456 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
June 2 , 
ALFALFA FOR EASTERN FARMERS. 
A CROP WELL WORTH STRIVING FOR. 
How To Work for If. 
PART IV. 
Inoculation. — I have not tried the 
commercial products that are advertised 
for inoculating Alfalfa. I am familiar with 
the effect with soil taken from an Alfal¬ 
fa field where tubercles are abundant on 
the roots, and with inoculation with ma¬ 
nure made from animals fed western- 
grown Alfalfa. Both methods are suc¬ 
cessful. Where soil is used it should be 
taken from the first three inches in depth, 
and from a field where the tubercles are 
plentiful on the Alfalfa roots, and the 
plants are vigorous. Sow 400 to 500 
pounds of soil per acre, sowing broadcast 
just after sowing the seed. The harrow¬ 
ing that covers the seed will mix the in¬ 
oculating soil with the seed and the soil 
of the field. Eastern farmers have a cheap 
way of inoculating their fields for Alfalfa. 
They can feed horses, cattle or hogs and 
probably poultry with Alfalfa meal made 
from western-grown hay. The meal is 
a profitable feed, the manure from it is 
rich in inoculating material, and of course 
is a good fertilizer. The best results 
known to the writer in inoculating Al¬ 
falfa have come from the use of such 
manure. In parts of Kansas and Ne¬ 
braska the subsoil is hardpan, so hard that 
it is difficult to dig through it. When 
Alfalfa was first grown on these lands, it 
yielded fair crops for two or three years, 
and then began to die out rapidly, and the 
plants that were alive made a weak 
growth. It was found that the land 
should be broken up as soon as the Al¬ 
falfa began to fail. One crop of corn 
was raised on the sod while the deep 
roots were rotting, and then the land was 
again seeded to Alfalfa. The second seed¬ 
ing made a permanent good stand, and 
there are now many fields of this second 
seeding that have yielded good crops for 
15 years, and are as vigorous as at any 
time since being started. There seem to 
be two causes for these conditions. It 
was noticed that there were a few tuber¬ 
cles on the roots from the first seeding, 
and larger numbers on the roots from the 
second seeding. Cultivating the corn dis¬ 
tributed the tubercles from the first seed¬ 
ing all through the soil, so that every root 
of the second seeding was inoculated as 
soon as it started. The roots from the 
first seeding had hard work to bore 
through the hardpan subsoil and after 
two or three years of it were so weakened 
that the plants died. The roots from the 
second seeding were well fed by their 
numerous tubercles, and the old roots had 
opened the subsoil to a depth of 1 five to 
eight feet, and by the time they reached 
untouched subsoil they were strong 
enough to go into it. It has been found 
everywhere that it is much easier to grow 
Alfalfa the second time on a field, the first 
seeding inoculating the soil and preparing 
the subsoil. Eastern farmers who are 
having a hard struggle with their first 
trial will find that if they get fair results 
for two or three years most of their 
troubles will have disappeared when they 
seed the land the second time. 
Treatment After Seeding.— Spring- 
sown Alfalfa needs to be run over with a 
mower every three or four weeks to keep 
the weeds down. The cutter bar should 
be set high, and the mowing should be 
done only when the Alfalfa is dry and 
there is no appearance of rain. August- 
sown Alfalfa does not need to be touched 
the first season. Stock should be kept 
off Alfalfa until it is a year old at least 
and if it is desirable to maintain a stand 
on a field for 10 to 15 years stock should 
be kept off until it has passed its third 
year. Poultry will pasture Alfalfa down 
as close as either horses or hogs if in 
sufficient numbers. It is a good plan to 
top-dress Alfalfa lightly with barnyard 
manure or even straw the first Winter 
after seeding. It feeds the new roots, 
and if this top-dressing is put on while 
the ground is frozen it lessens the danger 
from heaving through repeated thawings 
and freezings. When Alfalfa begins to 
bloom cut it. It should be cut for hay 
when not over one-tenth of the plants 
show bloom. If cut every time as soon as 
it reaches this stage, or a little before, it 
will make three to four good crops of hay 
each season. If the first crop is let stand 
until most of the plants are in bloom the 
yield will be cut down, the quality of the 
hay will be poor, and it is probable that 
not more than one other crop can be cut 
during the season. • Eastern Kansas has 
about the same rainfall and other condi¬ 
tions as States farther East. When the 
farmers in that section first began to raise 
Alfalfa extensively it was found that the 
poorest crops were raised by men who 
were particularly successful with Red 
clover. These good clover raisers let the 
Alfalfa stand so long before cutting, wait¬ 
ing for it to reach the same stage as 
clover should, that their hay was woody, 
and they did not get more than two cut¬ 
tings in a season. Sometimes the injury 
to the Alfalfa by letting the first crop 
stand too long was so great that many 
plants died, and the stand was ruined. 
