24 THE BOOK OF ALFALFA 



Alva Langston, of Henry county, Indiana, sowed five 

 acres of alfalfa May 20th, and harvested nearly ij^ tons 

 of hay per acre August 25th following, and about the 

 same quantity September 20th to 25th. This was on 

 upland, thirty or more years in cultivation. The alfalfa 

 was clipped twice before the cutting for hay. 



In 1902 F. S. Kirk of tjarfield county, Oklahoma, 

 sowed a field near a creek, but about 25 feet above water, 

 with thirty to thirty-five pounds of alfalfa seed per acre, 

 broadcast. The soil, which he calls "high bottom," was 

 a dark brown and contained considerable sand. For two 

 years no attention was given the alfalfa except harvest- 

 ing from it three crops the second year and four the 

 third year. In IQ05 he harvested from ten acres nine 

 cuttings, estimated to weigh fully one and one-half tons 

 each, per acre. The longest time between any two cut- 

 tings was twenty-two days, and the shortest fourteen 

 days. During the season of 1904 seven cuttings were 

 made and the field was gone orer with a disk harrow 

 early each time after removing the hay from the field. 

 It was possible to cut another growth of 8 to 12 inches, 

 had he not preferred to use it as pasturage for stock. 



Mr. Kirk does not irrigate and maintains that in his 

 part of the country "the best irrigation for alfalfa is with 

 a disk harrow." He also insists that "alfalfa can be en- 

 tirely killed by disking in the dark of the moon," espe- 

 cially if the weather that follows is hot and dry. He past- 

 ures his alfalfa with cattle and horses in fall and spring, 

 and disks in the spring as soon as the stock is removed. 



