454 ALFALFA FARMING IN AMERICA. 



used to cut a furrow 2% inches deep through the sod, a stirring 

 plow following immediately in the furrow left by the breaking 

 plow and leaving a furrow about 8 inches, deep. On the next 

 round the breaking plow puts the strip of sod in the bottom of the 

 deep preceding furrow, where it is completely covered by the new 

 soil turned up by the stirring plow. The harrow is kept at work 

 to smooth and firm the ground as fast as it is turned, and the 

 alfalfa is seeded with the grain drill while the soil is still moist. 



Prevention of the Drifting of Soil. — If the ground is so sandy 

 as to be in danger of drifting or blowing during high winds, it is 

 the best practice to seed alternate rows of oats or barley and ij 

 make these rows run at right angles to the direction of the pre- 

 vailing winds. The first cultivation of the alfalfa plants will 

 destroy this grain nurse crop, which should in no event be left 

 long enough to injure the young alfalfa plants. 



Another method of avoiding the danger of blowing out or 

 drifting in a sandy soil is to sow the alfalfa with a walking 

 garden drill between corn or sorghum rows after the last cul- 

 tivation. This method has been tried with success under irriga- 

 tion on the experiment farm conducted by the Office of Western 

 Agricultural Extension near Fallon, Nev. In attempting to use 

 the method under dry-farming conditions careful attention must 

 be given to the supply of moisture available for both plants, and 

 as it has not yet been put linto actual practice in the semi-arid 

 sections it should first be tested on a small scale. 



A third method has been suggested by Dr. H. L. Shantz, of 

 the Ofllce of Alkali and Drought Resistant Plant Breeding In- 

 vestigations, Bureau of Plant Industry, which may prove useful 

 when sod land is used. This method consists of leaving narrow 

 strips of virgin sod at suitable intervals through the fields at 

 right angles to the prevailing direction of the most destructive 

 winds. 



A method applicable especially to old fields which show a ten- 

 dency to blow during high winds has been suggested by N. 

 Schmitz, of the Office of Forage Crop Investigations, Bureau of 

 Plant Industry. This method calls for the seeding of the al- 

 falfa in shallow listed furrows running at right angles to the 

 direction of the prevailing heavy winds. It is necessary that 

 these furrows be shallow, or heavy rains which sometimes occur 

 may bury the seedling plants. If the planting does not take place 

 at the time of listing or if the planting attachment to the lister 

 can not be adapted to this work, a corn drill or check-row planter 

 may be used by making the necessary alterations in the plates. 

 This method of listing may also prove efficient in catching the 



