GROWING ALFALFA SEED. 455 



snow during the winter preceding the planting. Spring harrow- 

 ing will level the ridges if they are too high at planting time. 

 Choice of Seed. Other things being equal, seed from plants 

 grown without irrigation should be used in preference to any 

 other. The relatively small quantity required when this method 

 is used justifies increased precaution and expense to obtain the 

 best seed available. Some few strains of Turkestan alfalfa 

 have given better yields of hay than the ordinary kind under 

 semi-arid conditions. However, none of them have shown satis- 

 factory seed-producing capacity. Special dry-land strains of al- 

 falfa that have been developed through unconscious selection in 

 some of the older dry-farming centers of the West practically al- 

 ways exceed in seed production the Turkestan and all other 

 forms of alfalfa thus far introduced. Whenever these kinds can 

 be secured they should be preferred by the farmer. Seed from 

 the drier parts of western Kansas and Nebraska, from the dry 

 farms of Cache Valley, and from the Levan Ridge near Nephi, 

 Tjtah, will probably produce the most satisfactory results. 



Method of Seeding in Rows. Several methods have been used 

 in experiments, but the best results have been obtained by sowing 

 seed in rows about 3 feet apart. The distance between rows 

 should be governed by the moisture supply that can be counted 

 on and by the width of the machinery available for use in cul- 

 tivating. If seeding is done with an ordinary grain drill with 

 shoes 8 inches apart, the stopping up of 4 out of every 5 holes 

 will make the rows 40 inches apart. If, on the other hand, 3 out 

 of every 4 holes are stopped up, the rows will be 32 inches 

 apart. The wider distance is recommended, especially in sections 

 where the rainfall is very scant. 



Another method which has given good results, especially in 

 hay growing, and which may often prove useful where it is pro- 

 posed to use the same field for both hay and seed production, is 

 that of sowing double instead of single rows. This can be ac- 

 complished by leaving 2 holes open and stopping up 3 or 4 

 holes across the drill. The double rows will then be 8 inches 

 apart, while the space left for intertillage will be 32 or 40 inches 

 wide. Experiments with this method which have been under 

 way for two seasons on the San Antonio Experiment Farm of the 

 Office of Western Agricultural Extension indicate that this method 

 will be useful under some conditions. It has also been used with 

 success under Prof. Wheeler's direction on the state substation 

 farm at Highmore, S. D. 



Any good garden drill will give satisfactory results. If such 

 an implement is not available it may be found advisable to pro- 

 cure one for use in this work. 



