Show NEBRASKA ALFALFA ROTATION many fields are arc allowed to beconi so hard thet water runs off and never soaks into soil havo have been received from nebraska farmers RS as to the a effect fact of alfalfa on subsequent crops the state boing divide d into two halves from north to south at the point of 0 21 24 inch rainfall in tho the dry country not with water crops after alfalfa breaking the first year especially if a dry one may be lessened but almost all farmers agree that subsequent returns more than make up for this and that craps stand drought bettor better as ali might bo be expected from the subsoil ing by the roots even E von in regard to the first season only 30 farmers re ra ported a dO decrease creaso at lincoln net neb august 27 1912 I 1 tho following owing percentages of water were found in the first six feet of goll boll fallaw tall pw and soil mulch corn wheat alfalfa these figures point to th advantage of early breaking corn corg grows rapidly on alfalfa land at the start and subsequent rainfall la Is apt to be inadequate so a small corri corn will be b advisable many farmers reported that they never plowed alfalfa up and this la is wise as long as the stand Is sufficient I 1 think there to Is another point worth considering the old plants kaough thin may and likely ate are engaged in trying to penetrate some hard bard subsoil chmay may separate td from a streak of 0 moisture and it if they are allowed to do this at a depth beyond our reach they are doing valuable ablo work which we are unable to duplicate keep the weeds down on top and give them every encouragement the hay crop may be coarse but it la Is pretty a ure sure even it if there Is no underlying der lying water the soil la is being deepened to receive water from above and tako take it in on a gradual manner many alfalfa fields are allowed to become so BO hard that the moisture runs off and never soaks down more than a couple of feet in summer thin stands of alfalfa produce valuable crops of seed and in old fields there has beena natural selection of the most drought plants probably of those with the greatest root ao it takes quite a bit of corn com to pay as much not net as alfalfa and though re seeding an old field Is seldom practical cultivation will cause the old blants to spread out and cover the ground fairly well unless they are very thin |