Probably the best potato for your district would be the Burbank, which

is largely grown near Salinas and brings the highest price. It is

customary to cut a medium-sized potato in two pieces and a large one in

four pieces. One can be very economical of seed by smaller cutting, but

it would require the most favorable conditions to bring a vigorous

growth. Probably pieces weighing not less than two ounces would be best

under ordinary conditions. Potatoes which are rather small may be used

for seed if well matured and have good eyes. It is dangerous, however,

to use the small stuff - too small for sale. Unless the soil and

moisture conditions are extra favorable, the growth will be weak and

unsatisfactory.

Potato Planting.

How many sacks of potatoes are to be planted to an acre, and how many

eyes are to be left in a seed? If, for instance, we plant seed with

three eyes, how many potatoes should we get from that vine?

Potatoes are planted all the way from five to fifteen sacks to the acre,

probably about ten sacks being the average. There is no particular

number of eyes specified in preparing the seed, according to common

practice. Good medium-sized potatoes are generally cut in two pieces

crosswise, and large potatoes in four pieces, cutting both ways. There

is no definite relation between the number of eyes planted and the

number of potatoes coming from them. This has been the subject of

innumerable experiments, and the conclusion is that the crop is more

dependent upon good soil and favorable growing conditions than upon any

way of preparing the seed.

Northern Potatoes for Seed.

Do you regard northern-grown seed potatoes sufficiently better to make

it worth while paying freight on them from the State of Washington?

Experience seems to indicate the superiority of northern-grown seed

potatoes, not only in this State, but on the Atlantic Coast, and they

are largely depended upon. Systematic demonstration by comparative tests

has been made by the Vermont station and preference for northern-grown

seed seems, to be justified.

Potato Planting.

I have ten acres of land in Placer county which I propose to put into

potatoes next spring. It has been recommended to me to put potatoes in

as early as January. It seems to me that January is rather early;

however, it is said that this land is in the orange belt and practically

free from frost.

Whether you can plant potatoes to advantage in January or not depends

upon the temperatures which you are likely to meet after that date, also

whether the ground is warm enough in January, because there is no

advantage in planting in cold ground nor in soil that is too wet at the

time. The earliest potatoes, of course, come from planting much earlier

than January; usually as soon as the ground is moistened enough in the

autumn. The potato will stand some frost, but autumn planting is not

feasible in places which are under hard freezing or receive too much

cold rain water.

Potatoes Should be Planted Early.

I have Early Rose potatoes planted about May first. The tops look fine,

but there are few potatoes and small, and, though not developed, have

commenced growing a second time, sprouts starting from the new potatoes.

When should I plant and what care should they have?

Your potatoes act peculiarly because of intermittent moisture - the

plant being arrested by drought and then starting again, which is very

undesirable. To avoid this, potatoes should be planted earlier so as to

get a large part of their growth during the rainy season. If planted

late the ground should be well wet down by irrigation, and then plowed

and cultivated, and irrigation should be used while the plant is growing

well. If this is done, potatoes can be successfully grown by irrigation,

but if the land is allowed to become dry the plant is arrested in its

growth for a time and a second and undesirable growth is started.

Potato Balls.

I find in potato writings of forty years ago that the seed from the

potato balls which form on the tops of the plants is recommended for

growing the best potatoes. In later books I find no mention of them and

all are advised how to cut the tubers to get seed potatoes.

The seed of the potato plant which is found in the "balls" which develop

on the tops of the plant is only valuable for the origination of new

varieties, with the chance, of course, that most of them will be

inferior to the tubers produced by the plant which bears the seed.

Therefore, these seeds are of no commercial importance. There has also

sometimes developed upon the top of the plant what is called an aerial

tuber, which is even of less value than the seed ball, because it does

not contain seed nor is it good as a tuber.

Forty years ago there was a great demand for newer and better kinds of

potatoes which has, since that time, been largely supplied, and

commercial potato-growing consists in multiplying the standard varieties

which best suit the soil and the market. This is done by planting the

tuber itself, which is really a root-cutting and therefore reproduces

its own kind. Those who are originating new kinds of potatoes still use

seed from the balls, either taking their chances by natural variation

or, by hybridizing the blossoms, increasing the chances for variation

from which desirable varieties are taken by selection, to be afterward

multiplied by growth from the tubers.

Seed-Ends of Potatoes.

Is it bad practice to plant the seed-ends of potatoes?

The seed-end of the potato is the least valuable part of it, but it is

better probably to plant than to reject it.

The Moon and Potato Planting.

Is there any foundation to the oft-repeated story about potatoes in the

light of the moon running to tops and the dark of the moon to spuds?

If we paid any attention to the moon in planting, we should plant in the

dark of the moon so as to give the plant opportunity to make use of

whatever additional light the full moon afforded.

Planting Whole Potatoes.

One man states the only way to cut seed is to take a potato and cut the

ends off and not divide the potato any more; or, in other words, a whole

potato for each seed.

Good results are obtained by planting whole potatoes, but in that case

there is no advantage in removing the ends.

How to Cut Seed Potatoes.

Would it pay in returns to use large potatoes for seed in preference to

culls?

Large potatoes are better than culls, but medium-sized potatoes are

better than either. Many experiments have been made to determine this.

At the Arkansas station whole tubers two to three inches in diameter

yielded 18 per cent more than small whole tubers three-quarters to one

and one-quarter inches in diameter, and large cut tubers yielded 15.8

per cent more than small cut tubers.

Cutting Potatoes to Single Eyes.

Some say only one eye to a piece; others say several eyes - which is

better?

In one experiment potatoes cut to single eyes with each piece weighing

one-sixteenth of an ounce yielded 44 bushels to the acre, while single

eyes on two-ounce pieces yielded 177 bushels to the acre. Experiments in

Indiana showed that the yield usually increased with the weight of the

set and that the exact number of eyes per cutting is relatively

unimportant.

Potato Scab.

Can potatoes be treated in any way before planting to prevent the new

ones from being what is called "scabby"?

There are two successful treatments for scab in potatoes. One is dipping

in a solution of corrosive sublimate. Dissolve one ounce in eight

gallons of water and soak the seed potatoes in this solution for one and

one-half hours before cutting. This treatment kills the scab spores

which may be upon the exterior of the potatoes. More recently, however,

to avoid danger in handling such a rank poison as corrosive sublimate,

formaldehyde has been used, and one pint of commercial formaldehyde, as

it is bought in the stores, is diluted with thirty gallons of water, and

potatoes are soaked in this for two hours. Thirty gallons of this dip

ought to treat about fifty bushels of potatoes.

Double-Cropping with Potatoes.

I am told that here two crops of potatoes can be raised by planting the

second crop in August. I have five acres which will be ready to dig in

July. Can I dig these Potatoes and use them for seed at once for another

crop, or won't they grow? I have a crop of barley, and as it is heading

out now, I want to put potatoes on the ground after I take the barley

off. I have plenty of water to irrigate.

If your potatoes ripen in July and you allow those which you desire for

seed to lie upon the ground and become somewhat greenish, they are

likely to sprout well for a second crop. They should not, however, be

planted immediately. Whether you get a second crop successfully or not

depends upon how early the frosts come in your district. Whether you get

potatoes after barley or not depends also upon how much moisture there

remains in the soil. By irrigating thoroughly after harvesting the grain

and then plowing deeply for potatoes, you would do vastly better than to

plant in dry ground and irrigate afterward.

When to Plant Potatoes.

I have been puzzled to understand Potato growing in California. Do you

have more than one cropping season, and if so, about what dates are they

due?

Every month in the year potatoes are being put into the ground and being

taken out of the ground somewhere in California. We have, then,

practically a continuous planting and harvesting season. There is,

however, a division possible to make in this way: Plantings undertaken

in September and October are for winter supplies of new potatoes, which

begin about the holidays and continue during the winter. There is also

in southern California a planting beginning in January, which might be

called the earliest planting for the main crop, and other plantings for

the main crop in the central and northern parts of the State begin in

February and continue until May, according to the character of the land;

that is, whether it is upland, on which the planting is earlier, or

whether it is lowland along the rivers where excessive moisture may

render the land unsuitable until April or May. The harvesting of the

main crop then begins in May and continues during the whole of the

summer, according to the character of the land cropped over, lapping the

planting time for early potatoes first mentioned. It is also true by use

of properly matured seed one can secure, in some places, two crops a

year, if there is sufficient inducement therefor. Thus it comes about

that we are continually planting and digging potatoes according to local

conditions and the possibility of selling advantages.

Keeping Potatoes.

Advise me how to keep my potatoes. What is the best way? Would a dark

room be suitable? Some people are digging holes in the ground to put

them in.

Potatoes, if properly matured and free from disease, will keep for a

considerable time in dark rooms kept as cool as possible. They must be

kept away from the reach of the moth, which is parent to the worm

producing long black strings inside of the potato. If they are

thoroughly covered with boards or sacking or straw, so as to keep the

moth from reaching the potato, they may be held for a long time in the

open air, and covering with earth, as your neighbors are doing, will be

all right until the rains come and cause decay by making the soil too

wet. The main point is to keep the tubers as cool as possible and out of

reach of the potato moth.

Potato Yield.

What is the yield per acre of potatoes on the best land around Stockton,

Cal., where work is done properly; also what is the yield for potatoes

along the coast?

The average yield of potatoes in California, taking the whole acreage

and product as reported by the last United States census, is 147 bushels

to the acre. In Stockton district, on good new reclaimed land the yield

has been reported all the way from 300 to 800 bushels per acre - the

crop declining rapidly when continued on the same land. One year's crop

in the Stockton district was estimated at 45,000 acres averaging 125

sacks per acre. The coast yield would be more like the general average

for the State as first given.

New Potatoes for Seed.

Can I plant American Wonder potatoes for the first crop, and let enough

of them mature to use for seed for the second crop, to be planted the

first or middle of July?

It is possible to use potatoes grown the same year as seed for the later

crop, providing you let the potatoes mature first by the complete dying

down of the vines, and second by digging the potatoes allow them to lie

in the open air, with some protection against sun-burning, until the

potatoes become somewhat greenish. If this is the case the eyes will

develop and seed will grow, while without such treatment you might be

disappointed in their behavior. Of course, the question still remains

whether it would be desirable to do this or to plant some later variety

earlier in the season when the growing conditions would be better.

Potato Growing.

In what locality are the best early potatoes grown in California? Can

they be raised on wheat lands without irrigation as an early crop?

Early potatoes are grown in regions of light frosts in all parts of the

State - around the bay of San Francisco, on the mesas in southern

California, and to some extent at slight elevations in the central part

of the State. The potato endures some frost, but one has, for an early

crop, to guard against the locations subject to hard freezing. Most of

our potatoes are grown without irrigation because, on uplands, winter

temperatures favor their growing during the rainy season. The

middle-season and late potatoes are grown on moist lowlands where

irrigation is not necessary. In proper situations, much of the land

which is used for potatoes has at some time produced wheat or barley,

corn or sorghum, and other field crops.

Potatoes After Alfalfa.

I have been a successful potato grower in Ohio. I have the best alfalfa

soil and it is now in its fourth year of productiveness in that crop. I

would like to grow potatoes in a small way.

Proceed just as you would at the East in getting potatoes upon a red

clover sod. Turn under the alfalfa deeply now if the soil will work

well, and roll your sandy soil. You must use a sharp plow to cut and

cover well. If there is moisture enough the alfalfa, plowed under in the

fall, ought to be decayed by February, when you could plant potatoes

safely, probably, unless your situation is very frosty. If you plant

early you ought to get the crop through without irrigation if you

cultivate well and keep the land flat.

Flat or Hill Culture for Potatoes.

Is it better to hill potatoes or not?

During the dry time of the year potatoes should be grown with flat

cultivation, except as it may be necessary to furrow out between the

rows for the application of irrigation water. Potatoes grown during the

rainy season in places where there is liable to be too much water, can

often be hilled to advantage, but dry-season cultivation of practically

everything should be as flat as possible to retain moisture near the

surface for the development of shallow-rooting plants.

