164 ALFALFA FARMING IN AMERICA. 
early spring. Do not pasture it much if you wish 
the full benefit of its nitrogen-gathering and humus- 
making. Before the seed forms, and as early as it 
flowers, it can be made into hay. Crimson clover hay 
is nutritious, only when cut too late it has a bad 
habit of sometimes killing animals by forming hair 
balls in their stomachs, so it is best to let it 
ripen and take off a crop of seed, putting the straw 
back, or else to plow it under and use all the growth 
as a manure. Do not expect crimson clover to do 
much without inoculation. This comes in more 
easily with crimson clover than with most other 
legumes. 
Alfalfa Following Crimson Clover.—As soon as 
the crimson clover is turned under begin cultiva- 
tion of the land and get it in fine tilth, destroying 
any weeds that may spring up. Do not sow the 
alfalfa seed till the soil is well stored with moisture. 
After every rain go over the field with some efficient 
sort of harrow. If the land is not hard a spike 
tooth drag harrow is one of the best implements 
of summer culture. Should rain make it hard and 
in danger of baking, the disk or spring tooth may 
be needed. 
The lime may be put on now, though it would 
have been better to have put it on before the crim- 
son clover was sown so that it could be doing its 
quiet work of sweetening the land. 
As soon as the land is stored with moisture, say 
by the last week in July or some time in August, 
the alfalfa may be sown alone. One ought to ob- 
