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
Barnyard manure was applied to this field in 1900-’01, and it was given
the same treatment as was received by the fields previously mentioned.
Other results will be given in a later bulletin, but those cited give a
fair idea of what may be expected on upland where the subsoil is a
hardpan. The hay from all the fields mentioned above, obtained in the
last two or three cuttings, contained varying amounts of crab grass, so
the yields given are not all alfalfa. Since the above results were
obtained, some good bottom land has been acquired by the experiment
station and alfalfa has already been seeded on some of it. In a few
years, yields that will look better when compared with those of our best
alfalfa growers can probably be reported. The following summary will be
helpful.
1. Alfalfa is a great and valuable crop for Oklahoma, where there are as
good alfalfa soils as are found in the world and as good yields are
produced as anywhere.
2. The acreage of alfalfa should be greatly increased in Oklahoma. There
are but few farms here that do not contain a few acres at least that
will grow the crop profitably.
3. Select the best soil on the farm for the first trial, and try only a
few acres at first.
4. Decide a year or two in advance of seeding time what field is to be
seeded to alfalfa, and follow the best methods of cropping and
preparation known.
5. Buy only the very best seed. Get a sample and test it before buying
and purchase your seed a year before you expect to sow it unless you are
sure you can get good seed just when you want it.
6. Twenty pounds of good seed to the acre is plenty and as low as twelve
pounds is all that is used by many.
7. Seed either with the drill or by broadcasting. Conditions must be
right for either to succeed.
8. Fall seeding and spring seeding are both followed in Oklahoma with
good success. If the conditions are not right at seeding time, or turn
out unfavorable after seeding, or while the plants are small, either may
fail.
9. As a rule fall seeding is preferable in Oklahoma, particularly on the
less adapted soils.
10. Take due care in harvesting the hay that half its value is not lost
at that time.
11. Don’t give up trying to raise the crop because you fail in your
first attempt or even if the failure continues to the second and third
attempts. Successful alfalfa raisers have stated that in instances they
have failed as many as five times in getting certain fields started to
alfalfa, and after they did get the field seeded, the returns from it
would justify reseeding ten times if necessary.
OREGON
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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