20 ALFALFA 



THIS; SEED-BED AND ITS PREPARATION 



There are two dominant fadlors always to deter- 

 mine the preparation of any seed-bed. The first is the 

 charadter of the seed to be sown, as fine seedSj like 

 those of alfalfa, require a much more carefully pre- 

 pared bed than would peas or beans. The second 

 fadtor is the charadler of the soil; some soils can be 

 brought to a certain desired point of preparation much 

 more easily than others. The point can be seen by 

 comparing a fine sandy loam and a stiff heavy gumbo. 

 Under irrigation, or where rain is scarce, a deep seed- 

 bed is needed in which to hold a store of moisture dur- 

 ing the early life of the plant. A deep seed-bed other 

 than for the use just stated is not essential, from the 

 fadt that the alfalfa root system is not confined to nor 

 dependent upon so shallow a layer of surface soil as it 

 is pradlicable to loosen up. Subsoiling or double 

 plowing — following one plow with another in the same 

 furrow — is very excellent as an aid to moisture-storage 

 and conservation in regions where not abundant, but 

 the alfalfa roots quite .readily take hold of a hard soil, 

 and hence the deep seed-bed is not always so much of 

 a necessity as for some other crops. 



The soil must be made so fine that the particles 

 can come in immediate contadl with the seed, and it 

 must be so firmed, by rolling or otherwise, that there 

 will be the minimum danger of drying out before the 

 tender plants have established themselves. These two 

 conditions must not be negledled. The plowed land 

 must not be simply smoothed off on top and made 

 fine, but it must also be so compadted that capillarity 

 will not be interfered with before coming within about 

 two inches of the surface. At this point, two inches. 



