THE RURAL, NEW-YORKER 
871 
Short Talk on Alfalfa. 
Methods of Feeding and Fertilizing. 
We have a piece of land which has been seeded down 
with clover and Timothy for several years; the clover 
has entirely run out and the Timothy has made a poor 
stand this year. We sowed a few pounds of Alfalfa 
seed with the clover and Timothy to see if it would 
catch, using no culture. The Alfalfa came up and has 
made vigorous growth. It has spread considerably, 
and we now have large patches all over the field. We 
wish to plow this piece up and seed down to Alfalfa, 
but there is a little difference of opinion on our part 
as to the best method of cultivating this land before 
seeding. We have never sowed Alfalfa and would like 
your advice on same. 
A. thinks that the land should have a good applica¬ 
tion of manure, be planted to corn and sown to oats 
next year, then plow in the Fall and seed down to Al¬ 
falfa with wheat. B. thinks that this field should be 
seeded down to Alfalfa this Fall with wheat, claiming 
that the cultivating under A.'s plan would kill the bac¬ 
teria. Will Alfalfa make a vigorous growth if it is 
not inoculated? Will it live at all? 
New York. n. 
T HE “vigorous growth” of the Al¬ 
falfa in that field, resulting from 
the few Alfalfa seeds sown with 
the Timothy and clover, proves that 
the soil needs neither lime nor inocula¬ 
tion to grow Alfalfa successfully, and 
that had the owner omitted the Tim¬ 
othy and clover, and sown all Alfalfa 
seed, he would now have a profitable 
meadow. It is too late now to think 
of planting corn this year. lie should 
apply a good coating of stable manure, 
plow the field at once, add 200-300 
pounds of acid phosphate per acre, 
and after thorough cultivation sow 
buckwheat early in July. Next Spring 
the field should be thoroughly fitted as 
early in the season as the ground is 
dry enough to work properly, applying 
again about the same amount of acid 
phosphate. Allow the weed seeds in 
days to germinate, and then after the 
first shower drag the field thoroughly, but only one 
inch deep, to kill the weeds already started, and to 
avoid bringing up fresh weed seeds. Sow the Al¬ 
falfa, 30 pounds per acre broadcast or 20 pounds 
with an Alfalfa drill, and roll the ground. 
Do not use any cover crop. If the Alfalfa is 
sown alone, not later than May 20, it will yield two 
cuttings the first year, which together ought to 
amount to from ‘J 1 /* to three tons, and worth more 
than any cover crop. With a cover crop the Alfal¬ 
fa usually fails, and never results in a good thick 
stand. 
If too late for buckwheat this year and the owner 
wishes to try his chance with wheat 
he should apply the manure and fer¬ 
tilizer as before and Summer-fallow 
the land till time for seeding to wheat, 
which should he rather early, so that 
the wheat will get well rooted this 
Fall. Next Spring (as soon as dry 
enough) drag the land thoroughly as 
if the wheat were not there (and when 
the owner gets through it will look as 
if it were not); sow the Alfalfa as 
above, applying 200-300 pounds of acid 
phosphate. This dragging will improve 
the wheat, and it will greatly increase 
the chance of getting a fair stand of 
Alfalfa. Wheat is the best cover crop, 
as it is removed earlier than Spring 
crops, but the resulting Alfalfa stand 
is not so good as when sown alone. 
It is to remain for many years, and 
a good thick stand at the beginning is 
desirable. 
Three tons of Alfalfa per acre, per 
year, is better than other hay crops, 
hut six tons is better than three. An 
annual top-dressing with stable ma¬ 
nure (six or eight tons per acre) is a 
good investment, or lacking that 200- 
300 pounds of acid phosphate, broad¬ 
cast, would be very beneficial. 
Ontario Co., N. Y. iiabry g. chapi.v. 
There are two ways this could he seeded : First 
cut the hay in July, then plow and fit nicely, and 
sow to Alfalfa in August. Second way, and the one 
I think the better, would be to plow land this Fall, 
then in the Winter get what manure you could on 
it: early in Spring plow again and fit nicely, use 
a cutaway harrow and get as mellow as though 
you were going to sow onions. I think the fitting 
is half the success with starting Alfalfa. I then 
would use a little lime; this does not cost much, 
and certainly will help some. Then sow 1*4 bush¬ 
el oats to the acre with your Alfalfa seed. It also 
is a good plan to mix in some common clover with 
the Alfalfa; that helps fill for the first year while 
the Alfalfa is starting. Spring is the natural time 
for seeds to start, although I have seen good stands 
of Alfalfa sown in August, but I prefer it sown in 
the Spring. f. r. atxen. 
Seneca Co., N. Y. 
The Pictures. 
