456 ALFALFA FARMING IN AMERICA. 
An ordinary corn drill such as is used in drilling corn in listed 
furrows can be used by babbitting up the holes in the corn plate 
and drilling new ones of proper size to drop about 15 alfalfa 
seeds. If a blank plate is at hand, holes may be drilled into that 
large enough to drop from 10 to 20 seeds. The germination value 
of the seed and all factors that tend to lessen’ the ultimate num- 
ber of plants must be considered in determining how thickly to 
seed. The holes should be close enough to drop seeds at intervals 
of from 8 to 12 inches. 
Lewis Brott, a pioneer dry-land alfalfa seed producer in western 
Nebraska, has had successful results by using an onion seed 
plate in a corn drill. 
Rate of Seeding and Thickness of Stand.—In mature stands 
of alfalfa in cultivated rows the plants should average about 1 
foot apart in the row. To insure this, it is necessary that the 
plants be much thicker at first, as their mortality under dry 
conditions is very high. Satisfactory results have been secured 
by seeding the alfalfa with an ordinary grain drill so set that it 
would sow 12 pounds of seed per acre with all the holes in opera- 
tion. With 4 out of every 5 holes stopped up, approximately 
2 2-5 pounds of seed to the acre will be sown. 
The stand in a cultivated row need be no thicker even at first 
than that of the rows in ordinary drilled fields, though the rows 
of the latter are usually only about 8 inches apart. Where the 
conditions are not favorable, it is usually best to seed more 
thickly at first than is necessary and to thin out the plants subse- 
quently to the desired stand. As much as 7 pounds of seed to 
the acre have been sown in 36-inch rows without producing too 
thick a stand for satisfactory results during the first season. 
This rate of seeding is equivalent to 30 pounds per acre drilled in 
the usual way under conditions of sufficient moisture with the 
rows 8 inches apart. 
If difficulty is experienced in making the drill feed slowly 
enough, it may be overcome for the most part by mixing corn 
chop with the alfalfa seed or by reducing the feed in the grain 
drill with strips of leather. 
Millet or other seed of similar size may be rendered ungermina- 
ble by heating thoroughly in an oven for several hours and then 
mixed with the alfalfa seed to aid in securing any desired rate 
of seeding. Sawdust and dry soil are also frequently used for 
this purpose. 
It is a very good plan to test the drill first on bare soil with 
the shoes not touching the ground. In this way it is possible to 
observe the rate at which the seed is being dropped, and thus a 
proper regulation of the seeding can be secured. There should 