Bad Conditions for Potatoes.

Our potatoes were planted early and were frosted several times while

young. As we come to harvest them we find them with very large green

tops but the potatoes are about the size of a hen's egg and from that

they run down to the size of a pea. The larger ones are beginning to

send out roots, four or five to a potato. The potatoes have not been

irrigated lately and the ground they are in is dry.

The ugly behavior of your potatoes is doubtless due to irregularities in

temperature and moisture which have forced the plants into abnormal or

undesirable activity. Potatoes should have regular conditions of

moisture so that they shall proceed from start to finish and not stop

and start again, for this will usually make the crop unsatisfactory and

worthless. Excessive moisture is not desirable, but the requisite amount

in continuous supply is indispensable.

Potatoes on Heavy Land.

Will potatoes grow well in adobe land, or partly adobe, that has not

been used for seven years except for pasturing?

Although potatoes enjoy best of all a light loam in which they can

readily expand, it is possible to get very good results on heavy land

which has been used for pasturage for some years, providing the land is

broken up early and deeply and harrowed well in advance of planting and

thorough cultivation maintained while the crop is growing. The content

of grass roots and manure which the land has received during its period

of grazing tends to make the soil lighter and will also feed the plant

well. For this reason better potatoes are had on heavy land after

pasturage than could be had on the same land if continually used for

grain or for some other crop which tended to reduce the amount of humus

and to make the land more rebellious in cultivation.

Storage of Seed Potatoes.

We need potatoes for late planting and have found a good lot which is

being held in cold storage at temperatures from 34 to 36 degrees F. They

have not been there long, however. Would that hurt them for seed, and

also how long could they be safely left there now before planting?

Seed potatoes would not be injured in storage, providing the temperature

is not allowed to go below the freezing point. They should not, however,

be allowed to remain longer in storage, but should be exposed to the sun

for the development of the eyes, even to the sprouting point being

desirable before planting. The greening of the potato by the sun is no

disadvantage. We would not think of planting potatoes directly from

storage, because, owing to the lack of development in the eyes, decay

might get the start of germination.

Potatoes and Frosts.

Can I keep frost off of potato tops by building smudge fires! I would

like to plant about February 1, but we usually have a few light frosts

here during March. If I were to turn water in the field when too cold,

would that keep the frost off, and if so, would I have to turn water

down each row, or would one furrow full of water to about every fourth

or sixth row be enough?

You can prevent frost by smudging for potatoes just as you can for other

vegetables. The potato, however, needs little protection of this kind

and will endure a light frost which would be destructive to tomatoes,

melons, and other more tender growths. Unless you have a very frosty

situation, you can certainly grow potatoes without frost protection, and

they should be planted earlier than February first if the ground is in

good condition. The great secret of success in growing potatoes in

southern California is to get a good early start before the heat and

drought come on. Water will protect from frost if the temperature only

goes to about 28 degrees and does not stay there too long. The more

water there is exposed the longer may be the protection, but probably

not against a lower temperature.

Growing Sweet Potato Plants.

How shall I make a hot-bed to raise sweet potato plants? I don't mean to

put glass over bed, but want full description of an up-to-date outfit

for raising them.

Manure hot-beds have been largely abandoned for growing sweet potato

slips, though, of course, you can grow them that way on a small scale or

for experiment. In the large sweet potato districts, elaborate

arrangements for bottom heat by circulation of hot water or steam are in

use. In a smaller way hot air works well. The Arizona Experiment Station

tells how a very good sweet potato hot-bed at little cost is constructed

as follows: A frame of rough boards seven feet wide, twenty feet long

and fourteen inches deep is laid down over two flues made by digging two

trenches one foot deep and about two feet wide, lengthwise of the bed.

These trenches are covered with plank or iron roofing, and are equipped

with a fire pit at one end and short smokestack at the other.

Four inches of soil is filled into this bed and sweet potatoes placed

upon it in a layer which is then covered with two or three inches more

of soil. Large potatoes may be split and laid flat side down. The whole

bed is then covered with muslin, operating on a roller by which to cover

and uncover the bed. Thus prepared, the bed may easily be kept at a

temperature of 60 to 70 degrees F. by smouldering wood fires in the fire

boxes. The potatoes, kept moist at this temperature, sprout promptly and

will be ready to transplant in about six weeks. A bed of the size

mentioned will receive five to seven bushels of seed roots, which will

make slips enough to plant an acre or more of potatoes.

Growing Sweet Potatoes.

Please inform me how to keep sweet potatoes for seed; also how many

pounds it takes for one acre, and what distance apart to plant, and the

time to plant.

Sweet potatoes may be kept from sprouting by storage in a cool, dry

place. Sweet potatoes are not grown by direct cutting of the tuber as

the ordinary potato is, but the tubers are put in January or later in a

hot bed and the sprouts are taken off for planting when the ground

becomes warm and all danger of frost is over in the locality. The number

of sprouts required for an acre is from five to ten thousand, and a

bushel of small sweet potatoes will produce about two thousand sprouts

if properly handled in the hot bed, which consists in removing the

sprouts when they have attained a height of five or six inches, and in

this way the potatoes will be yielding sprouts in succession for some

time. The sprouts are planted in rows far enough apart for horse

cultivation. They are usually hilled up pretty well after starting to

grow well. They cannot be planted until the danger of frost is over, for

they are much more tender than Irish potatoes.

Sweet Potato Growing.

In planting sweet potatoes, do we have to make hotbeds just like those

for tomatoes, or if just a plain seed-bed will do? Is it necessary to

irrigate them or not?

You can bed your sweet potatoes in a warm place on the sunny side of a

building or board fence, and get sprouts all right. You will, however,

get them sooner and in greater numbers by using a slow hotbed in which

the manure supply is not too large. The fact that sweet potato growers

do use some artificial heat, either from manure or by piping bottom-heat

in their propagating houses, is a demonstration that such recourse is

desirable to get best results. The necessity of irrigation depends upon

the soil and its natural moisture supply. On a fine retentive loam, the

crop is chiefly made without irrigation, if the plants are all ready to

put out in the field as soon as it is safe. If you are late in the

planting, or if the soil is dry or likely to dry before the tubers are

grown to good size, irrigation, some time ahead of the need of the

plant, is essential.

Sweet Potatoes.

What kind of soil and climate does it take to grow sweet potatoes, and

can I grow them in any part of Contra Costa county, and about what time

is the best to plant them?

Sweet potatoes do best in a light warm loam which drains well and does

not bake or crust by rain or irrigation. Sprout the tubers in a hot-bed

or cold-frame in February and break off the shoots and plant as soon as

you are out of danger by frost. Sweet potatoes are more tender than

common potatoes. There are places in Contra Costa county where they do

well, though some parts of the county do not have enough summer heat.

Sweet Potatoes Between Fruit Trees.

I am expecting to grow a fall crop of about twenty acres of sweet

potatoes. The land is a heavy, sandy loam in the interior, which has

been set out this spring to almonds, apricots and prunes. I wish to grow

sweet potatoes between trees. Would an irrigation every forty days be

often enough? Also, if either sweet or Irish potatoes grown between rows

are harmful to either of the varieties of fruit mentioned?

We see no reason why you should not get your crop, providing you do not

have to run the plants into the frosty period, and sweet potatoes will

not, of course, stand frost as well as the common potato. The moisture

which you propose to give ought to be enough for a retentive soil in

connection with good cultivation until the vines cover the ground.

Growing any crop between orchard trees is apt to be an injury to the

trees, because of the spaces which are not and cannot be adequately

cultivated, so that the ground around the trees is apt to become

compacted either by the run of water or the lack of cultivation, or

both. Our observation has been that Irish potatoes are no more injurious

than other crops. Any crop will injure young trees if it takes moisture

they ought to have or interferes with good cultivation of the land.

Giant Japanese Radish.

In discussing sakurajima (giant Japanese radish) Eastern publications

advise planting late, about August 1, and not earlier than July 1. What

can you tell me about the plant here?

The Asiatic winter radishes can be successfully planted in California in

July or August if the soil is thoroughly saturated by irrigation before

digging and planting. It is, however, not so necessary to begin early in

California as at the East, because our winter temperatures favor the

growth of the plant, while at the East they have to make an early start

in order to get something well grown before the ground freezes. For the

growth of winter radishes, then, in California you can wait until the

ground is wet thoroughly by the rain, which may be expected during

September, and afterward you can make later plantings for succession at

any time you desire during the rainy season. This applies to all kinds

of radishes.

Rhubarb Rotting.

I have planted rhubarb roots in the San Joaquin valley and find the root

crowns rot below the surface.

The old-fashioned summer rhubarb usually goes off that way in very hot

localities. If there is too much alkali or hardpan, or if planted too

late, the same results will be had with any sort of rhubarb. Where it is

very hot, plants, irrigated in the morning near the plants, scald at the

crown and die in a few days. If irrigated in the afternoon and the

ground worked before it gets hot the next day fine results are obtained.

The winter rhubarb varieties do well in hot districts if the roots are

planted from September 15 to May 1, while in cooler sections, April,

May, June and July are the best months and will insure a crop the

following winter.

Squashes Dislike Hardship.

What caused these squashes, of which I send you samples, to be so hard

and woody? They were grown without irrigation.

Your squashes were grown without irrigation under conditions which were

too dry for them and became inferior in quality. Possibly the variety

itself is not of good quality or the specimen from which the seed was

taken may have been inferior. A squash, in order to be tender and

acceptable, needs rich feeding and plenty of drink. Otherwise, it is apt

to resent ill treatment by very undesirable growth.

Harvesting Sunflowers.

What is the method used in saving or threshing the seed from the Giant

Russian sunflower?

Cut off the seed heads of your sunflowers when the seed seems to be well

matured but before any of it falls away from the head. Throw these heads

on a smooth piece of ground or a tight floor and when they become

thoroughly dry thresh out the seed with a flail, removing the coarse

stuff with a rake and afterwards cleaning the seed by shoveling it into

the wind so that the light stuff may be blown away. A more perfect

cleaning afterwards could be secured with a grain fanning mill or a

simple sieve of the right mesh.

Irrigating Tomatoes.

How much water does it take (in gallons or cubic feet) to properly

irrigate an acre of land for tomatoes? The soil is adobe, and the

customary way of planting tomatoes is 6 feet apart each way, plowing a

trench of one furrow with the slope of the land for irrigating, that is,

a trench between every row and a cross trench as a feeder. The land is

low and in the driest part of the year the surface water is from 2 to 3

feet beneath the top of the ground.

It is not possible to state a specific quantity of water for any crop,

because the amount depends to such a large extent upon the retentiveness

of the soil, the rate of evaporation and the kind of cultivation. The

best source of information is the behavior of the plant itself, bearing

in mind that tomato plants require constant but not excessive moisture

supply, and that if moisture is applied in excess it will promote an

excessive growth of the plant, which will cause it to drop its blossoms

and therefore be unsatisfactory and unproductive. In such land as you

describe no irrigation whatever would be desirable except in years of

short rainfall, and such land, if properly cultivated, would always

furnish moisture enough by capillary action to support the growth of the

plant.

Less Water and More Heat.

What chemicals should I put into the soil to insure a good crop of

vegetables, such as tomatoes, string beans, or other over-ground

producers? Last year my tomatoes and string beans grew plentifully, but

never produced any tomatoes or beans, yet turnips and parsnips were all

right.

Vegetables which behave like your tomatoes and string beans, making too

much growth and not enough fruit, do not need fertilization. The land is

perhaps too rich already, or you may have used too much water. Use less

water so that the plants will make a more moderate growth, and they will

be fruitful if the season is warm enough in the later part of summer.

This, of course, would be one of the drawbacks to growing tomatoes and

beans in San Francisco. Turnips and parsnips do well with less heat. You

may have to modify the San Francisco summer climate by wind screens or

glass covers.

