2^2 Illinois State Dairymen's Association. 



spring than later in the season, because germination is slower in 

 the colder soil, and the weed seeds must be thoroughly sprouted 

 before harrowing will destroy them. 



A few years ago most of our people who pretended to know 

 anything about alfalfa seeding, recommended the use of a nurse 

 crop to keep down weeds, but many recent experiences have 

 shown that the nurse crop idea is wrong. The nurse crop is more 

 or less of a weed in itself, and both weeds and nurse crop must 

 be avoided by a period of clean culture before sowing the alfalfa. 



At present we feel safest in recommending that soil prepara- 

 tion for alfalfa seeding be begun in the spring of the year rather 

 than in midsummer, because of the greater certainty of securing 

 the right kind of a seed-bed at that time. If the soil is one of the 

 heavier types, it should be double disked (lapping one-half) be- 

 fore plowing. If the ground has been fall plowed it may be 

 prepared in spring by thorough disking. After thorough prepara- 

 tion, however accomplished, the seed-bed must be harrowed at 

 least three or four times at intervals of about ten days, to sprout 

 and kill weed seeds, until some time in June or July, according 

 to the character of the season. The alfalfa seed should then be 

 sown alone at the rate of twenty pounds per acre. It may be 

 broadcasted and lightly covered with a smoothing harrow, or it 

 may be drilled with a wheat drill, if the drill is of a kind that 

 can be adjusted to sow the desired amount of seed and set to 

 cover the seed at a reasonable depth. In a loose soil and a dry 

 season the seed may be covered deeper than in a heavy soil and 

 a wet season. Ordinarily covering an inch deep will be satisfac- 

 tory. 



While the method described above gives the greatest assur- 

 ance of success, the experiments herein reported, and a few ex- 

 periments and observations in previous years, indicate that it is 

 possible to get a satisfactory stand of alfalfa on ground that is 

 not prepared for sowing until after wheat, clover or other early 

 harvested crop has been removed from the ground, especially 

 with favorable summer and fall weather. The greatest objection 

 to this practice lies in the fact that there may not be sufficient 

 moisture to properly prepare the ground and get a sufficient fall 

 growth to thoroughly establish the plants. It seems, however, 

 that wherever it is important to avoid the loss of a year's crop, 

 and where the soil is in good condition, this method may be em- 



