322 DRY LAND FARMING 



ally become prolific producers of good seed. This is 

 threshed with the grain and separated subsequently. 



3. Should a crop of alfalfa be injured by such in- 

 fluences as drought, frost, hail or insects, when the 

 growth is at all advanced, it should be at once cut, as it 

 will make more growth subsequently, and of superior 

 value, than if it were not so treated. 



4. The objections to pasturing alfalfa under dry 

 conditions are: (1) that in some instances it may cause 

 bloat in cattle and sheep; (2) that in others it may un- 

 duly pack the land ; (3) it may prove fatal to plants late 

 in the season in northern latitudes, and (4) it may tend 

 to spread disease among the plants. When pastured 

 with swine, which is one of the best uses to which it 

 can be devoted, it will not live so long as when grown 

 only for hay. 



5. The leaves of alfalfa that break off in the curing, 

 the stubs of stems below the cut portions which later 

 fall off, and the stubbles, in addition to the roots, bring 

 much enrichment to the land and also much vegetable 

 matter. 



GROWING CLOVERS 



The place for clovers in dry areas will never equal 

 in importance the place that will be assigned to alfalfa. 

 The part that clovers will play, relatively, in such areas 

 will not be one of great significance, judged by the pres- 

 ent indications. This arises from the fact that clover 

 must have considerable moisture in order to make its 

 growth profitable. Where the rainfall is 15 to 20 inches, 

 clover may be grown with some success. This means 

 that it may be grown in certain portions of the semi-arid 

 country, especially those portions of the same that border 

 on humid areas and certain other areas near the foothills 

 of the mountains. On nearly all areas to which irrigat- 

 ing waters are applied clover may be grown with great 

 success. But where the rainfall is less than 15 inches per 



