512 ALFALFA FAEMING IN AMERICA. 



through injury to the crowns. We tested the spike- 

 tooth arrangements ; they were not satisfactory be- 

 cause they wound up with grass too rapidly. John 

 M. Jamison, of Ohio, took his spring-tooth harrow 

 to the blacksmith and had the points of the teeth 

 made narrow and sharp, when, presto ! the trick was 

 done. The perfect implement for cultivating alfalfa 

 is now in our hands, since manufacturers are mak- 

 ing the tool in any desired width. This alfalfa har- 

 row will pull out any sort of grass and not hurt the 

 alfalfa. The time to use it is just after taking off 

 the first crop. Eake the land very clean. Go over 

 it in two directions with this harrow. It may bury 

 the crowns a little; this will do them no harm. All 

 foxtail grass, crabgrass and all young plantains, 

 will be destroyed. I feel that, thanks to this tool, 

 coupled with the use of phosphorus and the avoid- 

 ance of fall grazing or late cutting, we can hold oui* 

 alfalfa meadows for an indefinite number of years, 

 perhaps for 10 or more. 



The Engine in the Alfalfa Field. — However, all 

 was not solved yet for Woodland Farm. We had no 

 surplus of horses and haying time was often a 

 strenuous time. How would we get to do the har- 

 rowing? The advent of a kerosene-burning tractor 

 finished the solution. We hitched to the engine one 

 of these spring-tooth harrows cutting a swath 21 

 feet wide. My 16-year-old boy ran the engine. It 

 drew the harrows with ease and could have drawn 

 more of them. It was a joy to watch it work. I 

 feared that the heavy wheels might injure some of 



