HINTS ON RAISING FARM CROPS 39 
is due to the fact that alfalfa demands a few 
specific conditions in order that it may thrive, 
and not many farmers are informed on these 
matters. It may be said that many farmers 
have tried out alfalfa, but they were not suc¬ 
cessful in securing a stand, so consequently, 
gave up the effort, thinking that alfalfa could 
not possibly grow on their farms. This is 
hardly true, however, as alfalfa can be made 
to grow almost anywhere, if conditions are 
made favorable for its growth. 
We will now discuss some of these points 
concerning alfalfa, and possibly succeed in 
persuading some farmer who might read these 
pages to give alfalfa a fair trial. We might 
as well begin with the seed. There are all 
kinds of seed on the market, advertised as 
Grimm’s genuine alfalfa seed. As all varieties 
of alfalfa seed look alike, it is difficult for 
the farmer to tell whether he is purchasing 
Grimm seed, or some of the common strains, 
until after he has raised it. A very safe method 
in securing the genuine Grimm seed, is to get 
in touch with reliable parties, such as the coun¬ 
ty agricultural agent, the Farm Bureau repre¬ 
sentative, or the state agricultural college, 
and have them secure the seed from sources 
that they know are reliable. This seed usually 
costs about fifty cents a pound, while the com¬ 
mon strains are much cheaper, but a hardy 
variety, such as Grimm’s, is well worth the dif¬ 
ference in price. 
It is now advocated to sow not less than fif¬ 
teen pounds to the acre. This enables the new 
crop to hold its own against weeds. Another 
