164 ALFALFA FARMING IN AMERICA. 



early spring. Do not pasture it much if you wish 

 the full benefit of its nitrogen-gathering and humus- 

 making. Before the seed forms, and as early as it 

 flowers, it can be made into hay. Crimson clover hay 

 is nutritious, only when cut too late it has a bad 

 habit of sometimes killing animals by forming hair 

 balls in their stomachs, so it is best to let it 

 ripen and take off a crop of seed, putting the straw 

 back, or else to plow it under and use all the growth 

 as a manure. Do not expect crimson clover to do 

 much without inoculation. This comes in more 

 easily with crimson clover than with most other 

 legumes. 



Alfalfa Following Crimson Clover. As soon as 

 the crimson clover is turned under begin cultiva- 

 tion of the land and get it in fine tilth, destroying 

 any weeds that may spring up. Do not sow the 

 alfalfa seed till the soil is well stored with moisture. 

 After every rain go over the field with some efficient 

 sort of harrow. If the land is not hard a spike 

 tooth drag harrow is one of the best implements 

 of summer culture. Should rain make it hard and 

 in danger of baking, the disk or spring tooth may 

 be needed. 



The lime may be put on now, though it would 

 have been better to have put it on before the crim- 

 son clover was sown so that it could be doing its 

 quiet work of sweetening the land. 



As soon as the land is stored with moisture, say 

 by the last week in July or some time in August, 

 the alfalfa may be sown alone. One ought to ob- 