Continuous Cropping With the Same Plant.

What would happen on the crops of cucumbers, tomatoes and eggplants,

etc., planted on the same place continuously?

There would be in time a decadence of crop from soil exhaustion, but

that you could prevent by fertilization. The greatest danger from

continuously growing these vegetables on the same land is the

multiplication of bacteria which injuriously affect them, in the soil.

The plants which you mention are all subject to "wilt" diseases from

this cause, therefore, they should have new ground. If you have to use

the same garden ground continuously, the plants which you mention should

be rotated with root crops or with other kinds of vegetables, so as to

frequently change plants and soil within the general area which has to

be used for them.

Big Worms on Tomatoes.

I have a nice patch of tomatoes in my garden, and only recently I notice

large green worms on them with one large brown horn on their head. They

strip the leaves off. They look to me like a tobacco worm.

They are tobacco worms; that is, they are the larvae of hawk moths, some

of which take tobacco, tomatoes, grapevines and many other plants,

including some of the native weeds of your valley. Pick them off and

crush them, or give them a little snip with the scissors if you do not

like to handle them. They are so large and easily found that such

treatment is easily applied, as in "worming tobacco."

Loss of Tomato Bloom.

I have tomato plants which are very strong and healthy and full of

blossoms, but there is something cutting the blossoms off and just about

to ruin my plants.

The trouble with your tomato plants is that life is too easy for them,

that they have so much moisture and plant food that they can grow

comfortably and rapidly without thought of the future. So, because they

do not have to think of making fruit, the blossoms drop off. This is a

very common occurrence with tomatoes, especially in home gardens where

the owners have not the experience or the information on the subject

that they might have, and give the tomatoes too much water. Many other

plants act the same way and will not set fruit while they can grow

easily, and only begin to produce when they have made a great growth or

when moisture begins to get a little short. If you irrigate the

tomatoes, stop, and put no more water on until the plant begins to set

fruit as if it meant business, or gives some sign that water would be

appreciated. If the ground is naturally moist you will have to wait

until the plants make more growth and the weather gets drier and hotter,

and the plants will then set fruit. Some growers have found that by

trimming up the vine and staking it, the fruit sets much more readily.

Part III. Grains and Forage Crops

Wants Us to Do the Whole Thing.

Can you help, me to determine a good product to plant somewhere in

California; also what particular section would be most suitable for the

raising of that which you would advise? I wish a crop of permanent

nature (as orchard trees). I also desire advice on some product which

would give a quick return while I am waiting on the more permanent one

to mature and bear. I have not procured land yet, and am thinking

seriously of trying to get government land, therefore, you are free to

give me the best location for the raising of that which you would,

suggest. I want a money-making product and one which is not already

overdone.

The choice of crops depends quite as much upon the market demand and

opportunity as it does upon the suitability of the soil and local

climate. Choice of crops indeed involves almost the whole business of

farming, and although we can sometimes give a man useful suggestions as

to the growth of plants and the protection of plants from enemies, we

cannot undertake to plan his farming business for him. He must form his

own opinions as to what will be most marketable, and therefore

profitable, if he succeeds in getting a good article for sale. A wise

man at the East once said: "You can advise a man to do almost anything.

You can even select a wife for him, but never commit the indiscretion of

advising him what to grow to make money. That is a matter he has to

determine for himself."

Pasturing Young Grain.

Would it be advisable to herd milch cows for a few hours each day on a

field of black oats which is to be grown for hay? The oats are now about

four inches high and rank, as the land was pastured last year. The land

is sandy, rolling soil and will soon be dry enough so that the cows

would not injure the plants. The idea is that the leaves which are green

now will all dry up and are really not the growth which is cut for hay;

therefore, I should think it would do no harm to feed it down a bit.

Over-rank grain with abundant moisture will make a more stocky growth

and stand against lodging if pastured or mowed. The leaves which you

speak of as being lost in the later growth of the plant serve an

important purpose in making that growth, and removing them is a

repressive process which is not desirable when rain is short. We should

allow the plants to push along into as good a growth of hay as a dry

year's moisture will give.

Dry Plowing for Grain.

We have land that we could very easily plow now with our traction engine

and improved plows, but the people here claim that it does not pay to

dry-plow, that is, before the land has had a good rain on it and the

vegetation has started. I believe in dry plowing. Two of our oldest

farmers in Merced county dry-plowed, that is, they commenced plowing as

soon as harvesting was over.

If the rainfall is small and likely to come in light showers, dry

plowing, if it turns up the land in large clods, might yield poorer

results than land which is plowed after rain, because there would be so

much moisture lost by drying out from the coarse surface when it came in

amounts not adequate for deep penetration. Plowing after the rain for

the purpose of killing out the foul stuff which starts is, however,

quite another consideration. It is a fact that dry plowing and sowing is

not now desirable in some places where it was formerly accepted, because

the land has become so foul as to give a rank growth of weeds which

choke out the grain at its beginning. Such land can be cleaned by one or

two shallow plowings and cultivations after there is moisture enough to

start the weeds to growing. These are local questions which you will

have to settle by observation. In a general way, it is true that opening

the surface of the ground before the rains, reduces the run-off and loss

of moisture, but whether there would be any loss of moisture by run-off

or not depends upon the slope of the land and also upon the way in which

the rain comes, and the total amount of moisture which is available for

the season.

Sub-varieties of California Barley.

Can you tell where I can buy seed of varieties of California six-rowed

barley, described as "pallidum" and "coerulescens," and what the seed

will cost?

No one knows where the six-rowed barley, known as "common" barley in

this State, came from, nor when it came. It has been here since the

early days and it has naturally shown a disposition to vary, so that it

is quite possible to select a number of types from any large field, of

it. These variations have been studied to some extent by Eastern

students who are endeavoring to develop American types of barley for

brewing purposes as likely to be better than the brewing varieties which

are famous in Europe. In Europe brewing barleys are chiefly two-rowed.

Under California conditions the plant is able to develop just as good

brewing grains on a six-rowed basis, and this seems to be a commendable

trait in the way of multiplying the product. The names "pallidum" and

"coerulescens" indicate two of these varieties recognized by Eastern

students. It is not possible at this time to get even a pound of

selected grain true to this type, and no one knows when it will be

worked out to available quantities.

Chevalier Barley.

Has Chevalier barley more value to feed hens for egg production than

common feed barley or wheat?

Chevalier barley is no better for chicken feed than any other barley

which is equally large and plump. Brewers like Chevalier because of its

fullness of starch to support the malting process; also, because it is

bright, that is, white, and not stained or tinged with bluish or reddish

colors. Color points do not count for chicken feed, but good plump

kernels do. Besides this, however, darker kernel (not chaff) usually

indicates more protein, and therefore a darker kernel of either wheat or

barley might be more valuable for feeding. A hard, horny kernel is

richer than a softer, more starchy one, either in wheat or barley.

Barley on Moist Land.

What would you do with land subject to overflow by the Sacramento when

that river rises 20 feet, and which you wanted to plant to barley this

season? Would you take a chance on the river rising that high this year,

or wait until after that danger was over, and take a chance on not

getting enough rain to make the grain come up; also, if the river did

come up for 48 hours after the grain was in, but did not wash, would the

grain be lost? Should the grain be planted deeper than on ordinary land,

and, if so, should a drill be used? How much seed should be sown per

acre on good river-bottom soil?

Get the barley in and watch for the overflow rather than to fear it. An

overflow for 48 hours would give you the greatest crop you ever saw,

unless it should be in a settling basin and the water forced to escape

by evaporation. From your description we judge that this is not so and

that the land clears itself quickly from an overflow. Depth of sowing

depends upon the character and condition of the soil - the lighter and

drier the deeper. By all means use a drill if the soil is dry on the

surface. Short rainfall makes the advantage of drill seeding most

conspicuous. On the University Farm 22 trials gave an average gain of

over 10 per cent in yield. The difference would be much greater in a dry

year; it might be 25 per cent greater, possibly, and save high-priced

seed at the same time, as about 90 pounds of seed per acre will do,

instead of 120 pounds broadcast, in accordance with the approved heavy

seeding practice on the river lands.

Barley and Alfalfa.

I have some alfalfa which is a poor stand. Can I disc it up heavily and

seed in some barley for winter pasture?

You can get barley into your alfalfa as you propose, but you should not

seed until fall. The more barley you get into your alfalfa, however, the

less alfalfa you will have afterward. If you want to improve your

afalfa, keep everything else out of the field and help the plants by

regular irrigations during the balance of the growing season.

Beets and Potatoes.

Which is the best for dairy cows, plain red mangels or a cross between

these and sugar beets? Can you suggest a more profitable variety of

potato than the Oregon Burbank?

If you can get a cross which gives you more tonnage than a mangel and a

higher nutritive content you would have something better to grow. The

first point you have to determine by growing the two side by side and

weighing the product; the nutritive value of each will have to be

determined by chemical analysis. Until these determinations are actually

made a comparison of desirability is nothing but conjecture. There are

several other potatoes which are sometimes more profitable here and

there for early crop when grown in an early locality. If you are not in

an early locality you are obliged to produce for the main crop, and

nothing, to our knowledge, sells as well as the Burbank, if you get a

good one.

Beets for Stock.

Will sugar beets grow on black alkali land? How many pounds of seed per

acre should be used and when is it time for sowing in the San Joaquin

valley? Which kind would be best for cows?

Beets will do more on alkali than some other plants, but too much alkali

will knock them out. You must try and see whether you have too much

alkali or not. You can sow at various times during the rainy season, for

the beets will stand some frost. Sow 8 pounds per acre in drills 2 1/2

to 3 feet apart, so as to use a horse cultivator. For stock you had

better grow large stock beets like marigolds or tankards - not sugar

beets. It costs too much to get sugar beets out of the ground, because

it is their habit to grow small and bury themselves for the sake of the

sugar maker, while stock beets grow largely above ground.

Summer Start of Stock Beets.

How can I make Mangel Wurzels grow in hot weather? The land is level and

can be irrigated by flooding or ditching between the rows. How often

should the water be applied, and which method used? The land is in fine

shape; a sandy loam bordering on to heavier land.

Wet the land thoroughly; plow and harrow and drill in the seed in rows

about 2 1/2 feet apart. This ought to give moisture enough to start the

seed. Cultivate as soon as you can see the rows well. Irrigate in a

furrow between the rows about once a month; cultivate after each

irrigation.

Corn Growing for Silage.

With fair cultivation, will an acre produce about 10 tons of ensilage

without fertilization - it being bottom land? How should it be planted?

- the rows closer together than 3 feet, or should it be planted the

usual width between rows, and thick in the rows? If fertilizers were to

be used, what kind would you recommend? Would you recommend deep plowing

followed by a packer and harrow so as to preserve the moisture?

You ought to be able to get 10 tons of silage per acre from corn grown

on good corn land. It can be best grown in rows sufficiently distant for

cultivation, closer in the row than would be desirable for corn, and yet

not too crowded, because corn for silage should develop good ears and

should be cut for silage about the time when the glazing begins to

appear. If your land needs fertilization, stable manure or a "complete

fertilizer" of the dealers would be the proper thing to use. It would be

very desirable to plow corn land deeply the preceding fall, followed by

a packer or harrow to settle down the land below, but do not work down

fine. Keep the surface stirred from time to time during the winter and

put in the crop with the usual cultivation in the spring as soon as the

frost danger is over.

Irrigation for Corn.

What amount of water is necessary per acre for the best possible yield

of corn under acreage conditions and proper cultivation in the San

Joaquin or Sacramento valleys?

No one can answer such a question with anything more than a guess. It

depends upon how much rain has fallen the previous winter, how retentive

the soil is naturally, and what has been done to help the soil to hold

it. Nearly all the corn that is grown is carried without any irrigation

at all on moist lowlands, which may be too wet for winter crops. If you

demand a guess, make it six acre-inches, with a good surface pulverizing

after each run of water in furrows between the rows. This water would be

best used in two or three applications.

