| Show SOWING ALFALFA CROP NO PLANT IQ MORE AFFECTED BY conditions in all regions not under irrigation advice la albot universally alv en to plant in row from 30 to 38 binche apart by PROP THOMAS the last word baa not been eald yet as to the best way to sow alfalfa borne who pose aa teachers on athla question are very sure that their advice la correct the leas the expert ence these men have had in growing it the more positive are they that they are correct there la no plant that is more affected by conditions the plan therefore that la best in one locality may bo tar from the best in another it la greatly important therefore that all those differences shall be noted and noted carefully in all the region not under alon from the western rim ot the red valley to the cascade mountains the advice Is almost universally given to grow almalta in rows from 30 to 36 inches apart under some conditions of growth the advice is good under other conditions it Is misleading where the conditions are very dry it may be best to grow the crop in rows spaced thug widely but it will ably be found that in much of the dry country it will be better to grow it in rows not more than say 12 inches als tant one objection to growing the crop in wide spaced rows arises from the boiling of the crop when it Is being harvested when it Is mowed much of it falls on bare soil the horses that draw the mower tramp over it this aids in the soiling of the crop more or lees it Is then raked and the raking process adds more to the adherent dust of course where the conditions are such that it cannot be grown without spacing the rows thus widely this Is one of the things that must be borne with it the crop Is sown with the grain drill and every other drill tube Is plugged the rows will then be about twelve inches apart the plants will then have a fair amount of room it small quantities of the seed are used the crop may then be kept clean with the disk and harrow a process that Is much quicker than the cultivation of the wide spaced rows can be there would then be enough of plants on the ground to keep the crop from being soiled with earth while it Is being harvested the question may be raised how is one to know in the absence of expert ence whether to plant in wide spaced rows or in those that are closer the answer is that it can only be known by trying before rushing blindly in fo the matter and planting a large area one way or the other it Is better to go a little slower and plant only a moderate quantity by each ot the two methods of course where one of these has been tried and found sue ces stul under the same conditions this experience may be safely taken as a guide tor that locality where the rainfall Is not less than 14 or 16 inches in a year it has yet to be proved that it Is better to grow alfalfa in wide rows than otherwise when it is grown for hay possibly it may be different when it is grown for seed more light Is wanted on this question should the average rain tall be aa low aa 10 to 12 inches it will probably be found that it will pay better to grow it in wide spaced rows in dry areas the preparation of the soil Is greatly important the prepa ration should be such that much mols ture will go down it the moisture Is not far down in the subsoil when the alfalfa la planted the roots will not go down where the roots do not go down the plants will not make sufficient growth the results will not prove satisfactory too much care cannot well be exercised in so ban the soil that it will be well stored with moisture when the seed la sown then sowing is greatly important when the plants are too thick there Is not enough moisture for each should they be bin it Is surprising how they stool or rather bunch out when they come up thickly and get firmly rooted it la difficult to thin them in tact it Is almost imps elble to do so save by the aid of a plow if the rows are one toot als and the stand in the rowa Is too thick the plan may prove good which runs the plow across the rows at intervals to cut out some of the plants this can only be effectively done before the roots have become too strong |
