Show HOW TO SOW ALFALFA PLANT soli 6 should h 0 u 1 d I 1 bo 3 c Q quite u 1 t e firm F irm W with ith good M Mulch u 1 0 h C Cultivate u 1 t li a t e to co conserve n serve i all the moisture by PROF elbag ELIAB NELSON irrigation engineer idaho good preparation of tile the land fol to planting Is important tho the soil eoll khouli be quite firm and should havo have a mulch of loose soil eoll an inch and a half or two inches deep over the surface fall plowing will insure sufficient pack ing ng of the soil eoll and in the spring sun face can bo be worked up into good sold bed the early cultivation should ba bo gin g ln as aa soon in spring as the ground can ca n be worked and be continued tr to bon conserve serve moisture until danger 01 0 heavy freezing la IS over when seeding may be done there should te je sufficient moisture mols turo ln in the soil to io bring u ul the alfalfa and keep it growing until it Is eight or ten hinchl inches es high when water may be applied it needed with wibb spring plowing it Is difficult to get ii seed peed bed firm enough and one that win will retain moisture well enough for best beat results the soil will bo be too loose and will dry out quickly it la Is there fore advisable when the land Is plowed in spring to Irrig irrigate aie before seed ing provided there has not been an abundance of rain alfalfa may be ba started star tied at any time during the season until as late as august or even sep provided the land Is irrigated beforehand in some localities where early fall frosts occur seeding in september may not be practicable for the best results the swing seeding be tolerably early in spring the particular time depend depena upon the altitude and the local climatic conditions A few degrees of frost will do no injury but a heavy frost Is likely to kill alfalfa when just juat out of the ground it if the seed bed la Is in perfect condition and a drill be used eight to twelve pounds of first grade seed per acre acie should be sufficient for a good stand tho the use of a seeder that BOWS in drills drilla and covers the seed Is to be recommended as the seeds are covered and each seed la Is given an equal chance for germination with every other A drill with press wheels attached Is also desirable the seed should bo be sown shallow from one talf bait inch to two inches deop if a drill Is not to be had the alfalfa may be and harrowed in mhd author has seen very good stands from broadcasting with the elbar row seeder drilling however Is abo botter better method seeding without a nurse crop will give best rg results especially to la thus thua true on raw sage brush land lan d that hai haa not been in alfalfa before sown alone the he alfalfa will make a fairly good growth the first year and under favorable conditions may make a light crop it if will become well established and yield well the second year when sown with a nurse crop on new land it generally makes but a spindling growth the first year and does doea not produce a root system and a crown strong enough to enable it to mca good returns the second year thus seeding with a nurse crup to Is not a 9 good bod practice at least not on now new land as the nurse crop does not mako up for the loss in yield of alfalfa the second year I 1 on land that has been in alfalfa once and Is in good 1 seeding with a nurse crop Is allowable and may give good results the grain should be sown at the proper time in spring but seeding of alfalfa should be de cayea bayed just before the first irrigation at that time broadcast and harrow it in it if the furrow system of irrigation Is employed run the harrow with the tha furrows so as not to fill thorn them up the tha seeding of alfalfa and the first irrigation must of course tako take place befaro the grain gets too high when sown in this way the irrigation water can be applied according to the grain crop crof may require if sown together with the nurse crop it may be in need of irrigation earlier than Is ordinarily beno facial for iraln |