Eastern Seed Corn for California.

The question has been raised as to Eastern-grown seed corn, comparing it

with California-grown seed. Some claim that the former does not yield

well the first season.

We cannot give a complete refutation of the impression that Eastern seed

corn does not yield well the first season in California. It is a

somewhat prevalent impression. All that we can announce now is that we

have grown collections of Eastern seed corn and have found the product

quite as good as could have been expected, and did not encounter,

apparently, the trouble of which you write.

Need of Corn Suckering.

To insure the best crop of corn possible, does it pay to sucker it or

not?

The removal of suckers is a matter of local conditions largely in

California, and growers are getting out of the habit of suckering. In

some places suckering is needed, and in others it apparently does not

pay to do so, although with very rare exceptions a larger yield can be

secured by suckering than without.

Cow Peas Not Preparatory for Corn.

What time of the year can cow peas be planted, and can the entire crop

be plowed under in time for planting field corn?

Cowpeas are very subject to frost. They are really beans, and therefore

can be grown in the winter time only in a few practically frostless

places. Wherever frosts are likely to occur they must be planted, like

beans and corn, when the frost danger is over. Field peas, Canadian peas

and vetches are hardy against frost and therefore safer for winter

growth, and treated as you propose they may be preparatory for

corn-growing providing you plow them under soon enough to get a month or

more for decay before planting the corn.

Oats and Rust

Is there any variety of oats that is rust-proof, or any method of

treating oats that will render them rust resistant? We are situated on a

mountain, only about 12 miles from the coast, and have considerable

foggy weather, which most of the farmers here say is the cause of the

rust.

There is no way of treating oats which will prevent smut, if the variety

is liable to it. There is a great difference in the resistance of

different varieties. A few dark-colored oats are practically rust-proof,

and you can get seed of them from the seedsmen in San Francisco and Los

Angeles. Such varieties are chiefly grown on the southern coast. Foggy

weather has much to do with the rust, because it causes atmospheric

moisture which is favorable to the growth of the fungus, which is

usually checked by dry heat, and yet there are atmospheric conditions

occasionally which favor the rust even in the driest parts of the State.

The fog favors rust, but does not cause it. The cause is a fungus, long

ago thoroughly understood and named puccinia graminis.

Midsummer Hay Sowing.

Can I sow oats or barley in July upon irrigated mesa land, with the

object of making hay in the fall? Which of the two would do the better

in summer time? I have plenty of water.

We have never seen this done to advantage. If you desire to try it,

irrigate thoroughly and plow and sow afterward. Use barley rather than

oats and irrigate when the plant shades the land well, if you get growth

enough to warrant it. It will be easier to get the crop than to figure a

profit in it.

Loose Hay by Measure.

How many cubic feet should be allowed for a ton of alfalfa hay loaded on

a wagon from the shock? I must sell more or less in that way, as no

scales are near enough to be used.

It is a proposition, as to the weight of loose hay, which could of

course keep changing the higher you built the load on the wagon. It is

easier to give figures on weight from a stack in which there has been

something like uniform pressure for a time. In the case from a 30-day

stack it is common to allow an eight-foot cube to a ton, etc. Perhaps

you can guess from that.

When to Cut Oat Hay.

To make the best red oat hay should it be cut when in the "milk,"

"dough" or nearly ripe!

It should be cut in the "soft dough" or, as some express it, "between

the milk and the dough." This is probably as near an approach in words

as can be made to that condition which loses neither by immaturity or by

over-maturity from the point of view of hay which is to get as much as

can be in the head without losing nutritiveness in the straw. Of course

there are other conditions intruding sometimes, like the outbreak of

rust or the premature ripening through drought. In such cases care must

be taken not to let the plant stand too long for the sake of reaching an

ideal condition in the head - which for lack of favorable growing

conditions the plant may not be able to reach.

Rye for Hay.

When is the best time to cut rye for hay, and how should it best be

handled? Would it be well to cut it up and blow it into the barn, and

would it do all right for silage?

Rye makes poor hay on account of its woody stems and must be cut earlier

than other grains. After that it is handled as is other hay. Cutting it

up would probably be more of a help than to other grain hay. It could be

put into the silo, but would of course have to be cut pretty green and

would have to run through a cutter and blower. Putting it in whole would

be out of the question. In the silo, the fermentation would largely

overcome the woodiness of the stems. It would also as a silage balance

up nicely with alfalfa, and the best way to do would be to mix it with

alfalfa when putting it in.

Rye in California.

Which kind of rye is the hardiest, the best yielding, and the best hay

varieties in your State?

Rye is the least grown of all the cereals in California, and no

attention has been paid to selection of varieties. That which is

produced is "just rye," of some common variety which came to the State

years ago and still remains. No rye is grown for hay, as the toughness

of the stem renders it undesirable for that purpose. There is a certain

amount of rye grown for winter feeding. This is grown in the foothills

principally and it serves an excellent purpose, but it is fed off before

approaching maturity.

That Old Seven-Headed Wheat.

We are sending you some heads of grain which was grown in this county.

The land was planted with an imported Australian wheat, which we believe

the smaller heads to be, but the wheat is about evenly mired with grain

like the large heads, which we think to be a species of barley.

The grain is an old, coarse, bearded wheat which is continually

appearing in fields of ordinary grain and naturally excites interest

among all to whom the variety is a novelty. It is the old seven-headed

Egyptian wheat, which has never proved of any cultural value, because

its manifolding of the head is of no advantage. It is better to have a

straight well-filled head than to have a branching head of this kind.

This matter has been fully demonstrated by experience during the last

thirty or forty years, not only in this State, but in other States, for

the variety has a way of getting around the world, and seed has

sometimes been sold at exorbitant prices to people who have been

persuaded that it is of particular value.

Speltz.

I have heard of a Russian grain called "Speltz" or "Emmer." Can I raise

it successfully and, if so, what is the very best time of year to sow

some for the best crop obtainable? Can it be sown in the fall, say

November? Would springtime be a better time to sow it on soil that is

very soft in winter?

If your land yields good crops of wheat or barley or oats, you have

little to expect from speltz or emmer. This is a grain generally

considered inferior to those just mentioned and advocated for conditions

under which the better known grains do not do well. It is hardy against

drought and frost, particularly the latter, and is, therefore, chiefly

grown in the extreme north of Europe. It may be sown in the fall or in

the spring in places where rains are late and carry the plant to

maturity.

Italian Rye Grass.

What kind of grass is enclosed? Also the best method to eradicate it?

The grass is the Italian rye grass, or as it is sometimes called, the

Italian variety of the perennial rye grass. It is proving a very

satisfactory grass in California for moderate drought resistance and for

winter growing, and a great deal of it is being sown for these purposes.

You can readily kill it out by cultivation, but most people are more

occupied with its propagation than with its destruction.

Fall Feed.

Can I irrigate and plant a forage crop n July to feed dairy cows this

fall and winter? Would you recommend cow peas or some kind of sugar

corn? If cow peas, how many pounds to the acre?

If you wet down the land thoroughly and then plow and harrow and plant

either cow peas or Indian corn, you ought to get a good green crop

before frost. Drill in or drop the seed in rows about three feet apart

and keep cultivating and irrigating as long as you can get through

without injuring the crop too much. Use about 40 pounds of cow peas to

the acre.

Hurry-up Pasture.

What can I plant this fall which would produce pasturage for a small

amount of stock this winter, and until I can get the land under

irrigation and seeded to alfalfa?

For quick fall and winter growth nothing is better probably than oats

and vetches sown together as soon as you get rain enough to plow, but it

would be a question whether it is worth while to work for that, because

you ought to get your land ready for February sowing of alfalfa and that

will keep the land busy after the rain gets it into working condition.

Johnson Grass.

I am informed that Johnson grass makes fine hay. I have not sown the

seed yet, but would like to know if the hay is good and if it will grow

on dry land. I have the seed on hand, but do not want to sow it if it is

not good.

Johnson grass is poor, coarse stuff. The plant is most valuable for

grazing when young. Johnson grass will not grow on really dry land, but

it will take the best moist land it can find and hold on to it. It is

sensitive to frost and is not a winter grower except in the absence of

frost.

Improving Heavy Land for Alfalfa.

My land is very heavy, red loam, and crusts over very hard in dry

seasons. I would like to know if it would be best to use barnyard

compost over the surface as a mulch, or would it be best to use plain

straw for that purpose?

A very heavy soil can be brought into better surface condition for

alfalfa by plowing in stable manure as soon as possible after the fall

rains, in order that the manure may have opportunity to become

disintegrated and mixed with the soil by the time for alfalfa sowing,

which is from February to April - whenever the heavy frosts of the

locality are over. For a small piece, you might get a better stand by

using a light mulch of disintegrated coarse manure or even straw,

scattering it after the sowing, but for a large acreage this would

involve too much labor. It is not desirable to work in much manure or

other coarse stuff at the time of sowing the seed, but you can make a

light surface application after the plant has made a start.

Cultivating Alfalfa.

When is the best time to cultivate alfalfa, and how often during the

season is it advantageous to do so? Which is the best implement to use?

Cultivated alfalfa is a term applied to alfalfa sown in rows and allowed

to grow in narrow bands with cultivated land between, and the irrigation

is then done in a furrow in the narrow cultivated strip. This will give

thriftier growth and perhaps more hay to the acre than flooded,

broad-casted alfalfa, but it will cost so much more that the acre profit

would probably be less. This is an intensive culture of alfalfa, which

is still to be tested out in California, if any one should be inclined

to do it. Some one-cow suburbanite would be in condition to try the

scheme first. Probably you refer to disking, and for that an ordinary

disk is used with the disks set pretty straight to reduce the side

cutting, and this is done at different times of the year by different

growers. By doing it when the ground gets dry in the early spring much

of the foul stuff is cut out before the alfalfa starts strongly. But

disking seems to be good whenever in the year the soil is dry enough to

take it well.

Suburban Alfalfa Patch.

How can we rid the alfalfa of weeds? As we are obliged to hire help, and

do not succeed in getting the hay cared for until we have mostly stalks

without leaves, I have put the cow on it to pasture it off.

The cow knows how to handle it, but you will not get as much alfalfa as

if you cut and carried it to her. If you cut sooner you will get rid of

many plants which are propagated by the seeds which they produce, and

you will also get better hay, more leaves and fewer stalks. Cut it about

the time it begins to bloom, not waiting for the full bloom to appear.

Alfalfa and Bermuda.

I have land which was seeded to alfalfa some 15 years ago and has been

pastured continuously until it was almost all Bermuda. I had it

thoroughly plowed, disk harrowed and sowed to oats; disk harrowed in,

and drag harrowed. After cutting for hay this year I intend putting it

in Egyptian corn in rows, so it can be cultivated to get rid of Bermuda.

I have also been advised to plow the land immediately after harvesting

corn and let it lie until next January and then plow and sow to barley

and alfalfa as I wish to grow alfalfa. Kindly let me know if method is

right. The land is sandy loam and under irrigation.

Whether you will fully succeed against Bermuda grass or not is doubtful.

It is probable, however, that you can reduce the Bermuda so that other

cultivated crops can be continuously grown. Common experience is that

Bermuda will hold on unless you have hard freezing of the ground to a

considerable depth, as they have in the northern States. The best use

that you can make of land infested with Bermuda is to get as good a

stand as you can of alfalfa and let the alfalfa fight for itself. The

combination of alfalfa and Bermuda grass makes very good hay or

pasturage. We should, however, sow the alfalfa alone and not handicap it

by sowing with barley. The Bermuda will smile at that advice. Egyptian

corn can be planted in rows, 2 1/2 to 3 feet between the rows to admit

of easy cultivation

Bermuda Grass.

What is the value of Bermuda grass as a forage crop for cattle, more

particularly dairy cows?

