246 THE BOOK OF ALFALFA 



less sand. Water is reached at from 10 to 40 feet, and on 

 land not irrigated the soil is dry all the way down to the 

 water veins. The preferred time for sowing is either 

 April I or August i. Have as good success right on the 

 sod as on old land. If to raise seed only, 10 pounds is 

 sufficient to the acre ; for hay, 20 pounds is not too much. 

 Seed not moi*e than two inches deep. About June 15 cut 

 weeds and tops of young alfalfa, and then irrigate well, 

 and you get one-half to one ton of hay in September. It 

 is best to not try for seed the first year, but give all the 

 strength to the roots. It does not winterkill here. We 

 irrigate from the Arkansas river, and the number of irri- 

 gations depends on the soil. The first year requires twice 

 as much water as later ones. Usually three applications 

 are needed : in early spring, mid-summer, and late fall 

 I have 160 acres not irrigated for three years. We have 

 three cuttings, yielding ij^ to 2 tons per acre each. Cut 

 for hay just when coming into full bloom, and stack in 

 the field — ^never in barn — in long ricks, 12 feet wide 

 by 80 to 120 feet long. It will not heat in the stack. Let 

 all pods become dark brown or black before cutting for 

 seed. The second crop is preferable, unless there is a 

 large acreage, when I take one-half the first crop and one- 

 half the second, in order to help the farmer out with 

 work. Have men follow the machine closely, and cock 

 up, to remain four or five days before stacking. Never 

 cut for seed with a mowing machine, as you will lose one- 

 third of the crop in trying to gather it. The cost of 

 alfalfa in the stack is not over $2 at the outside. To bale 

 — ^preferably in 80-pound bales — costs $1.50 per ton. An 

 ordinary yield of seed is five bushels per acre. The cost 



