200 ALFALFA FARMING IN AMERICA. 



SOW alfalfa, with what slight labor and expense, yet 

 magnificent stands are secured in every instance 

 ^Ye have not one record of failure where this system 

 has been followed on Woodland Farm except in 

 a few spots where the barley lodged badly and was 

 not soon enough removed. 



The further treatment of the field is to let it alone 

 till the barley comes into bloom. Then we go in 

 with mowers and cut it all down and make it into 

 hay. By that time the alfalfa will be needing a 

 clipping. Sometimes we wait till the grain is be- 

 ginning to form in the heads, but usually we take 

 off the barley hay earlier than that. 



Time to Cut. — The test of when young alfalfa is 

 ready to clip is when the plants put out little buds 

 or shoots down near the ground, at the bases of the 

 stems. It ought never to be clipped before then. 

 After that time it ought to be clipped promptly, as 

 one must not cut off these new shoots with the 

 mower. We have said this before and will repeat it 

 again as the point is so essential to success. 



Why Make Barleif Hay? — Why do we not let the 

 barley ripen its grain? Because if we were to do 

 that it would seriously weaken the young alfalfa. 

 Eipening grain takes a tremendous amount of 

 moisture from the ground. It also not infrequently 

 lodges and this smothers out the young alfalfa. 

 Very little shading or mulching will kill it. So it 

 is better to make hay of the barley. It makes good 

 hay; all animals love it. It is more profitable made 

 into hay than used in any other form. 



