METHODS OF SEEDING 



T 47 



so as to leave the surface loose enough to prevent rapid 

 evaporation. The alfalfa crop is benefited by a light coat- 

 ing of well-rotted manure, or manure that is free from coarse 

 litter. It should 

 be put on during a 

 dry spell or after 

 the ground is frozen 

 in the fall so as 

 not to injure the 

 plants when driv- 

 ing over them. 



Sowing with a 

 Nurse Crop. If 

 one wishes to grow 

 a grain crop the 

 same season that 

 alfalfa is seeded, 

 much care should 

 be taken in the 

 preparation of the 

 seed bed. If the 

 land has previously 

 grown alfalfa, it 

 will be much easier 

 to get a good stand 

 than if it is the first 

 seeding. Experi- 

 ments show that 

 on rich soil, barley 



is One Of the best Fig. 80. - A six-year-old alfalfa plant. 



nurse crops, although oats or spring wheat may be used. 

 The nurse crop should be sown thin, using only about half 



