40 ALFALFA FARMING IN AMERICA. 
age it if the thing is set right. We keep the plows 
sharp. The plowman carries a file and often lifts 
the plow out of the ground and sharpens it well. 
The land is plowed deep, from 7 to 10”, and we hope 
ultimately to plow much deeper than that. We aim 
to get the land all broken before mid-winter, so that 
the frosts may work on it. No manure is used on 
alfalfa sod. It is disked and fitted for corn which is 
planted usually about May 5 in checks. This corn is 
as well cultivated as we know. Often in the early 
part of the season the alfalfa roots will grow, espe- 
cially if the season is wet, and the field will look 
not a little green. This does not disturb us in the 
least, for after the corn cultivation begins the alfalfa 
soon weakens and mostly disappears. Some stray 
plants will escape destruction and will live over, 
even for two or three years of corn. This is all the 
better, since thus the inoculation is safely carried 
over. The corn has as clean cultivation as we can 
give. We discourage weed seeding as much as pos- 
sible. We have learned that that enemy of alfalfa, 
fox-tail or pigeon grass, can be surely eradicated in 
one year by not letting a stalk of it make seed. 
The corn is cut and shocked. Before winter it is 
husked and the folder set up, two shocks in a place. 
We cut our corn 12 hills square; at present our hills 
are 42” apart. We find corn to thrive wonderfully 
on alfalfa sod. The second year will usually find this 
land yet in corn. This time as much manure from 
the stables and sheep barns as can be found 
will be put on. Even with this manuring 
