838 



THE IRRIGATION AGE. 



WE ARE NOT HERE TO ARGUE 



the question of broadcasting vs. drilling. There is no 

 argument. The man who broadcasts couldn't be 

 further behind the times if he threshed with a flail. 



Any kind of a drill is better than broadcasting. 



The Monitor Double Disc is better than any 

 other drill. 



Why? Because It requires less seed It 

 increases the y i e 1 d It raises the grade How? 



All the seed is deposited in two rows at an even 

 depth, and covered with a uniform amount of earth. 

 None on top for the birds, none insufficiently cov- 

 ered to start early and be killed by the hot sun 

 it all grows. Requires a fifth less seed. 



By depositing the seed in two rows, in the moist 

 soil, with a uniform covering, L germinates quickly, 

 has a firm root hold, and withstands dry spells. 

 This increases the yield of wheat (other grains in 

 proportion) from three to seven bushels per acre. 



By being planted at one depth, with uniform 

 covering, it all comes at one time and ripens evenly. 

 No shriveled grains. It raises the grade. 



Scientific men know the Monitor way is the best way 



South Dakota Agricultural College Experiment Station, 

 Brookings, S. D. 



Gentlemen: It affords me pleasure to give you our 

 experience with your double disc drill. We gave this 

 drill a good test last spring. We run it on dry land 

 and in mud, on breaking and in corn stalks. Its work 

 in all conditions was entirely satisfactory. 



The grain sown with it comes up in two rows, as 

 claimed for it; comes up quicker and more uniformly 

 than grain sown with any other kind of furrow opener. 

 I believe that the double disc is as great an advance- 

 ment over the single disc as the single disc was over 

 the shoe drill, or the shoe drill over the hoe drill. 



Yours truly, JOHN S. COLE, Agronomist. 



In the hundreds of tests that farmers have made, the Monitor 

 Double Disc has never failed to increase the yield and raise the 

 grade. 



It is all in the way the seed is deposited and th? uniform 

 covering. The Monitor Double Disc sows in front of the disc 

 bearing. The discs on the downward turn carry the seed to the 

 bottom AH other makes sow behind the bearing. The discs 

 on the upward turn scatter the grain from the bottom of the 

 furrow to the surface. There can be no uniformity. 



The Monitor way is protected by an ironclad patent that's 

 the reason you don't find it on other drills. 



We make all styles of drills, and in their various classes can- 

 not be excelled, but we recommend, always, the Monitor Double 

 Disc. It pays for itself. 



If your dealer does not handle the Monitor he can 

 . S et one f r vou - Look after it in time. 



MOLINE PLOW COMPANY 



MOLINE, ILLINOIS 



Makers of the Famous Moliie Plows and Other Flying Dutchman Firm Tools 

 Mandl Wagons anil Boh Sleds, Henney Buggies, light Running National and 

 Mandt Manure Spreaders. Frnport Carriage Co. Vehicles and Monitor Drills 



(Continued from page 821.) 



used. Eighteen to twenty pounds of good seed is the usual 

 amount of seed used when sown broadcast. Twelve of fifteen 

 pounds of seed will be sufficient if sown with a drill. There 

 are various makes of cheap hand seeders on the market which 

 are very practical for sowing the seed broadcast. The seed 

 may be sown with a common grain drill with the discs set 

 to sow as shallow as possible. When a grain drill is used the 

 seed may be mixed with ground meal using one-third of 

 seed to two-thirds of the meal or ground barley ; then sowing 

 the resultant mixture at the rate of three and a half to four 

 and one-half pecks per acre. Should sufficient moisture not 

 be present in the soil for rapid germination of the seed, it is 

 best to defer planting to a more favorable time, or if need be, 

 until next season. 



The first year is largely spent by the alfalfa crop in 

 establishing the plants in the soil and full crops are not 

 secured until the second or third season. During the first 

 season it is advisable to mow the alfalfa once or twice, 

 with the sickle bar of the mower run high, in order to 

 keep down weeds and prevent them from going to seed. 

 Young plants must not be cut too late in the fall of the first 

 year, for if allowed to form at least five or six leaves be- 

 fore cold weather sets in they will withstand the rigors of 

 winter much better. 



If the weather conditions in the spring are especially 

 favorable and plenty of moisture is present, a good stand of 

 alfalfa may be secured on land that grew a cereal crop the 

 previous season, but as the cost of seed is great it will not 

 usually pay to take the risk. In this case it will be best to 

 early fall plow the stubble land, sub-surface pack in the 

 spring, thoroughly harrow then use a planker or a tilting 

 drag run flat to improve the physical condition of the soil 

 before sowing the seed. Alfalfa should not be sown with a 

 nurse crop as all the moisture and sunshine is needed by the 

 young plant. 



When manure is applied to the land, it may not be neces- 

 sary to resort to artificial inoculation of the soil, which in the 

 major portion of the state appears necessary in order to 

 obtain healthy growth of the alfalfa. Excellent results have 

 been obtained at the Edgeley Station by inoculating the land 

 with soil taken from an old alfalfa field where it was known 

 that the bacteria was present in abundance. The soil was 

 sown broadcast by hand at the rate of one, two and three 

 hundred pounds per acre and harrowed at once. This was 

 done at time of sowing the seed. One hundred pounds of 

 dirt per acre gave as good results as a greater amount. If 

 a manure spreader is used in scattering the manure, a small 

 amount of the dirt may be sprinkled over each load before 

 it is hauled to the field thereby saving additional labor in 

 scattering. 



During the first season after the young alfalfa plants 

 have attained a height of three or four inches, it is a good 

 practice to harrow the field in order to loosen up the soil 

 and conserve moisture. As the crop grows older, harrowing 

 and discing may be continued at needed intervals when the 

 soil becomes hard and dry. Discing not only splits the crown 

 ot the plant and causes it to branch more freely, but it also 

 stimulates a more vigorous growth. 



The best strains of alfalfa are the Grim, northern 

 Montana grown, common, and certain strains of the Turke- 

 stan. The seed grown under dry land culture is preferable 

 to that grown under irrigation. 



Greater difficulty is experienced in curing alfalfa hay prop- 

 erly than in other grasses. Various methods have been fol- 

 lowed in handling the crop and each seem to have their ad- 

 vantages. One of the most popular methods in practice is 

 to commence mowing in the morning as soon as the dew is 

 ofi", rake into windrows in the afternoon when the hay be- 

 comes well wilted, turn the next forenoon after the dew 

 is off and in the afternoon the hay is ready to stack or put 

 in the barn. Should the crop be heavy it is a good plan to 

 pile the hay in small cocks and allow to cure for a few days 

 before stacking or putting it in the mow. A hay tedder and 

 a side delivery rake are excellent tools for handling the 

 alfalfa crop. It is of the greatest importance that dry 

 weather be chosen for curing the alfalfa hay as rain is very 

 injurious to it. The hay should be perfectly free from dew 

 or rain before stacking or placed in the mow. 



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