PRACTICAL EXPERIENCES 29! 



As alfalfa starts slowly and exists as a small plant for a 

 considerable length of time, the weeds have an abundant 

 opportunity to germinate and outgrow the more delicate 

 alfalfa plants. Whatever conditions favor the growth of 

 weeds, particularly in the early part of the growing sea- 

 son, materially increase the risk of failure with alfalfa. 

 Largely on account of the weeds and grass, late in sum- 

 mer or fall seeding has been most satisfactory. While a 

 drouth at this time may seriously interfere with germina- 

 tion, yet the injury from insufficient moisture is not like- 

 ly to be so great as that from a rank growth of weeds 

 earlier in the season. Land that has been cultivated for 

 a few weeks during the summer may be sown to alfalfa in 

 August or September with comparatively little danger 

 from annual weeds, which are so troublesome in spring 

 seeding. Land that is infested with noxious perennial 

 weeds and grass would not, of course, be in suitable con- 

 dition for seeding after a few weeks of cultivation, no 

 matter how thorough it may be. The most tenacious 

 grasses and weeds, like Canada thistles and quack grass, 

 should be given at least a few months of thorough cul- 

 tivation before seeding. Experiments indicate that al- 

 falfa will not survive continued alternate freezing and 

 thawing: if the soil contains very much moisture. Land 

 that is at all inclined to "heave" is not suited for the 

 growth of this crop. The soil of the station farm, upon 

 which most of these experiments have been made, is a 

 porous limestone clay underlaid with limestone rocks 

 which afford abundant drainage through the fissures. 

 Notwithstanding the fact that the soil is naturally well 

 drained, in some places it seems to hold too much water 



