FORTY-THIRD ANNUAL CONVENTION. 83 



they will tell you whether it is the same as the first sample sub- 

 mitted, in that way you will find out if they sent you what you 

 purchased and if it is right. 



Now, are you going to seed alfalfa alone or with a nurse 

 crop? I would not put it in without a nurse crop in ihe spring, 

 but the latter part of July or the first of August, but remember, 

 that I realize just as w^ell as you, that very frequently the con- 

 ditions are not suitable because w^e have not moisture enough at 

 that time of the year. If you seed it with a nurse crop there 

 is no doubt but what you can be reasonably successful with early 

 oats or barley, spring wheat would be all right, but we don't 

 grow it much in this state; barley is better than oats. If you sow 

 a nurse crop with alfalfa, see to it that you sow it lightly. Re- 

 member that when you grow this crop down in your oats or 

 wheat you have it more or less shaded and when you take the 

 crop off you expose that tender jlant almost instantaneously to 

 the intense sunlight and heat, and at a time when the soil is 

 deficient in water. 



When- you have gotten your crops started, it is my judg- 

 ment that you ought not to cut it the first year unless the we,eds 

 get too bad in the fall. As to when to cut it, that is a hard 

 thing to tell exactly. During the season of 1916, in July, the 

 shoots for the third crop did not come in many localities and 

 there were people who were patiently waiting for those new 

 shoots tO' come, because the general recommendation has been 

 to cut w^hen the new shoots start. Had they dug down the) 

 would have found those new shoots in the bud. 



You must know your alfalfa plant. It grows rapidly for a 

 time and then comes to a period of rest. About six days after 

 it seems to cease to grow it should be cut even though the new- 

 shoots do not appear. Cultivate the alfalfa field in order to 

 aerate the roots, conserve the moisture, and to destroy the shal- 

 low rooted weeds and grasses. 



Much more should be said concerning this w^onderful crop, 

 but time forbids." (Applause). 



