, say, 10 tons per acre, every four years, will prove profitable. If it 

 is desired to supplement an insufficient supply of barnyard manure, the following 

 dressing of commercial fertilizer per acre will most likely be found valuable: 30 Ib. 

 nitrate of soda, 300 Ib. bone-meal, and 50 Ib. muriate of potash. Experiments at 

 Guelph show good results from the use of superphosphate and Thomas phosphate." 



VALUE OF THE SOIL. 



Alfalfa-growing is often recommended for the purpose of improving the soil. 

 Good condition and fertility of soil are certainly necessary to start the crop, but, 

 once started, it is of great value in this connection. Available plant-food is added 

 to the soil by the bacteria, and by the long roots that bring up, from great depths, 

 material which is left in the uppermost layers. 



The physical improvement in a soil that lias grown alfalfa for some time is als > 

 very marked. Compared with the ordinary grass and clover sods, that of alfalfa is 

 the most difficult to plough, but the inverted sod is far more mellow and frial le than 

 are those of the others. The sod of red clover ploughs easily, and the soil is found 

 in good condition. The same may be said of Mammoth clover. Alsike clover-soil 

 ploughs more easily, and benefits the soil rather more than these, while timothy-sod 

 is relatively troublesome to break up, and results in very little improvement in the 

 mechanical condition below. 



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