Early cutting is the best method of main¬ 
taining a stand and of securing large 
yields. 
Try It. —These articles may make Al¬ 
falfa growing seem too difficult to be at¬ 
tempted by a man who is successful with 
other crops. But it is written for begin¬ 
ners who do not know the crop, and it has 
to show all the difficulties to be met with. 
No one farmer will probably have to over¬ 
come over half the troubles mentioned. 
Consider the difficulties and directions and 
too wide on the outer or larger circumfer¬ 
ence, and vice versa. Or if one wishes to 
drive around the outside the passage will 
have to be from one to two feet wider, de¬ 
pending upon the size of the barn, in order 
to make the turn. While a given area may 
be more cheaply sided up in the cylindrical 
form the roof will cost more to build. In 
brief, I would not build a round barn. 
_ h. E. c. 
Seeding in the Corn. —I would like to 
say a word to encourage the Vermont woman 
quoted in Hope Farm Notes, page 393. The 
first week in August, 1904, we seeded clover 
and Timothy in a cornfield at the last culti¬ 
vation of the corn. With a small spike-tooth 
cultivator and one horse we went both ways 
with it, and thoroughly covered the seed. 
We got a good catch, and the field looked 
fine. It went into the Winter in good shape, 
and came through the Winter well. Last 
Summer we cut It twice, two good crops. I 
cannot say exactly the amount of hay we 
took off. as we have no scales to weigh It, 
but we thought about four to five tons per 
acre. We have a fine growth of grass again 
this Spring, and expect to get a good hay 
crop this year and probably for some years 
to come, with good management and care. 
We are so well pleased with it that we re¬ 
peated it on another field last August; this 
land being rather poor we seeded clover alone, 
expecting to cut it once and let the rest go 
back into the ground. Owing to absence of 
snow on the ground the past Winter, and re¬ 
peated freezing and thawing, it has killed out 
somewhat. We rather like this plan of seed¬ 
ing: the corn shelters the tender grass dur¬ 
ing the warm days of August and early Sep¬ 
tember. and when the corn is cut about the 
end of September the grass has a good start 
and flourishes under Fall rains and pleasant 
weather. We like it better than seeding in 
with oats in the Spring. j. 8. 
Michigan. 
suggestions that would have to be written 
about growing corn for a man who had 
never seen it raised, nor had his neigh¬ 
bors. Alfalfa is an easy crop to grow 
when a man knows how, and knows the 
things about growing it that need partic¬ 
ular attention on his own farm. After 
these things have been learned, the whole 
farm inoculated, and the subsoil prepared 
by the first seeding, it is as easy to grow 
Alfalfa as grass. Then think of the profit 
in raising it. Three to four crops every 
year of a feed that is profitable to give 
every animal on the farm, from the draft 
horse to the young chick. After you get 
your farm in shape for Alfalfa and learn 
how to handle the crop right, one seeding 
will give you good crops for 10 to 30 
years. But suppose you want to rotate 
oftener and allow a field to stand only 
five years, what have you accomplished? 
You have produced as much protein in 
five years as you would in raising clover 
15 years. In the five years the Alfalfa 
has yielded as much protein as the same 
acreage would in 45 years of Timothy. 
In other words, you as an Alfalfa grower 
produce as much milk and muscle-making 
material in five years as the Timothy 
grower on the same acreage can in the 
whole of his working lifetime. Alfalfa 
is one of the best paying crops to feed, 
and it will sell for more per acre than 
any other general field crop. Try it and 
hang to it until you succeed. 
