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
My alfalfa seems to do the best on black,
sandy land and on gumbo, with sand or open subsoil below.
_J. R. Blackshere, Chase county._--I began with alfalfa in 1875, by
sowing 1¹⁄₂ bushels of seed bought in San Francisco, at the rate of $21
per bushel. As the germination was defective, or the seed grown so far
away was not adapted to our soil or climatic conditions, a good stand
was not at first obtained, but I now have 700 acres on Cottonwood river
bottom land, having a clay subsoil underlaid by a layer of sand 20 feet
below, and with a good portion of gumbo, where the best alfalfa grows.
The soil is not especially moist until water, 20 to 30 feet below, is
reached. My best results have been obtained on corn land, cutting across
the rows with a disk harrow, leveling with a plank drag, and sowing,
after danger of freezing is past, 20 pounds of seed per acre with a disk
having seeder attachment, being sure to have all the seed covered. I cut
the weeds off with a mower, and leave them on the ground. After the
first year my average product annually for 10 or 12 years has been about
five tons per acre. That permitted to ripen seed yields three to five
bushels per acre. I do not irrigate. The plant will thrive on upland
having a clay subsoil without a stratum of hardpan. Grazed closely late
in the fall, it is liable to die out in a dry winter.
_Benj. Brown, Osborne county._--I have had four years’ experience with
alfalfa growing in this country, and have also grown it in England,
without any irrigation, and now have 45 acres. The land is bottom rising
to second bottom, with vegetable loam and some gumbo in the upper
portion, and loam subsoil, similar to surface, but somewhat paler, for
15 feet down. Well water is found by digging 11 to 22 feet through the
soil, which is usually moist except in dry weather, when the upper two
or three feet are not. It has been found best to plow six inches deep,
in August or September; to roll or level with a heavy float about April
15, then harrow, and broadcast 25 pounds (or drill 20 pounds) of seed to
the acre. I broadcast all of mine, and harrow and roll or level. The
best time for sowing here is April 14 to 30, as it almost invariably
rains here about April 20, and frosts have never hurt my crop, nor does
it winterkill. Mow first when the weeds are six to nine inches high,
and, if worth hauling, stack; if not, let lie; generally mow again about
July 4 to 20, and stack; there may be one-fourth to one-half ton of hay
per acre. The second season we cut three times, unless we ripen seed,
and obtain from one-fourth to one ton each cutting; after this it grows
about a foot high by October. For hay, mow as soon as about half full of
flowers, rake the same morning, and haul in one or two days, as the
leaves fall if dry. It does not heat nor mold here if the sap is half
out and the straw long; I use the “Acme” hay harvester, making stacks
with rounded ends, nine steps long by five wide, and top out with straw
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