ALFALFA I47 



winter; hence, the less injury done by them to al- 

 falfa plants, since the latter are so strong by spring 

 that they overshadow the weeds in their effort to 

 grow. When alfalfa is sown at such a time, the 

 growth of one year virtually is gained by the 

 process. 



North of parallel 40°, that is, north of the lati- 

 tude of Columbus, Ohio, and Denver, Colorado, 

 speaking in a general way, alfalfa is more commonly 

 sown in the spring, but not usually so early as clo- 

 ver, lest the young plants, which are more tender 

 than clover plants, should be nipped by spring frosts. 

 This danger is frequently present in the region of 

 the upper Missouri. East of the Mississippi it may 

 usually be advisable to sow in the spring some dis- 

 tance south from the latitude named. West from 

 the same are areas where early autumn sowing is 

 frequently the best. In much of the Southern and 

 Southwestern States, early autumn sowing is con- 

 sidered better practice than spring sowing, but to 

 this there are exceptions. Under some conditions 

 alternate freezing and thawing of the land near the 

 surface tend to throw out young plants, as, for in- 

 stance, those autumn sown, more readily than 

 plants from spring-sown seed. 



Alfalfa is usually sown much the same as medium 

 red clover (see page 75), but there are the follow- 

 ing points of difference: i. Since alfalfa is more 

 commonly sown in dry areas, It is more important, 

 relatively, that the seed shall be buried more uni- 

 formly and deeply in the soil in such areas. 2. Since 

 it is liable to be more injured, relatively, by a nurse 



