92 ALFALFA FAKMING IN AMEKICA. 



should not be depastured ; indeed, after killing frost 

 no animal should be permitted to set foot in the 

 alfalfa field. The difference in thrift and production 

 between late mown alfalfa and that given fair treat- 

 ment is very marked indeed. Many plants mown 

 off in October will die altogether during the follow- 

 ing winter. Thus when one means to plow the field, 

 it is wise to mow it as late as convenient, since he 

 gets quite a little hay from this fourth or fifth cut- 

 ting, and at the same time weakens his alfalfa so 

 that it plows easier. Very great injury in the humid 

 regions has unknowingly been done the alfalfa by 

 this very ignorance of its nature that led to its being 

 mown late or depastured until winter. 



Danger from Treading. In dry countries it seems 

 to do little injury to alfalfa to let animals run on it 

 all winter, even though they tread it down into the 

 dust. In all the region of America lying east of the 

 Missouri River it is most harmful to alfalfa to tread 

 upon it in winter, either by the feet of men or ani- 

 mals, or by wagons going over it. The line of direc- 

 tion of a farm wagon going across a field can often 

 be distinctly traced next spring by the two streaks 

 of dead alfalfa plants. 



An alfalfa field should be a sacred place. Its gates 

 should be closed and locked in September and not re- 

 opened till May at the earliest, probably not till the 

 first day of June, though these dates will of course 

 be dependent on the latitude, now having in mind 

 the climate of about parallel of latitude 40. 



Hardiness of the Plant. Alfalfa then is one of 



