40 ALFALFA FARMING IN AMERICA. 



age it if the thing is set right. We keep the plows 

 sharp. The plowman carries a file and often lifts 

 the plow out of the ground and sharpens it well. 

 The land is plowed deep, from 7 to 10", and we hope 

 ultimately to plow much deeper than that. We aim 

 to get the land all broken before mid-winter, so that 

 the frosts may work on it. No manure is used on 

 alfalfa sod. It is disked and fitted for corn which is 

 planted usually about May 5 in checks. This corn is 

 as well cultivated as we know. Often in the early 

 part of the season the alfalfa roots will grow, espe- 

 cially if the season is wet, and the field will look 

 not a little green. This does not disturb us in the 

 least, for after the corn cultivation begins the alfalfa 

 soon weakens and mostly disappears. Some stray 

 plants will escape destruction and will live over, 

 even for two or three years of corn. This is all the 

 better, since thus the inoculation is safely carried 

 over. The corn has as clean cultivation as we can 

 give. We discourage weed seeding as much as pos- 

 sible. We have learned that that enemy of alfalfa, 

 fox-tail or pigeon grass, can be surely eradicated in 

 one year by not letting a stalk of it make seed. 



The corn is cut and shocked. Before winter it is 

 husked and the folder set up, two shocks in a place. 

 We cut our corn 12 hills square ; at present our hills 

 are 42" apart. We find corn to thrive wonderfully 

 on alfalfa sod. The second year will usually find this 

 land yet in corn. This time as much manure from 

 the stables and sheep barns as can be found 

 will be put on. Even with this manuring 



