27^^ THE BOOK OF ALFALFA 



cultivator will be able to cut them, and since burning does 

 not make any difference, it only has a tendency to start 

 roots and sprouts at both ends at the same time. This is, 

 of course, only possible in a wet year. Now, we tried 

 late plowing in the spring; that is, let the clover get up 

 to about six or eight inches. We had a chain on the plow 

 and disked and harrowed it well, and to kill it sure, put in 

 millet to smother it. We intended to raise seed from 

 the millet, but the crop got too heavy and we cut it for 

 hay. After putting it up I saw very little alfalfa signs 

 and went home contented that all was dead. 



Some nice rains came on and soon I noticed from our 

 house, since I did not go to that corner of the farm 

 in between, that all of it was green again, and sure 

 enough, there was a comparatively good stand and the 

 sprouts showed quite a bit of vigor. This surprised me. 

 I had no time to plow right away and having a large 

 harvest of bottom hay, I did not go to the field for three 

 weeks, and when I saw it again it was just about ready 

 to cut. I actually did cut and harvest it and it was well 

 worth the time it took us to do the work. The next 

 plowing and disking, of course, thinned it out, and espe- 

 cially as dry weather came just right to assist in killing it. 



All this made it clear to my mind that we did not find 

 the right time_to plow alfalfa, so the next time I tried 

 it still later; in fact, it was almost in bloom, and, being 

 a wet year, there was little difference in the result. This 

 year I waited the second time for the alfalfa to come up 

 a foot high before plowing it back and drilled in sweet 

 corn, and now I can hardly see any difference on pans 

 of the field. 



