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Show SEEDif.G OF ALFALFA Must Be Done i.1 the Spring in the Humid Sections. Parmer Cannot Always Secure Sufficient Suffi-cient Moisture to Insure Germination Germina-tion In August Does Better With Nurse Crop. In central Nebraska and west, the farmer is In u nianner compelled to sow his alfalfa In the Kprlng, for th reason that he cannot always secure sullicient moisture, to Insure germination germina-tion In August needing. Ho must therefore sow lu April, Mny or June, when conditions are such as to Insure a full stand, says Wallace's Farmer. A half stand of alfalfa Is practically no stand. In the humid section we do not recommend rec-ommend spring seeding at nil. Although Al-though some men have been suece-sful wlthlt.lt Is altogether better to tcd In August when, with proper cure, the farmer lu the humid section cnu be reasonably certain of a supply of moisture mois-ture sutliclent to germinate his alfalfa i-ei'd. Where farmers lu the humid section still Insist on mowing their alfalfa al-falfa In the spring, however, wo venture ven-ture to make some siiggeatlons: Thero are but two ways of sowing abulia In the pprlng, either with a nurso crop or without. We would not earn to fcow nlfalfa without a nurse crop until we had in sonio way routed rout-ed and killed the annual weeds which come up and grow with such luxuriance luxuri-ance In the spring. If we were intending to sow nlfalfa In I ho spring w e w ould begin treatment treat-ment oh early as possible, us If we were preparing fur corn. Wo would disk as toon its the ground whs In working condition. We would plow after disking, and barrow after plow ing, and harrow w henever we saw the weeds sta'tlng until In May. We would then Feed to alfalfa, giving It the full use of the land. If weeds grew, we would not bother with them, but allow them to grow w ith the alfalfa, and ihen cut the crop when It was beginning to throw nut buds from the crown. This will get rid of tin; annual weeds. Thero are a class of weeds, liowt ver, that come up later, and these wllglve you trouble. It Is the custom of a good many fartr-ers, fartr-ers, when weed begin to f pi lug up and threaten to smother the nlfulfii, to clip them buck. The trouble with this Is that thi dipping does not help tho alfalfu but hurts it, for the reason that alfalfa Is not accustomed to being cut until It throws out buds from tho crown, or the root, near tho ground. The weeds keep growing right along, however, even If cutback; and In.ou experience we have found that InTs method of clipping alfulfa before it Is ready to throw out buds is a poMtlve disadvantage. If a nurse crop Is used, we would select the earliest; winter wheat, if the stand Is not too thick, or, better still, winter rye. By sowing alfalfa on winter wheat when it is two or throe Inches high, and then harrowing It as you would clover, you will kill a vast number of the annual weeds that grow In the spring. You will also have conserved moisture by breaking np tho crust; and as your wheat will. In the latitude of central Iowa, be off about the first week In July, the alfalfa will scarce y hae made sufficient, growth to te cut when tho wheat Is' mowed. The wheat itself will tend to prevent weed growth. Hye would usually usu-ally bo better than wheat, because It does not usually lodge, and ran therefore there-fore be cut high, (bus avoiding cutting back tho alfalfa tefore It Is time. If neither of these are available, we would use early outs or barley, seeding not more than a bushel and a half to the acre. We would prepare tho ground thoroughly, rontlnulrg tho preparation a week or two longer to get rid of the wteds, and then seed We do not advise thli practice of spring sowing; but if it Is adopted, then we think the conditions above outlined would be most favorable for securing a stand. |