GROWING LEGUMES IN DRY AREAS 315 



late May or early June, and earlier in lower latitudes. 

 Where the rainfall is reasonably copious in the autumn 

 and winter, it may answer to sow the seed in the autumn. 

 It may be wise in some instances to defer sowing for a 

 time, to give opportunity for the more perfect cleaning 

 of the land. 



The seed should be sown in dry areas with some 

 kind of drill. Otherwise much of it may not sprout be- 

 cause of the shallowness of the covering given to the 

 broadcasted seed. When sown with a drill, it may be 

 put down to moisture, may be buried to a uniform depth, 

 and, in some instances, may be profitably harrowed be- 

 fore the plants have reached the surface and subse- 

 quently. A grain drill that feeds the seed from an at- 

 tachment into the grain tubes will put the seed into the 

 ground in about the best way possible. For ordinary 

 sowing all the tubes are used. Quite recently, however, 

 the method of growing alfalfa for seed by planting it 

 in rows far enough apart to admit of cultivation between 

 them is being tried. The most suitable distance between 

 the rows and also between the plants in the line of the 

 row has not yet been fully determined, but it is believed 

 that this method of growing alfalfa seed will be found 

 profitable in wide areas of the semi-arid region. 



On heavy soils and with ample moisture, the aim 

 should be to plant the seed shallow, that is, to a depth not 

 much more than an inch. On light and open soils it may 

 be put down 2 and 3 inches, in some instances, with 

 positive benefit. 



Where irrigation is practised it is common to sow 15 

 to 20 pounds of seed to the acre, that the hay product 

 may be fine in its growth through the crowding of the 

 plants. But in areas where the rainfall is about 15 

 inches or less, more than 8 pounds of seed are seldom 

 sown, and in many instances this amount is still further 

 reduced to 5 or 6 pounds. 