Bermuda grass is generally condemned because of getting in places where

it is not desirable and of being almost impossible of eradication

therefrom. Still, Bermuda grass will make good pasturage on land which

is too alkaline to make other crops, and therefore is highly esteemed by

some owners of waste lands in the San Joaquin valley. It is good

pasturage and is most easily propagated by cutting the roots up into

short pieces by use of the hay-cutter, nearly all the pieces retaining

an eye which will make a new plant. It is easy to get in and hard to get

out.

Salt Grass and Alfalfa.

I have some land in Sutter county and it has some of this salt grass in

spots. I am about to take a twenty-acre piece and put in alfalfa, but

some old-timers tell me that the salt grass on it is bad stuff to

handle.

Your trouble will probably be not so much the salt grass, but the alkali

in the soil which the salt grass can tolerate and which other plants

cannot stand. You cannot then substitute alfalfa for salt grass without

getting the alkali out of the soil, and you cannot do this without

having sufficient drainage so that the rainfall may wash the alkali out

from the soil and carry it away in the drainage water. You probably

cannot get a satisfactory growth of alfalfa on the spots where the salt

grass has established itself, although the land round about may be very

satisfactory to alfalfa.

Giant Spurry.

I would like information about spurry. How much frost will it stand?

What is time for sowing? Its value as crop to plow under?

From a California point of view, spurry is a winter-growing weed which

has been approved by orchardists in Sonoma county because it yields a

considerable amount of vegetation for turning under with the spring

plowing of the orchard. For this purpose it should be sown at the

beginning of the rainy season. Its value as a crop to turn under depends

upon the amount of growth you can get. It is not a legume and,

therefore, does not have the value of the nitrogen-gathering plant.

Still, it yields humus and, therefore, is valuable for winter growing as

ordinary weeds, grasses, grains, etc., are.

Light Soil and Scant Moisture.

Advise me as to plowing under a crop of last year's weeds where I intend

to plant beans, corn, etc. The soil is "slickens," on the Yuba river,

and the weeds grew up last year in a crop of volunteer barley, which was

hogged off. I expect to plow five inches deep, and calculate that the

barley straw and weeds will contribute to the supply of humus, which is

always deficient in most of our soils. I expect to try to grow beans

without irrigation, and wonder if the trash would hold the soil too open

so as to dry them out.

Considering the character of the soil which you describe and the shallow

plowing you intend we should certainly burn off all the trash upon the

land. With deep plowing early in the season this coarse stuff could be

covered in to advantage, but it would be dangerous to do it in the

spring. Clean land and thorough cultivation to save moisture enough for

summer's growth is the only rational spring treatment.

Clovers and Drought.

I have sandy loam with some alkali. In wet years it is regarded as too

damp in some places. Can you give me any information on the following

points? I have practically no water for irrigation and I feel sure that

alfalfa would not grow without it. Do you think that clover would make

one or more cuttings without water?

Red and white clover are less tolerant of drought than alfalfa, which,

being a deep-rooting plant, is especially commended in dry-farming

undertakings. Red clover will grow better on low wet lands than will

alfalfa, but the land must not dry out or the red clover will die during

the dry season. None of the plants will stand much alkali.

Clover for Wet Lands.

What kind of alfalfa will do best on sub-irrigated land which is very

wet? I have sown it in alfalfa and it grows finely for two or three

years, but then the roots rot and die.

It is impossible to make any kind of alfalfa grow well on very wet land,

that is, where the water comes too near the surface. Alfalfa has a

deep-running tap root which is very subject to standing water. You can

get very good results from the Eastern red clover on such land, because

the red clover has a fibrous root which is content to live in a shallow

layer of soil above water. But red clover will not stand drought as well

as alfalfa, because it is shallower rooting. It is necessary, therefore,

that water should be permanently near the surface or surface irrigation

be frequently applied, in order to secure satisfactory growth of red

clover in the drier sections of California. It is also necessary that

neither land nor water carry alkali.

Frosted Grain for Hay.

The freeze struck us pretty severely. I had 125 acres of summer-fallowed

wheat which I had estimated to make 20 sacks to the acre of grain. It

was breast high in places already, and was just heading out. The frost

pinched the stalks of this grain in several places and the heads are now

turning white. It is ruined for grain. There is lots of fodder in it,

and it should be made into hay. If so, should it not be cut and cured at

once? What is the relative worth of such hay as compared with more

matured hay? Would the fact that it is frozen make it injurious to feed?

If the whole plant seems to be getting white, the sooner it is cut the

better. If the head is affected and the leaf growth continued, cutting

might be deferred for the purpose of getting more of it. Hay made from

such material will not be in any way dangerous, although it would be

inferior as containing less nutritive and more non-nutritive matter.

Such hay would seem to be most serviceable as roughage for cows or

steers in connection with alfalfa hay or some other feed which would

supply this deficiency.

Forage Plants in the Foothills.

We have 3,000 acres of foothill land and hope to be able to irrigate

some land this spring and wish to know the best forage crops, for sheep

and hogs, especially. Kafir corn, stock peas, rape, sugar-beets and

artichokes are the varieties about which we desire information.

Where you have irrigation water available in the foothills you can get a

very satisfactory growth of red clover. We have seen it doing very well

on sloping land in your county where water was allowed to spill over

from a ditch on the ridge to moisten the slope below. Winter rye and

other hardy stock feeds could also be grown in the winter time on the

protected slopes with the rainfall. Some such plants are not good summer

growers, owing to the drought. Rape is a good winter grower by rainfall,

but not so satisfactory as vetches and kale. Sugar beets are not so good

for stock purposes as stock beets, which give you much more growth for

the same labor and are more easily gathered because they grow a good

part out of the ground. They will stand considerable freezing and may be

sown at different times throughout the year, whenever the land is moist,

either by irrigation or rainfall. Artichokes are of doubtful value. We

have never found anyone who continued to grow them long. Of course, on

good, deep land, with irrigation, nothing can be better than alfalfa as

supplementary to hill range during the summer season.

Winter Forage.

At what time of the year should I plant kale, Swiss chard, etc., so as

to have them ready for use during the months from February to June?

You should plant Swiss chard, kale, etc., as soon as the ground is

sufficiently moist from the rain in the fall. In fact, it would be

desirable for you to plant the seed earlier in boxes and thus secure

plants for planting out when the ground is sufficiently moist. These

plants are quite hardy against frost, and in order to have them

available by February, a start in the autumn is essential.

A Summer Hay Crop.

What can I put on the land after the oat crop is taken off to furnish

hay for horses during the coming winter? I had thought millet would be

good. I have water for irrigation.

You could get most out of the land you mention during the hot season by

growing Kafir corn or milo, cutting for hay before the plant gets too

far advanced. If your land can be flooded and takes water well, so that

you can wet it deeply before plowing, the sorghum seed can be broadcast

and the crop cut with the mower while the stalks are not more than half

an inch in diameter. This makes a good coarse hay. If you have not water

enough or the land does not lie right for flooding, you can grow the

sorghum in drills and irrigate by the furrow method, being careful,

however, not to let the crop go too far if you desire to feed it as hay.

Teosinte.

What about "Teosinte," its food value, method of culture, and

adaptability to our climate, character of soil required?

Teosinte is a corn-like plant of much lower growth than Indian corn. It

may be of value as a forage plant on low, moist, interior lands in the

summer season. It is very sensitive to frost and is, therefore, not a

winter grower. It abhors drought and, therefore, is not a plant for

plains or hillsides. It was grown to some extent in California 25 years

ago and abandoned as worthless so far as tried.

Bermuda Objectionable.

Bermuda grass as pasture for summer to supplement burr clover and

alfilaria in winter on the cheap hill pasture lands along the coast or

the foothill ranges of the Sierras. Stock like it and do well on it, and

I have noticed it growing in places where it had no water but the little

rains of winter in southern California. So the question occurred to me,

why should it not be a profitable pasture for the dry summers on the

coast or foothill ranges of the State?

Bermuda grass will not make summer growth enough on dry pasture land to

make it worth having. It will not make much growth in the rainy season

because of frost, and if it has possession of the ground it will not

allow either burr clover or alfilaria to make such winter growth as they

will on clean land. Besides, this grass is generally counted a nuisance,

because it will get into all the good cultivated land and it is almost

impossible of eradication. Bermuda grass is of some account on alkali

land where it finds moisture enough for free growth. We would not plant

it in any other situation.

Rye Grasses Better than Brome.

I see in an Eastern seed catalogue "Bromus Inermis" very highly spoken

of as pasturage. Do you know anything of it, and do you think it would

be suitable for reclaimed tule land in the bay section?

Both English and Italian rye grasses have proved better than Bromus

Inermis on such land as you mention. The latter is commonly known as

Hungarian brome grass or awniess brome grass and it was introduced to

this State from Europe about 25 years ago and the seed distributed by

the University Experiment Station. Hungarian brome may be better on

rather dry lands, although it will not live through the summer on very

dry lands in this State, but we would rather trust the rye grasses or

reclaimed lands, providing, of course, that they are sufficiently free

from salt to carry tame grass at all. On the upper coast Hungarian brome

has been favorably reported as an early-winter growing grass with

comparatively low nutritive value, but is especially valuable because it

will grow in poor soil. It is especially suited to sandy pasture and

meadow lands and is quite resistant to drought. It is a perennial grass,

reproducing by a stout rootstock, which makes it somewhat difficult to

eradicate when it is not desired. It is desirable to keep stock off the

fields during the first year to get a good stand.

Black Medic.

Will you kindly name the enclosed; also explain its value as forage!

The plant is black medic. It has been very widely distributed over the

State during the last few years. It is sometimes called a new burr

clover, which it somewhat resembles. It is not very freely eaten by

stock and is apparently inferior to burr clover for forage purposes. It

is a good plant to plow under for green manure.

Crimson Clover.

About crimson clover in California. Has it proved satisfactory? If so,

can you give me data how to plant, etc.!

Crimson clover must be sown after frost, for it is tender. It will give

a great show in June and July on low moist land. It is not good against

either frost or drought. It has been amply tried in California and

proved on the whole of little account.

California Winter Pastures.

We have a great deal of pasture land on which the native grasses yield

less feed each year. A great part of this land can be cleared of brush

and stone, ready for the plow, but what can we sow to take the place of

the native pasture? The ground in many places is not level enough for

alfalfa and in some places water is not available. Can we break up the

land and sow pasture grasses as the farmers are exhorted to do at the

East? The annual rainfall is from 12 to 15 inches.

The perennial grasses which they rely upon for pasturage in the East and

which will maintain themselves from year to year, will not live at all

on the dry lands of California, nor has investigation of the last

twenty-five or thirty years found anything better for these California

uplands than the winter growth of plants which are native to them. Such

lands should be better treated, first by not being overstocked; second,

by taking off cattle at the time the native plant needs to make seed,

because, as they are not perennial, they are dependent upon each year's

seed. After the plants have seeded, the land can be pastured for dry

feed without losing the seed.

Of course, if one has land capable of irrigation he can grow forage

plants, even the grasses which grow in moist climates, like the rye

grasses, the brome grasses and the oat grasses, etc., which will do well

if given a little moisture, but it will be a loss of money to break up

the dryer lands with the idea of establishing perennial grasses upon

them without irrigation. California pastures are naturally good. In

early days they were wonderful, but they are restricted to growth during

the rainy season, or for a little time after that, and are therefore

suited for winter and spring pasturage, while the summer feeding of

stock, aside from dry feed, should be provided from other lands where

water can be used. The improvement of these wild pastures consists in a

more intelligent policy for their production and preservation rather

than an effort to improve them by the introduction of new plants.

Pastures may, however, be often improved by clearing off the brush and

harrowing in seed of burr clover, alfilaria, etc., at the beginning of

the rainy season.

Alfilaria and Winter Pasturage.

Will alfilaria (Erodium cicutarium) grow well on the hills of Sonoma

county partially covered with shrubs? I want something that will be food

for stock another year. I have heard of alfilaria and that it grows well

without being irrigated.

