FORAGE CROPS IN NORTHERN GREAT PLAINS. 



29 



Table 13. — Comparison of hay yields of alfalfa grown in rows and close drills at 

 four stations in the northern Great Plains region in stated years. 



[Data in pounds per acre, field cured, except that the material at Moccasin in all years and at Havre in 



1920 to 1922 was air dried.] 



Station and method of sowing. 



1916 



1917 



1918 



1919 



1920 



1921 



1922 



Aver- 

 age. 



Moccasin, Mont.: 



3,234 



2,896 

 2,866 

 3,069 

 2,882 

 2,938 



2,868 

 2,661 

 2,846 

 2,662 

 2,310 

 2,831 



2,249 

 2,146 

 2,218 

 2,843 

 2,859 

 2,812 



3,180 

 2,780 

 3,460 

 3,100 

 2,940 

 2,760 



4,610 

 5,290 



178 

 37 

 199 

 444 

 726 











476 



582 



843 



.668 



600 

 640 

 300 

 700 

 360 

 640 



3,640 

 3,880 



140 



32 



285 



524 



421 



2,938 

 2,973 

 2,927 

 3,032 

 2,771 

 2,618 



2,040 

 2,550 

 2,350 

 1,830 

 2,130 

 1,890 



2,126 

 2,028 

 2,142 

 2,329 

 2,333 

 2,394 



1,410 



1,410 

 1,050 

 1,550 

 1,370 

 1,090 



2,840 

 2,702 

 2,280 

 2,486 

 2. 530 

 2,321 



4,140 

 3,720 

 3,060 

 3,160 

 2,940 

 2,540 



2,322 

 2,201 





Rows 24 inches apart 



2,251 





2,429 





2 361 





2,369 



2,274 

 2,220 



Sheridan, "Wyo.: 



Grimm, 35-inch rows 













2,044 

 2,068 

 1,948 









Local seed, close drills 













1,784 



5,125 

 5,068 



Mandan, N. Dak.: i 



8,350 

 6,350 



3,900 

 4,750 



266 



613 



1,060 



1,311 



1,200 











Havre, Mont.: 



Close drills 



474 

 198 

 744 

 940 

 710 



945 

 1,098 

 1,177 

 1,020 



940 



1,290 

 1,381 

 1,211 

 1,191 

 1,165 



549 







560 







779 



Rows 48 inches apart 





905 



Rows 60 inches apart 





860 









1 Data from the records of the Office of Dry-Land Agriculture Investigations. 



At Havre, during the period of very dry years from 1917 to 1922, 

 the results have been in favor of row sowings, but in every instance 

 the best yields have not been more than half a ton per acre, which 

 is below the point of profitable production. The cost of keeping 

 the rows free from weeds and the poorer quality of hay due to the 

 greater quantity of dust and dirt are objections to be considered 

 seriously in growing alf alf a in rows. 



Alfalfa is probably grown in rows to a greater extent for seed than 

 for hay. However, it has been quite fully proved that where the 

 soil and climatic conditions are not favorable for seed production 

 very little more seed will be produced from rows than from broadcast 

 or closely drilled stands. Where the moisture supply is so scant 

 that no seed is obtained from drilled alf alf a the yield from rows will 

 ordinarily not be sufficient to assure a profit, except in the case 

 of unusual varieties the seed of which commands a high market price. 



CULTIVATING ALFALFA. 



At one time disking, harrowing, or similarly cultivating alfalfa 

 was generally recommended, in the belief that such treatment pro- 

 longed the liie of the stand, kept down the weeds, and increased the 

 yields of hay. As a result of careful observations and a few definite 

 plat tests it has been found that disking is actually injurious in humid 

 districts, but the use of the so-called alfalfa harrow is still quite 

 generally recommended. For the purpose of determining whether 

 any sort of cultivation is justified on the northern Great Plains, tests 

 have been carried on at Redfleld and Moccasin for several years. 

 The results of these tests are shown in Table 14. 