H. M. COTTRELL. 
Hyde King Apple. —On page 358, “Brev¬ 
ities,” you ask for Information about Hyde 
King apple. In my copy of Apples of New 
York, Vol. 1, by Prof. S. A. Beaeh. page Ififi, 
Is the following description: “Hyde King 
appears to be one of the most valuable of the 
newer varieties of apples which have been 
tested at this (Geneva) Station. The fruit 
Is large or very large, pretty uniform, 
smooth, glossy, pale green or yellow, often 
a little shaded with red. It is quite at¬ 
tractive for a green apple. Although not 
high-flavored it is good In quality, suitable 
for culinary use and evidently desirable for 
general market purposes, being a good keeper. 
So far as tested here (Geneva) the tree is 
vigorous, and almost an annual bearer. It is 
not a very heavy cropper but the fruit is 
very uniformly large with a low percentage 
of culls. Season December to May.” 
Dutchess County. f. p. s. 
When you write advertisers mention The 
R. N.-Y. and you’ll get a quick repj.v and 
“a square deal.” See guarantee, page 8. 
Leggett’s Dusters 
DISTRIBUTE 
insecticides 
in dust form 
saving Fruit and Vegetable Crops when other 
methods fail. 
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Potatoes dusted as fast as 
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Several styles for 
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Why Build a Round Barn? 
G. D. R., Colorado .—I would like to know 
something about the new style of round barns, 
the advantages or disadvantages compared 
with the other kinds. Could you suggest a 
plan for one that would have room for six 
or eight horses, and 10 or 12 head of cattle? 
Could it he made of cement blocks fitted to 
the circle? 
Binder Twine 
Farmers wanted as agents 
AUGUST POST, 
Moulton, - Iowa. 
PARAGRENE 
is better, cheaper and bulkier than PARIS GREEN, 
"Have used Paragrene for potato bugs. It was per¬ 
fectly satisfactory. L. H. BAILEY, Prof. of Horticul¬ 
ture, Cornell University.” Price 1 & 3 lb. pkgs. 25 cts. 
per lb. Write for booklet. Fred L. Lavanburg,N.Y. 
Ans.—I have no experience with round 
barns, but those I have seen have in my 
judgment no advantage over the usual rect¬ 
angular form, and have many disadvan¬ 
tages. No expression so completely fits the 
case as the effort to fill a square bole with 
a round plug. The round barn had its in¬ 
ception in the thought that more space 
could be enclosed with the same outline 
WE ARE HEAD¬ 
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Peas, Soja and 
Velvet Beans, Sor¬ 
ghums, Millet Seed 
and all Southern Seeds. Write for prices and 
“Wood’s Crop Special” giving timely infor¬ 
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T. W. Wood & Sons, Seedsmen, Richmond, Ya. 
A LFALFA SEED—Kansas grown, best known. 
Prices and samples on application. 
KANSAS SEED HOUSE, Lawrence, Kang. 
When you write advertisers mention The 
R. N.-Y and you’ll get a quick reply and 
“a square deal.” See guarantee, page 8. 
DO 
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ROOFING? 
If not, how do you know how long 
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Send for sample and Booklet R. 
THE STANDARD PAINT CO., 
Sole Manufacturers 
IOO WILLIAM STREET, NEW YORK. 
om §F ART STRAWBERRIES EffiB 
plant guaranteed or money returned. Send for my 
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Spring and Planting Time Will 
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Dansville.N. Y. 
APPLE BREEDERS. 
• u • «L • m 
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HART PIONEER NURSERIES 
L Established 1865, Fort Scott, Kan 
QtlfPPT PflDII Choice Stowell’sEvergreen 
O TV EC I UUnil $1.50 bushel; also Pride of 
the North and Improved Learning, $1.00. American 
grown Alfalfa, $10.00: Timothy. $1.75. 
O. W. CLARK & SON, Seedsmen, Buffalo, N. Y. 
r|tn CJkl C—Cow Peas, $1.75 per bushel: (’rim 
lUH wBLE son Clover Seed, $5.50 per bushel 
J. E. HOLLAND, Milfrfrd, Delaware. 
in the circle than any other form. Of 
course that is true, and would perhaps 
hold good if every inside form was built 
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there comes waste. To illustrate, if cow 
stalls are made to fit the circle, and are 
wide enough toward the center, they are 
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CRIMSON CLOVER 
The great soil improver. Valuable 
also for early green food, grazing 
and hay crop. Special circular 
free, also sample and price of seed 
on request. HENKI A. DREER, 714 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, Penn. 