Alfilaria is a good winter-growing forage plant in places where it

accepts the situation. It is an annual and therefore does not make

permanent pasturage except where it may re-seed itself. On the coming of

the dry season it will speedily form seed and disappear. It is therefore

of no summer use under the conditions which you describe, nor is it

possible to secure any perennial grass which will be satisfactory on dry

hillsides without irrigation. Improved winter pasturage can be secured

by scattering seed of common rye at the beginning of the rainy season,

or of burr clover, both of which are winter-growing plants. Pasturage is

also capable of improvement by being careful not to overstock the land,

so that the native annuals may be able to produce seed and provide for

their own succession. The secret of successful pasturage on dry uplands

is to improve the winter growth. It is too much to expect much of them

for summer growth without irrigation.

Grasses for Bank-Holding.

We desire a grass to be used on levees, to keep from washing. Bermuda or

Johnson gross are dangerous to farming lands. What we desire is a grass

that will grow in good dirt with no water to support it during most of

the year, except the annual rainfall of Fresno county. Of course, this

grass will also have to endure a great deal of water during the flooded

season of the year. We have heard that the Italian rye grass would be

suitable.

The rye grasses do not have running roots; therefore are not calculated

to bind soil particles together as Bermuda grass does. If you want a

binding grass, you must take the chances of its spreading to adjacent

lands. Of course, if you could get a sod of rye grass it would prevent

surface washing from overflow, etc., to a certain extent. We are not

sure how far it would prevent bank cutting by the flowing water, for it

makes a bunchy and not a sod-like growth. It would not live through the

summer unless the levee soil keeps somewhat moist. The only way to

determine whether you can get a permanent growth of it, will be by

making a trial. Seed should be sown as soon as the ground becomes

moistened by rain. It is a very safe proposition, because if it is

willing to live through the summer, it is one of the best pasturage

grasses for places in California where it will consent to grow, and it

is not liable to become an annoyance by taking possession of adjacent

land, because it would be readily killed by cultivation.

Alfalfa and Alkali.

I sowed several acres of alfalfa seed with a disc this season and none

of it has come up. I think the reason for it not coming up is that the

disc put it into the ground too deep. We sowed some by hand and it came

up very well. Is there any probability that later in the season this

seed will germinate, or has it rotted in the ground? Water stands within

three feet of the surface and has considerable alkali. What can I plant

on this land and get a crop? It is our intention to sow it to alfalfa

next fall. The land adjoining, although higher, has a good stand of

alfalfa now.

You are right about covering the alfalfa seed too deeply. It is not

likely to appear. Your chance of getting a durable stand of alfalfa on

such shallow soil over alkali water is not good, but you can hardly

determine that without trying. Sometimes conditions are better than you

think; sometimes worse. The plant itself is the best judge. On your

lower land you could probably get a better stand of rye grass than

anything else - sowing at the beginning of the rainy season. Of course,

however, even that will depend upon how much alkali you have to deal

with.

Alfalfa on Adobe.

Is adobe land good for alfalfa? Is it harder to start than in other

soils or not? How much seed is required to sow an acre? Also state what

time alfalfa should be sowed.

Alfalfa will thrive on an adobe soil if the moisture is kept right -

especially guarding against too much water at a time. It is necessary to

irrigate more frequently and apply only as much as can be absorbed by

the soil before the hot sun comes on the field, for that scalds the

plant badly. It is harder to get a good stand because of the cracking

and hardening of the surface. Sow about 20 pounds to the acre just as

soon as the soil comes into good condition - that is, moist and warm.

February and March are usually the best months, according to the season

in the interior valleys.

Alfalfa and Soil Depth.

Do you consider soil which is from 4 to 6 feet deep to hardpan of

sufficient depth for alfalfa? Is there hardpan in the region of Lathrop

in San Joaquin county, and can it be dissolved by irrigation, or can any

good be accomplished by blowing holes at different places to allow the

water to pass to lower levels? Are other crops affected by hardpan being

so close to the surface?

You can grow alfalfa successfully on land which is from four to six feet

deep if you irrigate rather more frequently and use less amounts of

water each time, so that the plant shall be adequately supplied and yet

not forced to carry its roots in standing water. The Eastern alfalfa

grower is fortunate when he gets half the depth you mention, although it

does seem rather shallow in California. Shallow lands are distributed

over the valley quite widely. A deepening of the available soil is

usually accomplished by dynamiting, especially so if the hardpan is

underlaid by permanent strata. Alfalfa will penetrate some kinds and

thicknesses of hardpan when it is kept moist, but not too wet, to

encourage root growth.

Winter-growing green crops are less affected by shallow soil because

they generally make their growth while the moisture is ample, if the

season is good.

Curing Alfalfa with Artificial Heat.

It is current rumor that "out in California they are hauling alfalfa

green and curing it by artificial heat," thus reducing loss through bad

weather and producing a superior hay for feeding or milling purposes.

It is true that alfalfa is being cut green and dried by artificial heat,

but this is only being done in preparation for grinding. No one thinks

of doing it for the making of hay for storage or for feeding. This

method is undertaken, not because the alfalfa hay does not dry quickly

enough in the field, but because after drying in the field so many

leaves are lost in hauling to the mill. We have no trouble sun-drying

alfalfa for ordinary hay purposes; in fact, we have to be very careful

that it does not get too dry.

Cheap Preparation of Land for Alfalfa.

I am about to put a piece of land into alfalfa, and want to use the most

economical system of preparing the land for irrigation. My neighbors

tell me that it will be necessary for me to have the land leveled; at a

cost of $6 to $10 per acre. Now I am informed that in Alberta, and some

places in California, they do not go to the expense of leveling land,

but use a system of preparing land for irrigation at a cost of about 60

cents per acre.

Nothing except a highly educated gale of wind, with discriminating

cutting and filling ability of a very high order, could do it for that

price. The cheapest way to prepare land for irrigation is the contour

check method, which is largely used, or the flooding in strips between

levees at right angles to the supply ditch; but neither of these could

be put in properly for that money, even if the land was naturally in

such shape that a minimum amount of soil-shifting is necessary.

Where Alfalfa is Grown.

In what counties is alfalfa most successfully grown? By this I mean

where three crops of hay may be had each growing season. Also, will corn

grow good paying crops in same sections?

Alfalfa is grown all through the valleys and foothills of interior

California; also to a certain extent in coast valleys. On suitable

lands, three crops can sometimes be secured without irrigation, while

twice or three times as many cuttings are secured on irrigated lands

where the frost-free season is particularly long. According to the last

census, we are growing alfalfa on 19,104 farms with a total acreage of

484,098. The total value of the product is over $13,000,000. Corn is

widely grown, but is small as compared with alfalfa. It is grown in

alfalfa districts and in coast valleys where there is not much done with

alfalfa.

Sowing Alfalfa.

What is the proper time to sow alfalfa? Some advocate fall and others

spring sowing. What seasons are given for each sowing?

We shall undoubtedly soon get to sowing alfalfa all the year round

except in the short season of sharp frosts and cold wet ground in

November, December and January. If you can get a good start in September

and October, all right; if not, wait until February and March, according

to the season. Where it is never very cold or wet, sow whenever moisture

is right. There never can be any rule about it, for localities will

differ.

Foxtail and Alfalfa.

Will foxtail choke out and exterminate alfalfa? Some fields look as

though the foxtail had crowded the alfalfa out, but I hold that the

alfalfa died from some other cause and the foxtail merely took its

place.

Foxtail will not choke out alfalfa, providing, soil and moisture

conditions are right for the latter, and a good stand of plant has been

secured. If anything is wrong with the alfalfa, the foxtail will be on

the alert to take advantage of it. You will always have foxtail with

you, and considerable quantities of it, perhaps, in the first cutting,

because foxtail will grow at a lower temperature than alfalfa, and,

therefore, will keep very busy during the rainy season, while the

alfalfa is more or less dormant, but as the heat increases, if the soil

is good and moisture ample, the alfalfa will put the foxtail out of

sight until the following winter invites it to make another aggressive

growth. Therefore, we answer that alfalfa does not die from foxtail, but

from some condition unfavorable to the alfalfa, which must be sought in

the soil, or in the moisture supply, or traced back to bad seed, and a

poor stand at the beginning.

Which Alfalfa is Best?

I have in Stanislaus county ten acres of Arabian alfalfa, which was sown

the first week in April this year. It was clipped in July and irrigated.

It is now about 14 inches high, but looks sickly, turns white at the

tips, and some dies down. There are several places here with the Arabian

alfalfa on them and with the same trouble, while the ordinary variety is

looking fine by the side of it.

Arabian alfalfa usually makes a good show at first and begins to run out

afterward. It does not seem to be so long-lived and satisfactory as the

common variety. With this prospect ahead of you, according to present

experience, it would seem to be desirable to plow the crop in and seed

again with the common variety, or with the Turkestan, which is proving

the most satisfactory of the recently introduced varieties.

Fall Sowing of Alfalfa.

We have summer-fallowed land which we know will grow good alfalfa, and

as we have just had four inches of rainfall upon it, we were wondering

if we could not plow the twenty acres and get a stand upon it in time to

stand the cold weather this winter. Do you think this is practicable?

If four inches of rain on summer fallow connects well with the lower

moisture which a good summer fallow ought to conserve in the soil, such

sowing is rational; but if the summer fallowing was not done well, that

is, if it was rough plowing without enough harrowing, as is too often

the case, the four inches of rain might not be safe because of the dry

ground beneath waiting to seize the moisture and so dry the surface that

sprouting alfalfa plants would perish between dry soil below and dry

wind above. Fall sowing will give enough growth to resist frost killing

in many places in the valley if the moisture in the soil is enough to

carry the plant as well as start it, or if showers come frequently -

otherwise it is dangerous, not from frost but from drouth.

Alfalfa Hay and Soil Fertility.

We are feeding all our hay to dairy cows, returning the manure to the

soil. At present prices of hay, my neighbors who sell theirs, seem to be

as well off, with considerable less work; but how about the future? Can

this soil be cropped indefinitely and the crops sold, without returning

anything to the land?

It is a mistake to think that you can sell alfalfa hay indefinitely

without reducing the soil. It may gain in nitrogen by the wastes of the

plant, but it will lose in other constituents unless reinforced by

fertilization. No single act can make for the maintenance of the soil as

the growing and feeding of crops and return of manure does.

Dry-Land Alfalfa.

I am in a country of strictly dry farming. I have a wash or gulch on my

place and would like to know if I could, with success, plant it to

alfalfa without irrigation; soil is sandy loam, no evidences of springy

moisture at all. What kind should I try?

Alfalfa will endure much drouth. What it will do in a particular place

can only be told by trying. Sow Turkestan alfalfa. If the rains come

early so as to wet the land down in September and October, sow the seed

then. The endurance of the plant will depend much upon its having a

chance to root deeply before the drouth comes on.

Inoculating Alfalfa.

Is it profitable to inoculate alfalfa seed before planting to increase

its yield? Can it be done by leaching soil from old alfalfa ground,

providing it has been plowed up and allowed to stand for a year? Are

commercial inoculants a safe thing to inoculate with?

Apparently alfalfa does not need inoculation in this State. Probably not

one acre in ten thousand now profitably growing alfalfa has ever had

artificial introduction of germs. You can make germ-tea, if you wish, of

the soil you describe; one year's exposure would not destroy the germs.

It is safe enough to use commercial cultures. You will have to decide

for yourself whether it is worth while.

Irrigating Alfalfa.

I am making parallel ridges for alfalfa, sending a full head of water

down to the end of the field between each ridge. Should I calculate the

lands to be mowed one at a time in even swaths? The mower being 5-foot

cut, would you count on cutting a 4 1/2 or 5-foot swath? This soil is

sandy, water percolating rapidly. The fall is 8 feet to the mile. How

wide, then, would you advise making the ridges to suit the mower, and to

flood economically, using from 2 to 4 cubic feet per second? The length

of the lands is across 40 acres.

