THE IRRIGATION AGE. 



43 



procure fresh soil from a field that you are sure is 

 well inoculated, (2) to apply it immediately, and 

 (3) harrow it in without delay. 



When alfalfa is well inoculated it will be 

 noticed that the plants are vigorous and of a dark 

 color, while the plants not inoculated are liable to 

 be spindling and of a light or yellowish green color. 

 The lack of inoculation, however, should be deter- 

 mined by a careful examination of the roots for 

 nodules, as too much soil moisture also causes al- 

 falfa to be light or yellowish green in color. The 

 inoculation frequently takes well only on a portion 

 of the field. If these spots are well scattered over 

 the field they will probably spread over the entire 

 area during the second year. If they show up only 

 on part of the field it would be well the second 

 spring to put more inoculated soil on that portion 

 about the time the plant starts to grow, and to disc 

 it in lightly at once. Irrigation water spreads the 

 inoculation much better than rainfall, as some of 

 the bacteria seem to be carried in suspension in the 

 water. Some have inoculated their fields by spread- 

 ing a strip of inoculated dirt below the ditch and 

 irrigating immediately the water carrying sufficient 

 bacteria from this dirt to inoculate the field. This 

 method is not recommended, however, except during 

 the second year, and then only in cases where the 

 inoculation hasn't become well established from the 

 original inoculation. 



Time of Planting 



A study of the rainfall records of this section 

 shows that there is usually sufficient rain during 

 May and June to start alfalfa, and these are the 

 best months to start it, not only because of the rain- 

 fall, but as the plants are not particularly hardy 

 until they attain a height of at least six inches, it is 

 desirable to secure as much growth as possible be- 

 fore winter sets in. It is considered of considerable 

 advantage to have rainfall enough to start the al- 

 falfa, for the seeds are so small that if one were com- 

 pelled to irrigate freshly harrowed soil to start the 

 seeds, some of them would be bound to be washed 

 away. This section is especially fortunate in this 

 regard, for in most alfalfa growing districts it is 

 necessary to irrigate the seed up. 



Variety of Seed 



Though there are between 50 and 100 species of 

 alfalfa, not over six of these are of much economic 

 importance and these are all much alike. The chief 

 difference between the American varieties is in 

 hardiness or ability to resist cold winters, the two 

 best strains for this locality probably being Grimm 

 and Turkestan. Both of these strains have done 

 very well here and should be recommended for 

 planting, though almost any northern grown Mon- 

 tana seed should give good results. 



Rate of Seeding 



Alfalfa seeds are quite small but usually have 

 very good vitality. It has been found by actual 

 count that if ten pounds of seed are scattered uni- 

 formly over an acre, fifty-two seeds would be placed 

 upon each and every square foot. As it is indeed a 

 poor farmer who cannot make at least half the seeds 

 planted grow, it can be seen that planting at the rate 

 of twenty pounds per acre is unnecessary, for this 



would put one hundred and four seeds upon every 

 square foot or nearly one to each square inch. From 

 carefully conducted experiments on a Government 

 Experiment station in southern Idaho, where all 

 conditions were ideal, including a very fine seed bed. 

 it was found there was no difference in the yield 

 during a three-year period from alfalfa seeded at 

 the rate of 4, 8, 12, 16 and 20 pounds per acre. It is 

 not possible nor practicable, however, for the farmer 

 to manufacture such a good seed bed upon large 

 areas, as was secured on this Government Experi- 

 ment station, and it is, therefore, recommended that 

 from 12 to 20 pounds and no more of good alfalfa 

 seed be planted. Do not make the mistake of plant- 

 ing too deep. Alfalfa seed is small and cannot, like 

 peas, wheat or potatoes, come up through three or 

 four inches of soil. During fairly moist weather one- 

 half inch in depth is sufficient, while in drier 

 weather from one to one and a half inches would be 

 somewhat better. Do not plant alfalfa deeper than 

 one and one-half inches. It does not matter much 

 whether alfalfa be planted in drills or whether it be 

 sown broadcast, so long as the proper distribution 

 and depth of planting is secured. In planting it 

 broadcast on top of well prepared ground, a fairly 

 light harrowing after seeding usually places most 

 of the seeds at about the right depth. Drilling the 

 seed is probably preferable in this section, for if 

 careful attention is given to the drill all of the seeds 

 may be placed at the proper depth. 



Nurse Crop 



There is no question but that a better stand of 

 hardier alfalfa will be secured if it is planted alone, 

 without a nurse crop. Alfalfa prefers lots of sun, 

 which cannot be secured when it is planted with 

 oats, wheat or barley. There is no possible advan- 

 tage in planting a nurse crop with alfalfa, except 

 that a year's use of the ground is not lost. Taking 

 the extra hardiness of the plant and the thicker 

 stand that is secured without a nurse crop into con- 

 sideration, however, it is hardly probable that it will 

 pay in the long run to plant alfalfa with a nurse 

 crop. 



If alfalfa is intended as hay for either hogs or 

 cattle or a pasture for hogs, it is preferable to plant 

 it alone. It is, however, much improved as a horse 

 hay, both in yield and feeding value if some other 

 grass is planted with it. A grass to form the best 

 mixture with alfalfa should do well in the shade, 

 mature at about the same time as the alfalfa, and be 

 comparatively rich in carbo-hydrates, instead of 

 protein, in order to form a more nearly balanced 

 ration. The very best grass that can be planted with 

 alfalfa to accomplish this purpose is orchard grass. 

 It is perfectly hardy in this climate, it does well in 

 the shade, matures more nearly at the same time as 

 the alfalfa than any other grass, is relished by stock, 

 and has a good feeding value. Liverymen that have 

 once fed this type of hay to their horses will pay 

 from $1 to $2 per ton more for it than straight al- 

 falfa. Where orchard grass will grow and do as well 

 as it does here, never plant timothy as a mixture 

 with alfalfa. 



Irrigation of Alfalfa 



The irrigation of alfalfa or any other plant is 

 easy and simple, providing the land is sufficiently 



