48 THE BOOK OF ALFALFA 



failures are due to weeds than to any other one cause, 

 and unfortunately all the weeds do not grow on the land 

 of the farmer who is shiftless or neglectful. The latter 

 is so benevolent as to permit his weeds to scatter their 

 seeds to the fields of his neighbors. 



If a spring sowing is to be made on wheat ground, the 

 land will be helped by a liberal dressing of manure imme- 

 diately after the harvest, and by plowing and harrowing 

 at once ; then sowing about the last of August to rye or 

 wheat for fall and winter pasturage, and to prevent the 

 soil from leaching or washing. In the spring the land 

 should be disked and harrowed for alfalfa, keeping in 

 mind the point emphasized in the preceding paragraph. 

 Instead of the rye or wheat, cowpeas may be sowed after 

 the wheat harvest; thus both fertility and bacteria will 

 be added to the soil, and the farmer have a valuable pas- 

 ture crop for pigs or lambs. If the season is extremely 

 favorable, a hay crop may be cut in early October. 



If potatoes are to precede a spring sowing of alfalfa, 

 more than usual care should be taken to keep the field 

 clean of weeds. Some farmers do well by sowing millet 

 with the last cultivation of potatoes, leaving the potatoes 

 in the ground until after the millet is harvested, and when 

 the crop is dug the land is free from weeds. Then it 

 may be harrowed or disked and seeded to rye for winter 

 pasture. Some plow the potato ground in the fall and 

 sow to wheat or rye. Certainly if weeds are present the 

 ground should be plowed as soon as the potatoes are 

 dug. The idea is to secure a fine seed bed and have 

 the ground free from weeds, the great curse of the 

 American farm. All things considered there is probably 