A SWEEP RAKE.—The picture at Fig. 326 shows 
the way of hunching up the hay on some of the 
big Western fields, where there is no time to 
stop and play with an ordinary fork or a one-horse 
rake. These special rakes are very useful in push¬ 
ing the hay up to the stack. Many of these rakes 
are homemade and are very simple. It is a long 
heavy joist or plank with slender wooden fingers 
reaching out and running over the ground, and up¬ 
right stakes behind to hold the bv nch of hay in 
Bunching the Hay with Sweep Rake. Fig 326. 
place. One horse is hitched to each end of the 
rake, and as they are driven ahead the long wood¬ 
en fingers reaching down under the hay pick it up 
and push it along ahead. It is usually pushed up 
by the side of a stack, where big forks pick it up 
and toss it to the top of the stack by horse or even 
gasoline power. Hay-making in the West, where 
hundreds of acres of Alfalfa must he handled 
quickly, is no boy’s play, hut every device of pow¬ 
er and skill must he employed to push the hay to¬ 
gether and toss it into big stacks where it can he 
held until wanted. This plan of pushing up the 
hay is often used in Eastern farming. We know of 
profit nowadays in raising an ordinary colt, and 
anything except a heavy draft horse has to be a 
first class animal in order to he worth bringing up. 
This filly, however, has both the blood and the stuff 
in her to make a record and she is a good type of 
the lighter class horse which will he wanted in the 
future. There certainly is no use breeding and 
raising the scrub driver or the light roadster of 
ordinary pedigree, for the motor cars have about 
put an end to the commercial demand for that class 
of horses. 
The other picture shows a proud mother and her 
lusty youngster. Here we have another class of 
animal which just now is paying good money to tin' 
farmer. There is a great demand for mule stock in 
Europe, and high class jacks and mules are in 
active demand. We have long believed that there 
are many localities in our Eastern country where 
a high class jack would pay better 
than a stallion of ordinary weight and 
breeding. This little fellow with ears 
all attention will make a mark in the 
world yet. It seems to be all ears and 
legs up to date, hut it will fill out later, 
and be represented on the battlefield 
of Europe either in person or by send¬ 
ing members of its family over later 
on. 
A SOUTHERN COVER CROP.— 
The picture at Fig. 327 shows a corn¬ 
field in Southern Alabama, with the 
cover crop growing among the stalks. 
In the South this cover crop can be 
carried out in an ideal manner. The 
warm moist weather of late Summer 
ripens the corn rapidly and permits 
the sowing of Crimson clover, cow 
peas. Soy beans and other legumes, 
which grow to perfection in that 
Southern country. After the corn is 
laid by or when cultivation stops, the 
mixed seeds of the cover crop are 
scattered in the corn and worked in with the cul¬ 
tivator. That is all there is to it. Left to them¬ 
selves with suitable weather the cover crop runs 
right along in this warm pleasant climate and 
makes a most remarkable growth. Corn gives a 
good crop, generally making a thick rank growth. 
Then when it is cut the cover crop comes forward 
and will give a pasturage for stock, a fair amount 
of good hay, or when plowed into the ground with 
a small quantity of phosphate, it will lay the founda¬ 
tion for another big crop of corn. The Gulf States 
really give ideal conditions for cover cropping. In 
no part of the country is this practice more ne¬ 
cessary, for the Winters are mild, and 
vast quantities of nitrates are washed 
out of the soil when it is unoccupied 
by a living crop. The soil generally 
is dull, and lacking in organic matter, 
so that the cover crop properly plowed 
into the ground adds the needed nitro¬ 
gen and fills the soil with humus. 
This picture shows what happens 
when the plan is carried on under rea¬ 
sonable conditions, and it is a great 
thing for the Southern farmers to 
practice. 
Cover Crop in Southern Corn Field. Fig. 327. 
many cases where various schemes are adopted to 
push or drag the hay right up to the barn door with¬ 
out loading it upon the wagon at all. A farmer with 
an inventive turn of mind can, if he gets busy, de¬ 
vise schemes of this kind for greatly saving his 
labor and making one hour worth two in effective¬ 
ness. 
TWO YOUNGSTERS.—The pictures on the first 
page show a couple of youngsters who will be 
heard from in various ways. The little filly was 
only eight days old when her picture was taken. 
She is very tame, and plays with the children like 
any other pet. This filly belongs to Mr. Thornton 
Chard of Cazenovia. N. Y.. and has a fine pedigree 
running hack to blue blood. There is not much 
Late Hay or Fodder Crops. 
I take possession of a farm after July 
1st. Ho.\v could I raise a hay crop this 
season to feed a horse and cows? The 
six acres intended for this crop are in 
poor grass; four acres in corn, five oats, 
one-half acre in potatoes. What vege¬ 
tables could I plant and raise this sea¬ 
son for men and cattle? E. N. 
Ridgefield Park, N. ,1. 
I T is, of course, too late after July 
1st to seed grass, expecting to have 
a hay crop this year. You will be 
obliged to sow some substitute for a 
hay crop, or else clean up some of the 
old meadows. If the six acres you 
speak of have a fair seeding of grass 
in any part of them, you can probably 
get a small second crop by using about 125 pounds 
of nitrate of soda to the acre. With a reasonable 
amount of moisture this will start up a second crop 
of grass, and you will cut a small crop of hay from 
it. Then in September you could plow this land, 
put lime on it, and seed it to rye, to be cut for straw 
and grain next year, or plowed under as a green 
manure. If you do not care to do that, you can 
have these six acres plowed at once. Put three of 
them into fodder corn. This means making furrows 
about three feet apart and scattering corn thickly 
in the furrow, using fertilizer of fair quality. Give 
this corn good cultivation, and while it will not 
make grain when planted so late, it will make a 
large amount of good fodder, which makes a fair 