Growing alfalfa in long parallel checks, to be flooded between the

levees, is the way in which much alfalfa is being put in at the present

time where the land has such a slope as you indicate. It is calculated,

however, to seed the levees as well as the check bottoms, and to run the

mowers across the levees, thus leaving no waste land and mowing across

the whole field and not between the levees as you propose. For that

purpose these levees are made low, not over a foot in height,

calculating that they will settle to about six or eight inches, which is

sufficient to hold the water and direct its flow gently down the slope.

There is, however, a limit to the distance over which water can be

evenly distributed in this way, the difference being dependent upon the

character of the soil, slope, etc. A length of nine hundred feet is

sometimes found too great for an even distribution, and, for this

reason, supply ditches at shorter intervals are introduced.

Unirrigated Alfalfa.

In what part of the State does alfalfa grow best without irrigation?

Obviously the parts which have the greatest rainfall in connection with

retentive soil and plenty of summer heat. Alfalfa grows best without

irrigation on "sub-irrigated" land where the ground water is

sufficiently deep to allow a deep rooting of the plant in free soil and

yet not too far down to be readily reached by the deep-running roots.

Good results can be obtained with anywhere from four to ten or twelve

feet of soil above water. On shallower soils the plant is apt to be

short-lived through root troubles. Unirrigated alfalfa is also reduced

by the incursions of gophers which flooding at least once a year will

destroy.

Alfalfa and Overflow.

How long can alfalfa stand water without being drowned out? I have a

piece of alfalfa on which the water will stand for considerable time in

the winter time.

Alfalfa while dormant will endure submergence for several weeks. We do

not know exactly how long, but evidently for a considerable period,

providing temperatures are too low to invite growth. On the other hand,

growing alfalfa is quickly and seriously injured by overflow.

No Nurse-Crop for Alfalfa.

Is it advisable to use oats with alfalfa seeds in seeding for alfalfa?

Some growers of alfalfa here advise it strongly, others advise against

it.

The general experience in California is decidedly against using oats,

barley, or any other nursecrop with alfalfa. Get the land in the best

possible condition and let the alfalfa have the full benefit of it. The

ripening of the grain crop will do the young alfalfa plants more harm by

robbing them of moisture than any protection which the taller plant can

afford.

Reseeding Alfalfa.

This spring I planted alfalfa and only got about half a stand on some of

the land. I want to reseed this fall and I thought of putting more seed

on the ground and then disc it in. Or would you advise replanting the

land? What do you think of putting manure on young alfalfa? Do you think

there is any danger of burning it out?

Stir it up with a spring tooth harrow or disc it lightly to make a nice

seed bed and then sow your seed as if you were planting alfalfa for the

first time. This will give you a good seed bed and will not hurt the

alfalfa already growing. Prepare the surface first and then sow, rather

than disking in the seed. The manure in moderate application would not

burn out the young alfalfa if properly applied after the rains begin.

Taking the Bloat Out of Alfalfa.

Will Italian rye grass and red top clover be a success under irrigation

as cow pasture in this county, either separately or mixed with alfalfa?

To sow in bare spots in the alfalfa, would the rye grass prevent bloat?

Italian rye grass and red clover will make good pasturage under

irrigation and will make a fight with the alfalfa to the best of their

ability. The admixture of rye grass will reduce the danger from

bloating. Red clover will not have that effect, because red clover is a

pretty good bloater on its own account. This seems to be the function of

all the clovers according to the rankness of their growth at the time

that they are grazed.

The Time to Cut Alfalfa.

What is the best period to cut alfalfa hay for cow feed and the best

method for curing?

The best time to cut alfalfa is just when new shoots are starting out at

the crown. This will give the greatest yield of hay during a season, and

the hay will be much more palatable than if the alfalfa is permitted to

get well into the blossoming period. The leaves, which are the best part

of the hay, also remain on better than if the stems are older. If a

person does not care to take the trouble to find out whether the new

shoots are coming out or not, he can approximate the time to cut fairly

well by waiting until a blossom here and there appears, cutting

immediately. It would be difficult to tell on paper exactly when alfalfa

was properly cured, as that is a matter of individual judgment. It is

usual to cut in the morning and rake into windrows in the afternoon.

With the usual weather in interior California that stage of the curing

is completed by that time. The next day it can be gathered into cocks

and gotten ready to move. That is about all the curing that is done. The

size of the windrows depends upon the amount of hay, as thick hay should

be put up in small windrows to give plenty of circulation of air. It is

considered better also to build the cocks on raked land, otherwise the

hay lying flat at the bottom will not cure properly and cannot be

gathered up clean.

Which Crop of Alfalfa for Seed?

Which cutting of alfalfa should be left for seed bearing?

Which cutting is best for seed depends, of course, on the way the plant

grows in your locality. Where it starts early and gives many cuttings in

a season with irrigation a later growth should be chosen for seed than

with a short season where fewer cuttings can be had. The second cutting

is best in many places, but O. E. Lambert of Modesto after threshing

about 30 lots in one year tells us that some growers had left second,

some third and some fourth cuttings for seed. He found the second

cutting very poor both in yield and grade, much of it not being well

filled and the seed blighted, as the growth of hay was too heavy. The

seed on third cutting was good both in grade and yield. Much of the seed

on fourth cutting was not matured. For good results the stand should be

thin. Our drier, heavier lands give the best results, sub-irrigated

lands not seeding. All irrigation should stop with the previous cutting

for hay.

Siloing First Crop Alfalfa.

How about putting first cutting of alfalfa and foxtail into the silo? Do

you think there is any danger of fire in a wooden silo, and do you add

salt and water when filling, and how long after it is cut would you

advise putting it into the silo?

Put it through the silo cutter as soon as you can get it from the field.

Do not let it cure at all, and be sure to cut and pack well. If at all

dry, use water at the time of filling, and some salt then also, if you

desire. There is no danger of firing if you put it in with good

moisture, and by short cutting and hard packing you exclude the air. If

you do not do this you will get a silo full of manure, and possibly have

a fire while it is rotting.

Soil for Alfalfa.

What kind of soil is best for alfalfa on a dairy ranch?

An ideal soil for alfalfa is a deep well drained soil into which the

roots can run deeply without danger of encountering standing water or

alkali. Still we are finding that alfalfa is very successful on soils

which are not strictly ideal, providing the moisture is supplied in such

a way that the soil shall not be waterlogged nor the water be allowed to

remain upon the surface during the hot weather, because this kills the

plant.

Handling Young Alfalfa.

I have alfalfa that is doing very well for the first year. My soil is

sandy loam with light traces of white alkali, although it does not seem

to be detrimental to the growth thus far. I am in the dairy business and

will have by winter enough manure to top-dress the field. Would it be

good policy to use the manure, or would it be more satisfactory to

top-dress with gypsum? Would it injure alfalfa to pasture lightly after

the last cutting?

Presumably your soil contains enough lime, and therefore the application

of gypsum at this time of the year would not be necessary. It may be

desirable to top-dress with gypsum near the end of the rainy season to

stimulate the growth of the plant. Gypsum, however, has no effect upon

white alkali. So far as alkali goes, gypsum merely changes black alkali

into white, thus making it less corrosive.

There would be no objection to pasturing lightly this fall. Be careful,

however, to keep off the stock while the land is wet and not to

overstock so as to injure root crowns by tramping. The manure can be

used as a top dressing during the rainy season, unless you think it

better to save it for the growth of other crops. Alfalfa is so deep

rooting where conditions are favorable that it does not require

fertilization usually on land which has been used for a long time for

grain or other shallow-rooting plants.

Alfalfa Sowing with Gypsum.

I intend sowing alfalfa this fall on land that has some very compact

hard spots. I aim to doctor these spots with gypsum at the rate of about

1000 pounds per acre and cultivate the gypsum in thoroughly two or three

weeks before sowing the alfalfa seed. Would this be all right? Is there

danger of injury to seed by coming in contact with gypsum?

Gypsum will not hurt the alfalfa seed. It is not corrosive like an

alkali. Whether it will have time enough to ameliorate the soil in the

spots in the period you mention depends upon there being moisture enough

present at the time.

Red Clover for Shallow Land.

What can you say of red clover on shallow soils in the Sacramento valley

under irrigation? How many crops, etc.?

Red clover is fine under the conditions you describe. We could never

understand why people do not grow more of it on shallow land over

hardpan which is free from alkali and not irrigated too much at a time.

It is good on shallow land over water, where alfalfa roots decay, etc.

Though we have no exact figures, we should expect to get about

two-thirds as much weight from it as from an equally good stand of

alfalfa.

Clovers for High Ground-Water.

Where, in California, is alfalfa being raised successfully above a

water-table of, say, 4 feet or less, and are any unusual means used to

accomplish this?

Over a high water-table, the alfalfa plant will be shorter lived

according to the shallowness of soil above water. One could get very

good results at from 4 to 6 feet, whereas at 2 or 3 feet the stand of

alfalfa would soon become scant through decay of its fleshy root. Where

the water comes very near the surface, a more shallow and fibrous

rooting plant, like the Eastern red clover, should be substituted for

alfalfa in California. It is a very vigorous grower and will yield a

number of crops in succession although the water might be very near the

surface, as in the case of the reclaimed islands in the Stockton and

Sacramento regions and in shallow irrigated soils over bedrock in the

foothills or over hardpan on the valley plains. In this statement,

freedom from alkali is presumed.

Vetches in San joaquin.

In Michigan I was familiar with the use of the sand vetch as a forage

plant, for hay, for green manure, and as a nitrogen producer. In western

Michigan, on the loose sandy soil, I sowed in September or October 20

pounds per acre for a seed crop and 40 pounds per acre for pasture, hay,

or green manure. Can I expect good results in Fresno and Tulare counties

without irrigation? Will fall seeding the same as wheat produce a seed

crop? Will sand vetch grow on soil having one-half of one per cent

alkali?

Most of the vetches grow well in the California valleys during the rainy

season; the common vetch, Vicia sativa, and the hairy vetch, Vicia

hirsuta, are giving best results. The proper time to plant is at the

beginning of the rainy season. They will stand some alkali, especially

during the rainy season, when it is likely to be distributed by the

downward movement of water, but it is very easy to find land which has

too much alkali for them. These plants seed well in some parts of the

valley, but a local trial must be made to give you definite information.

Growing Vetch for Hay.

How many pounds of vetch seed should be sown to the acre? How many tons

per acre in the crop? As I desire to change my crop, having to some

extent exhausted the soil with oats, how advisable will it be to sow

wheat with the vetch to give it something to climb on? If so, and wheat

is not desirable under the circumstances, what? In using vetch for horse

fodder, how much barley should be fed with it per day for a driving

horse? For a draught horse? Is vetch sown and harvested at about the

same time as other crops?

Except in very frosty places, vetch can be sown after the rain begins at

about 40 to 60 pounds of seed to the acre. The yield will depend upon

the land and on the moisture supply, and cannot be prophesied. One

grower reports three tons of hay per acre near Napa. If the land usually

yields a good hay crop, it should yield a greater weight of vetch. In

mowing for hay purposes it is desirable to raise the vetch off the

ground to facilitate the action of the mower. Oats would be better than

wheat, because rather quicker in winter growth. If the vetch is to be

fed green, rye is a good grain, but not good for hay purposes because of

the hardness of the stem. There is no particular difference in the

plant-food requirements of the different grains, so that there is

nothing gained in that way in the choice of wheat. In feeding a combined

vetch and barley hay, the ration is balanced; the feeding of grain would

not be necessary, except in case of hard work under the same conditions

grain is usually fed to horses and in about the same amounts. Vetch

requires a longer season than ordinary oat or barley hay crop to make a

larger growth, consequently an early sowing is desirable.

Cover Crop in Hop Yard.

Will you please give information concerning cow peas or the most

suitable crop to sow in a hop field for winter growth, to be plowed

under as a fertilizer in the spring? Also, would it injure the vines to

be cut down before they die, so as to sow the mulch crop soon as

possible after the hops are gathered?

Cow peas would not do for the use which you propose, because they would

be speedily killed by frost on low lands, usually chosen for hops, and

would give you no growth during the frosty season. Probably there is

nothing better than burr clover for such a winter growth. Hop vines

should be allowed to grow as long as they maintain the thrifty green

color, because the growth of the leaves strengthens the root. But when

they begin to become weakened and yellow they can be removed without

injury. It is not necessary to wait for them to become fully dead.

Growing Cowpeas.

What is the best variety of cow peas for a forage crap? I want a variety

which with irrigation will come up after it has been cut, so as to keep

growing and not be like some which I tried last year. They grew up like

ordinary garden peas and were just a waste of ground.

Possibly you did not get cowpeas; they do not look like garden peas at

all: they look more like running beans, which they are. The crop is not

counted satisfactory except on low, moist land, for on uplands, even

with irrigation, it does not seem to behave right. We do not know that a

second growth can be expected, for in the Southern States it is grown as

a single crop, and resowing is done if a succession is desired, the

point being made at the South that the plant is adapted to this method

of culture because it grows so rapidly that it can be twice sown and

harvested during the frost-free period.

Cowpeas in the San Joaquin.

How late in the season will it be profitable to plant cowpeas? What is

the best manner of planting? Are there several varieties? If so, which

one is best adapted to plant after oats? The land can be irrigated until

about August 10. Will it be advisable to plow up a poor stand of alfalfa

about July 1 and plant to cow peas?

You can plant cowpeas all summer on land which is moist enough by

natural moisture or irrigation to promote growth. What you will get by

late planting depends upon moisture and absence of an early fall frost.

If your alfalfa stand is bad enough to need re-sowing anyway, you may

get a good catch crop of cowpeas by doing as you propose. If, however,

you plow under much coarse stuff in putting in the peas the growth may

be irregular. It can, of course, be improved by free irrigation. On

clear land moderately retentive much more is being done in summer growth

of cowpeas without irrigation than expected. There are several good

varieties. One of these is the Whippoorwill. Cowpeas can be sown in

furrows three feet apart and cultivated, using about 40 pounds of seed

to the acre, or they may be broadcasted, which takes about twice as much

seed.

Cowpeas and Canadian Peas.

Would Canadian field peas and cow peas be valuable as a forage crop for

cows and hogs; also as fertilizer? Please tell us also when to plant,

how to plant, etc.

These plants are of high forage value as cow feed; also as a soil

restorative when the whole crop is plowed under green or when the roots

and manure from feeding add to the soil. But for either purpose the

result depends upon how much growth you can get, and that should be told

by local trial before any great outlay is undertaken. Canadian peas are

hardy against frost and can be broadcasted and covered with shallow

plowing as soon as the land is moist enough from fall rains - except in

very frosty parts of the State. They can also be sown in drills to

advantage. Cow peas are beans, and cannot be planted until frost danger

is over in the spring. They are only available for summer feeding, and

whether they will be worth while or not depends upon how much moisture

can be held in the soil for summer growth. They should be sown in drills

and cultivation continued for moisture conservation until the plants

cover the ground too much to get the cultivator through.

Canadian or Niles Peas.

I send a sample of peas which I bought for Canada field peas, and they

were so labeled. I would like to know what they are.

The peas are, apparently, one kind of Canada peas. There is some

variation in Canada peas, but these are peas of that class. Some of the

Canada pea are hardly distinguishable from the so-called Niles pea of

California growth, and it does not matter much, anyway, for one is about

as good as the other.

Sunflowers and Soy Beans.

I would like information concerning cultivation, method of feeding and

food value of soy beans. Also sunflowers.

Soy beans are grown like other beans, in rows which, for convenience in

field culture, should be about 2 1/2 feet apart and cultivated up to

blooming time at least. They should be sown after frost danger is over

and the weather is settled warm, for they enjoy heat. For feeding they

can be made into hay before maturity, or the beans can be matured and

prepared for feeding by grinding. As with other beans, small amounts

should be used in connection with other feeds. They are a rich food and

somewhat heavy on the digestion. The same is true of sunflowers, except

that the seed is richer in oil than in protein, as beans are. Sunflowers

in field culture are planted and cultivated like beans. The seed is

flailed out of the heads after they lie for a time to dry.

Jersey Kale.

Please inform me how to plant Jersey or cow kale.

Jersey kale can be planted by thin scattering of seeds in rows 2 1/2

feet apart so as to admit of cultivation, or the plants can be grown

just as cabbage plants are and set out 2 1/2 or 3 feet apart, the

squares to admit of cultivation both ways. The plant needs a good deal

more space than an ordinary cabbage, for it makes a tall free growth,

and space must be had for the growth of the plant and for going into the

patch for stripping off leaves and cultivation. The plant can be started

in the rainy season whenever the land comes into good condition. It is a

winter grower in California valleys.

Rape and Milo.

Would rape be a good pasture crop sown broadcast? If so, at what time

should it be planted? Will Milo maize grow profitable in Sonoma county?

Rape can be sown as soon as the land gets moist enough from early rains

to start the seed and hold the growth. It is a wintergrowing plant in

this State. We believe, however, you will get better results with common

vetch, which is also a winter grower and more nutritious. If you desire

one of the cabbage family, kale will probably serve you better than

rape. Milo is one of the sorghums and will only grow during the

frostless period, like Kafir, Egyptian corn and other sorghums. It will

do well with you, but probably make less growth than in the interior

valleys.

Sweet Clover Not an Alfalfa.

I send you a sample of alfalfa which grows very vigorous here on my

place spontaneously and would like you to give me all the information

about it you will, as a feed for cows and hogs. The stock seem to eat it

well.

The plant is not alfalfa at all. It is white sweet clover (melilotus

alba), and it is usually considered a great pest in alfalfa fields,

because although it grows vigorously as you describe, it is not

generally accepted by stock, unless once in awhile some one considers it

a good thing, perhaps because he keeps stock hungry enough to enjoy it

in spite of its rank taste and smell, but, usually when they can get

alfalfa they will not pay much attention to this plant. It is good for

bee pasturage, however, and is grown to some extent for that purpose.

You probably had the seed of it in your alfalfa seed. It is a biennial

and not a perennial like alfalfa. It will disappear if you can keep it

from going to seed.

Sweet Clover as a Cover Crop.

How about melilotus as a cover crop? Last year in certain sections it

proved very successful, while in others it did not give satisfaction.

Melilotus, by virtue of its hardiness in growing at low temperatures,

its depth of root penetration, the availability of the seed, the

smallness of the seed so that the weight required for the acre is not

large, is to be favored for a cover crop. The objections are two: The

fact that it does not seem to grow well under some conditions; second,

that when a growth is made it is coarse and rangey, and the amount of

green stuff to the acre is much less than its appearance would indicate.

We know of cases where what seemed to be a good stand of melilotus

yielded only about ten tons of green stuff to the acre, and what

appeared to be a less growth of vetches or peas yielded from fifteen to

twenty tons to the acre. And yet we believe that in some places it will

be found extremely desirable for a cover crop in harmony with what was

reported some time ago as the result of experiments by the Arizona

Experiment Station.

Spineless Cactus.

There seems to be two distinct kinds of cactus: One for forage, the

other for fruit. It is claimed by some people that the spineless cactus

is more valuable as a forage plant than alfalfa. What is your opinion?

There are many varieties of smooth cacti. Some of them bear higher

quality fruit than others, and some are freer growers and bear a greater

amount of leaf substance for forage purposes; therefore, varieties are

being developed which are superior for fruit or for forage, as the case

may be. Spineless cactus is in no way comparable with alfalfa, either in

nutritive content or in value of crop, providing you have land and water

which will produce a good product of alfalfa. Cactus is for lands which

are in an entirely different class and which are not capable of alfalfa

production.

Probably Not Broom-Corn.

I have a side-hill ranch on which I would very much like to raise broom

corn. The soil produces good grapes, fruit, corn, oats, peas, etc., and

I wish to know if there are possibilities of broom-straw.

All the broom-corn which has been successfully produced in California

has been produced on moist, riverside land. The plant is a sorghum -

consequently subject to frost injury, and can only be grown during the

frostless season as Indian corn is. This makes it impossible to get the

advantage of rainfall on winter upland and necessitates the use of

lowlands, which carry moisture enough to secure a free growth of the

brush, for poor broom-corn is worthless practically, being too low

priced to be profitable for brooms and too fibrous to be of value for

feeding purposes. Even in a place where the plant grows well its product

is worthless unless properly treated, and that requires full knowledge

and a good deal of work.

The Outlook for Broom Corn.

Broom corn is way up in price, but that is an indication that everyone

who has ever grown broom corn is likely to plant it this year. What is

the outlook in California?

Nothing but a local experiment will determine whether you can get a

satisfactory brush under the conditions prevailing in your vicinity.

Undoubtedly, the high price of broom corn will stimulate production, but

under quite sharp limitations in California, because a good,

satisfactory brush cannot be grown on dry plains, although a good

product is made in the river bottoms not far away. But there are so few

people in California who understand how to handle broom corn to produce

a good commercial article, and there are such rigid requirements in the

size, quality, etc., that those who break into the business without

proper knowledge cannot command even profitable prices. Therefore, if

your enterprise is conducted with a full knowledge and with proper local

conditions it would not encounter such a local disadvantage in the great

increase of the product as one might think at first.

Smutty Sorghum.

The various plantings of Egyptian corn on the ranch have turned smutty,

very much after the manner of wheat and barley. Is there any unusual

reason for this, or could irrigation have caused it, and what is the

best method of preventing it?

Sorghum is affected by a smut similar to that of other grains. It is due

to the introduction of the germ of the disease which comes with the use

of smutty seed. Possibly the growth of the smut may have been promoted

by moisture arising from soil rendered very wet by irrigation, and for

this plant free irrigation should not be used, because it will do more

with less water than any other plant we are growing, and is likely to be

more thrifty in a drier atmosphere. Get seed for next year from an

absolutely clean field; get as much growth as you can without

irrigation, and then use water in moderate quantities as may be

necessary, followed by a cultivation for the drying of the surface.

Late-sown Sorghum.

How late can Egyptian corn be planted on good sediment soil capable of

growing 40 to 50 socks of barley per acre in good years with ordinary

rain? The field was cut this year for hay on account of rank growth of

wild oats, after irrigating; land is still moist. Can I put in Egyptian

corn with on assurance of crop, or is it too late? How much seed should

be planted to the acre, also should seed be drilled in or broad-casted?

There is no difficulty in getting a start of Egyptian corn during the

dry season providing the soil contains moisture enough to germinate the

seed. Afterward the growth will be more or less according to the

moisture present and will be available for forage purposes. Whether a

seed crop can be had by late sowing depends upon the frost occurrence in

the particular locality, for it only takes a light frost to destroy the

plant. To get the best results, particularly with late sowing, the seeds

should be drilled in rows far enough apart for horse cultivation; about

forty pounds of seed to the acre. What you get in this way will depend

upon the amount of moisture in the soil and the duration of the

frost-freedom.

Kaffir and Egyptian Corn.

Does Kaffir corn yield as well here as Egyptian corn? The fodder is good

feed and the heads stand erect and at a more even height from the

ground, which makes three advantages over Egyptian. Irrigation in either

case is the some.

The reasons you mention have no doubt had much to do with the present

popularity of an upright plant like Kafir over a gooseneck like the old

dhoura or Egyptian, which was the type first introduced in California.

For years there has been more gooseneck sorghum in the Sacramento valley

than in any other part of the State. It may have superior local

adaptions or the people may be more conservative. The way to determine

which is better is to try it out, and, unless the Egyptian does better

in grain and forage than the upright growers, take to the grain which

holds its head up.

Sorghums for Seed.

Which sorghum is the most profitable to plant for the seed only White

Egyptian, Brawn Egyptian or Yellow Mila?