The Book of Alfalfa: History, Cultivation and Merits: Its Uses as a Forage and FertilizerCoburn, F. D. (Foster Dwight)
History
The Book of Alfalfa: History, Cultivation and Merits: Its Uses as a Forage and Fertilizer
Coburn, F. D. (Foster Dwight)
Alfalfa
_C. D. Perry, Clark county._--In 1887, I sowed 200 acres of alfalfa, and
now have 270 acres. This is nearly all on second bottom land, with
black, sandy loam, black sand, and gumbo. The land is largely “made”
land, about 6 to 12 feet of good soil, with gumbo only on top for 12 or
14 inches. On the heavy land the dry soil begins at the top, and, at the
breaking of the sod, extended down eight or nine feet. Water is found at
a depth of 12 to 21 feet. We irrigate most of our crop from the Cimarron
river. The first time the land is watered it takes from two to five
times as much water as is required later, and now we find the best
results are obtained by watering about 10 days before cutting, using
three or four inches of water. There is no damage by frost, except on
low, wet land. Without irrigation, I should double plow the ground
before seeding, having one plow follow the other in the same furrow, and
going as deep as possible. Seed by drilling one-half to one inch deep,
10 pounds to the acre for seed, 20 pounds for hay, and 30 pounds for
pasture, usually about March 15 here. We mow the weeds the first year
before they seed, leaving them on the ground. After this, there will be
a yield of three-fourths to two tons of hay, or one to six bushels of
seed to the acre, depending on the season. In two or three years the
plant is at its best, and does not seem to need reseeding after that. We
have from three to five crops a year depending on promptness in
watering and cutting. Any later cutting is better than the first for
seed, and, before cutting, two-thirds of the seed pods should be black.
We mow, then rake and cock at once, stacking as soon as well cured. Hay
should be cut when it is coming into bloom. To make good hay, let it lie
for half a day (if dry weather), then rake and cock, and let cure
thoroughly. We stack in long ricks, and it keeps well. The alfalfa land
is valued at $50 an acre, and the four irrigations cost 25 cents each;
the estimated cost of the alfalfa in the stack is $2.15 a ton. An
average yield of seed is three bushels to the acre, and the cost of
threshing and cleaning it is 80 cents a bushel. Hay has sold for $5 a
ton, and seed for 6, 8 and 10 cents a pound. The threshed hay is not so
good as that cut earlier, but cattle eat it all clean. The pasture is
excellent for horses, hogs, and cattle. If the alfalfa is wet, it is
liable to cause bloating with sheep; for cattle, there is not much
danger, except for the first few days they are turned on. If the animal
is seen in time, it may be relieved by driving around, but if too bad to
be helped in that way, it needs the trocar. I have had 50 hogs on six
acres of pasture this summer, and have 50 pigs, 3 to 12 weeks old; used
two bushels of ground wheat and barley each day, and think I could have
had as many more hogs on the pasture. The sod is very hard to plow, but
it can be killed. On a piece of hog pasture plowed under, I raised 70
bushels of barley to the acre.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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