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Show ALFALFA SEED AND CLIMATE The Utah Agricultural College has Issued an Interesting bulletin by J. Cecil Alter on the reaction of the weather to alafalfa seed growing and explains why the Delta country, Including Oasis, Deseret, Hinckley and Abraham, is the moat dependable region for seed, and raises from 40 to 5 0 per cent of all the seed raised in Utah. Favoraable weather conditions condi-tions are the most important factors in securing a large crop of seed, moisture conditions also being important. im-portant. An altitude of about 4500 ii.et, such as that of the Delta country, coun-try, seems the most favorable for seed production. The seed is exacting exact-ing in its meteorological requirements. require-ments. It must have a rapid and early rise of springtime temperature, without setbacks or lack of moisture, to get the first hay crop off the field, about June 15 to June 20, second crop blooming late in July, burring for seed early in August with seed cutting completed during the flrst ten days of September. The weather conditions in the Delta Del-ta country are generally ideal for alfalfa al-falfa seed. The generally warm spring weather allows the flrst crop of hay to mature early, and to develop de-velop a vigorous root system and the seed matures with greater -safety from autumn frosts. Cool summers are also the most favorable for seed and it Is very rarely that the Delta country has the blighting hot winds that seriously injure the crop in less favored regions. In regard to frost the conditions in the Delta country are also favoraable. We get our latest lat-est killing frosts in spring May 24 on the average. The average date of flrst killing frost here is September Septem-ber 17. The frost will fall earllier than this in about one-half the seasons sea-sons and later the other half, so in normal year there is little danger of the seed being Injured by frost. The practice of applying irrigation water to the fields on the evening or afternoon prior to an expected frost in either the spring or fall is shown to be a great protection and Is growing grow-ing in favor. Dust mulching after the flrst cutting of hay is quite effective effec-tive in destroying the weevil where weather conditions are favorable, but spraying the fields one or two weeks prior to the first cutting, with arsenate arse-nate of lead is probably more desirable. desira-ble. Finally, If there Is an early and warm spring and you get your first cutting of hay off in good time, It is safe to leave the field go to seed. Something may happen to spoil the crop but not very likely. Seed is low in price this year, but it is more than likely to be high next year. It will keep a good many months, and when you can sell the crop for 86c to 42c, as was done with the 1919 crop, you can certainly afford to take a chance. N. B. D. |