Show I 1 GRADE SEED OATS ALFALFA IN CORN BELT Z an in 11 T t waking cornstubble corn stubble land before sowing oats prepared 1 by the united stites depart ment of agriculture Acri culture the idea that oats run out and that it Is necessary to get new seed every few years is i que common lut it Is to dot t ju justified justl stifled fled by the facts there Is DO no reason why a good variety of oat oats should not be just as good 20 years from now as it Is to now it care Is to to keep it pure the seed should b be e acleane I 1 and craded craded each year taking out the weed seeds and the small kernels it should aico also be treated tor for smut at least once in two or three years if the seed Is of good quality it will not pay to run it through the fanning mill more than once ones to take out the small kernels and weed seed seeds if the seed la is poor or very weedy running it through a second time and taking out two thirds or more of the grain Is to well worth while the reason it is best to take out the small kernels Is to that they do not make male as strong plants as the large ones the weak plants from these small kernels usually produce little grain if tho the kernels that are sown are all of about the same sama size the plants will vill be uniform the crop will all ripen at a the same time and the yield will be 1 better alfalfa in the corn delt belt alfalla je lit raining gaining in favor in the tarn corn belt and it is safe to assume says a new bulletin of tha department mt nt of agriculture by carl vrooman the argant asak a tant secretary that part of the area now occupied by some of tho the less profitable crops will soon be used for alfalfa alf Alfs the net returns from alfalfa continues the bulletin probably average nearly twice as much as those from corn the average yield of alfalfa per acre for the united states Is a little over two and one halt half tons compared with an average yield of a little over one ant aid one third tone tons of all kinds of hay bay moreover in tion to the direct money returns from alfalfa big returns are obtained indi erectly through increased fertility due to the nitrogen and humus that are left in the soil given suitable soil soll there are four requirements zor tor netting getting a stani of nl ni talta in the corn com 1 well drained land alfalfa must have water but it should dig ite its own wells 2 sweet land sour land wont vont grow alfalfa successfully use limestone if your land la Is acid 3 A wi wall prepared seedbed there Is no crop more exacting about its seedbed than alfalfa 4 thorough inoculation alfalfa fn usually seeded broadcast and harrowed and rolled la in but a great saving saying in seed can bo be effected by using an alfalfa orul arill which cover all seed at a uniform depth for seeding alfalfa broadcast the seed needed varies from fifteen to twenty pounds per acre when adrill a drill is use used this amount can bo be reduced one abird ird care should be used to so 0 o cure good seed and it ie Is advisable to write to the agricultural college of your state foe for information ae as to tho the seed beet best adapter I 1 to your locality it in I 1 almost impossible to get too thick a stand ot alfalfa in the corn belt nhen tho the stand is thick the more vigorous plants choke out both weeds and the less vigorous plants and make a thick growth groth of fine hay buy with slender stalks while a thin stand makes a rank and woody growth of very coanza a hay the yield per we nere from a thin stand may equal that from a thick stand but the quality of tho the hay bay wilt be inferior twenty to forty plants to the square toot too ts in sat and on very rich land the stand may be even thicker 0 yd d till still make a good growth alfalfa makes good pasture for or many farm animals but owing to the difficulty ot of getting and aud keeping keepin ir a stand it should be grazed sparingly and not at all during the first brat year close cropping and tramping of the soil soft by live stock in muddy weather does serious damage cattle and sheep tend to bloat when first turned birned on al falta hence great care should bo be taken in pasturing these animal animals iligo do well ell on alfalfa indeed alfalfa ra pasture sture supplemented by a small ration of corn makes pork about as fast last and as cheaply as it can be done you can pasture several hogs bogs to the acre allowing them to run at will over the alfalfa meadow without interfering seriously with the regular cuttings thus in addition to the bay crop you get at least seven months of hog bog pasture alfalfa Is an excellent crop to use ta in clearing the soil of insects that are harmful to corn and other grain crops the corn root aphis white grubs and other insects that are so injurious to corn will not feed on alfalfa and after a field held has ban been devoted to alfalfa for three or four years it will be arac free of them alfalfa is aloo also of assistance in getting eting rid of noxious w weeds eeds because of the with which it is cut oven such weed as wild morning glories and canada thistle can be cleaned out of heavily infested field by cropping la in alfalfa a tew few year |