CHAPTER VI. 



Cultivation 



CLIPPING IS AN INVIGORANT 



Strange as this title may seem it suggests a very 

 important means of securing a satisfactory stand. In fact 

 in some parts of the South, where the land has become 

 very foul, it is occasionally recommended to sow the 

 alfalfa in rows, eighteen inches apart, for regular culti- 

 vation the first season. After the second year the crowns 

 will have sent up so many stems that the surface of the 

 ground will be well occupied. Spurrier, in his work 

 referred to in Chapter I, recommended drilling in rows 

 and cultivating the first year. But it is better to get rid 

 of the weeds before trying alfalfa. The cultivation here 

 recommended is clipping, manuring, disking and har- 

 rowing. Frequently when alfalfa is sowed in the spring 

 it comes up weak and spindling. In such case clip it 

 just before ready to bloom, having the mower sickle set 

 rather high. If the growth is not very heavy, leave this 

 cutting on the ground; if quite heavy, remove it. The 

 field may need to be clipped again during the summer, 

 but the farmer can feel reasonably assured that he will 

 have a good stand the following spring. If the leaves 

 turn yellow, mowing is the remedy. If there is any sign 

 of the "spotted leaf" disease, the mower should be used 



