194 



ALPALFA 



ALFALFA 



Late summer seeding, which permits consider- 

 able growth before winter and reduces danger 

 from weeds to a minimum, is to 

 be recommended if the moisture 

 conditions are favorable, unless 

 danger from winter - killing 

 (North) makes spring seeding 

 necessary. In the North the plants 

 should go into the winter with a 

 considerable growth to hold snow 

 to check freezing and heaving. 

 Occasional mowings the first year, 

 with the cutter-bar set high, hold 

 the weeds in check and induce 

 heavier stooling. It is not pas- 

 tured until after the first year and 

 then but sparingly. In the West 

 the stand lasts indefinitely, but in 

 the Bast it is often run out by 

 June-grass or Kentucky blue- 

 grass (Poa pratensis) and in the 

 middle South by crab-grass. Disk- 

 ing with the disks set nearly 

 straight is destructive to weeds 

 and beneficial to alfalfa plants 

 over two years old. The number 

 of cuttings (one ton or more 

 each) varies from two or three, 

 where the summers are short, 

 to six or seven where they are 

 long. A normal yield is four to five tons per acre. 

 It is cut when the first blooms appear, as later cut- 

 ting reduces the protein content and decreases 

 the feeding value. Great care is necessary to pre- 

 vent the loss of leaves, which 

 constitute as high as 63 per 

 cent of the total protein of 

 the plant. In the West it is 

 usually raked into windrows a 

 few hours after cutting, and 

 as soon as cured sufiiciently 

 to prevent heating is hauled 

 to the stack, or baler, on racks 

 or hay sweeps, "go-devils" or 

 "buUrakes." Hayforks (capa- 

 city 300 to 600 pounds) facil- 

 itate stacking and reduce the 

 loss of leaves. In humid re- 

 gions the hay is cocked some- 

 what green from the wind- 

 rows, and when sufiiciently 

 cured is hauled on racks to 

 the stack or barn. 



Fig. 277. Alfalfa leaf-spot. 



Fig. 275. 



Alfalfa plant; loots 



well established. 



The feeding value of alfalfa 

 depends on its high protein 

 content and palatability. 

 Alone it constitutes a main- 

 tenance ration, but it is gen- 

 erally fed in connection with 

 starchy feeds. It is superior 

 to clover hay in feeding value 

 and may be substituted in part 



the proportion of one and one-half pounds of 

 alfalfa to one pound of bran, 



It affords excellent pasture tut must be grazed 

 with caution, as cattle are likely to bloat, espe- 

 cially if turned on when hungry or when the 

 alfalfa is wet. 



It is well adapt- 

 ed for soiling pur- 

 poses, but is little 

 used for silage 

 unless continued 

 rains prevent field 

 curing. 



In common 

 with other leg- 

 umes it is a val- 

 uable soil-renova- 

 tor, although in 

 the West it is 

 rarely turned un- 

 der, the fields 

 sometimes re- 

 maining in alfalfa 

 fifty years. 



The hay is sometimes ground and sold as alfalfa 

 meal, either pure or mixed with prepared concen- 

 trates such as bran, corn chop and molasses. A 

 considerable saving in freight rates is effected by 

 this process, as the ordinary bales are too bulky to 

 be shipped to the best advantage. 



For ordinary shipment the hay is baled 110 

 cubic feet to the ton. For transoceanic shipment 

 double compressed bales are used (fifty-five to 

 eighty-five cubic feet to the ton). 



Causes of failure. 



The causes of failure may 

 be stated under three heads, 

 as follows : 



(1) General. — Lack of at- 

 tention to soil requirements, 

 preparation of ground and 

 care the first year. 



(2) Weeds. — Fox -tail and 

 crab-grass in the Middle West, 

 June-grass (Poa pratensis) in 

 the North, Johnson grass and 

 crab-grass in the South. The 

 remedies for these are the use 

 of clean land, frequent mow- 

 ings and occasional diskings. 



(3) Inoculation. — Lack of 

 inoculation (humid sections) is 

 often a cause of failure. Har- 

 rowing in soil from an old 

 alfalfa field at seeding time is 

 the natural method and gener- 

 ally successful. The disadvan- 

 tages of this method lie in 

 the difficulty of transporta- 

 tion (100 to 400 pounds per 

 acre) and the danger of intro- 

 ducing weeds and plant dis- 

 eases. The commercial cul- 



for bran in a dairy ration in Fig. 276. Dodder on alfalfa (after first cuttine). tures formerly on the market 



