Image provided by: Portland General Electric; Portland, OR.
About Estacada progress. (Estacada, Or.) 1908-1916 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 28, 1915)
WESTERN OREGON ALFALFA CULTURE Soil, Seed and Culture, Import ant Factors in Growing Good Successful Crop PROF. SCUDDER T E LL S HOW Second Year is Hardest Year and Should Not Cause Discouragement to Grower. In view of the growing interest in alfalfa production in different parts of Oregon, the following information Alfalfa in Western Oregon. concerning the culture and care of the crop, prepared by Professor H. D. Scudder, of the Oregon Experiment Station, may be very helpful to farm ers not fully informed as to the most approved methods. ^ A deep, naturally well drained soil, clean of weeds, is to be preferred. The soil should be sweet. If sour, it should be dressed in March with an applica tion of two tons of ground limestone per acre, or one ton of quick lime, water slacked, the same to be thoroughly disked in after applying. The need for liming can be deter mined by testing the moist soil with neutral litmus paper, which may be obtained of any druggist. A strip of litmus paper pressed between two pieces of moist soil indicates acidity and need for lime if the paper turns pink. Agricultural lime at present prices is too costly to be used exten sively, but for small trial acreages of alfalfa the liming is advised, al though successful alfalfa crops fre quently have been obtained without liming. In southern Oregon, of course, the soils are seldom if ever acid, and liming is not required. The seed bed should be double-disk ed, then plowed either in the fall or early spring, thoroughly re-disked again after plowing in the spring, and then kept thoroughly cultivated until seding time in May—a seed bed well pulverized on top but firm underneath being the object. A dressing of well rotted manure at the rate o f six to eight tons per acre may be thoroughly disked in during February or March after the ground has been plowed. Fresh manure should be avoided un less free of weed seed. Tested, dodder-free seed, prefer- •ably Dakota-grown, such as the Mar tin’s Acclimated (Disco 38) or the Baltic, which may be secured o f the Dakota Improved Seed Company, Mitchell, South Dakota, is recom mended. The common variety o f al falfa, northern grown seed, such as the strains named, is superior to any other variety for Oregon conditions. The seed should be inoculated be fore sowing, with alfalfa culture,“ which may be obtained of the O. A. C. department of Bacteriology. The seeding should be at the rate L,eft, unirrigated; right, irrigated. of 15 to 18 pounds per acre of good seed, broadcasted with a chest seeder or wheelbarrow seeder or the like, and then lightly but thoroughly har rowed in, pains being taken not to cover it more than an inch and a half. No nurse crop of any kind need be used and no live stock should be al lowed to pasture on the alfalfa the first year. Folowing seeding the ground is rolled and then lightly harrowed again the rolling particularly necessary if the soil is loose and over dry. The alfalfa the first year should be clipped as frequently as necessary to keep down the weeds, the cutter bar being set 4 to 5 inches from the ground, and the clippings, if not too heavy, being left on the ground. In the spring of the second year the ground should be thoroughly culti vated with a disk harrow set straight and run crosswise, followed by the peg tooth harrow. If the soil lacks fertility, a top dressing of well rotted manure ought to be given during Feb ruary or March. Fresh manure will not do, on account of danger of weeds. It should be remembered that the second year is generally the most dif ficult one for alfalfa in Western Ore gon, as the tap roots are then fight ing their way through the heavy sub soil. Hence, the best of care should be given that year and the crop not plowed up even if it does look weak and a failure. SEEDING POINTERS FOR THIS FALL Unusual Conditions li e q u i r e Special Seed and Cultural Methods LATE RAINS THE CAUSE Fall Sown Grain Stools bub Little After October 15, Requiring More and Better Grain. they were to lay off altogether for the remainder o f the term their posi tion would still be secure. The Octo ber 1 report shows that they are 245 eggs ahead of the nearest com petitor, not counting the other O. A. C. pens— a lead that cannot now be overcome. The three Oregon College pens con tinue their lead, Leghorns first, Ore- gons second and Barred Rocks third. The Oregons are 52 ahead and the Rocks 16 ahead of the closest pen, Adams’ Sanada White Wyandottes. The College Rocks suffered an acci dent last month when one of them was accidentally killed, that may af fect their lead. The ten highest pen . records for the first 1« months of the contest are as follows: Eggs Oregon Agricultural College White Leghorns ................ 1554 Oregon Agricultural College Oregona .................................... 1361 Oregon Agricultural College Barred Plymouth Rocks ....... 1325 Adams, Canada, White Yyan- dottes .................. 1309 Bonnie Brook Farm, N. Y., White Leghorns ............ 1212 Dean Bros., B. C., White Wyan dottes ...................................... 1205 McCord, Calif., Rhode Island Deds ............................... 1197 Tom Barron, England, White Leghorns ................................. 1184 Shupe, Washington, Leghorns.. 1150 Sherman, Lebanon, Ore., Plym outh Rocks ....................... 1149 Owing to the lateness of the fall rains and the consequent delay in getting grain, vetches, etc. Heeded, it will be necessary to take rather un usual precautions in order to get a sufficient stand of crop to produce a good yield next year. First, the seed should be very care fully graded and fanned in a good fanning mill and grain grader in or der to eliminate all small, shriveled, weak and damaged seed as nothing but the large seed will germinate well at this late season after the soil has cooled off. All the wheat, oats and barley seed should be treated for smut in order to eliminate any difficulty with that disease. The treatment should be made now so that seeding will not be delayed at all when favor able weather comes. Since the seeding is now about one These are the highest gens for the month late, it will be necessary to month of September: use more than the normal amount of .... Eggs seed per acre. Late-seeded grain nev McCord, Calif., Rhode Island er stools out or branches out as much Reds ......................................... 124 as early-seeded grain. The ordinary Oregon Agricultural College rates of seeding which are good from White Leghorns ................... 120 September 15 to October 15 are as Haynes, Idaho, White Wyan follows for average grain under good dottes ...... I ll average western Oregon conditions: Adams, Canada, White Wyan- Winter wheat—6 to 7 pecks. dotthes ...................... 109 Winter barley—7 to 8 pecks. Dean Bros., B. C., White Wyan Winter oats—8 pecks. dottes ........................................... 99 Winter rye—5 pecks. Oregon Agricultural College Vetch and oats (mixed half and Barred Plymouth Rocks ........... 98 half by volume)—2 to 2% Shupe, Washington, White Leg bushels. horns .................................... Vetch alone— 60 to 80 pounds. Tarbox, 111., Silver Wyandottes 94 After October 15 when these plants Robinson, Calif., Barred Plym do not stool out or branch out freely, outh Rocks ................................... 90 considerably larger quantities o f seed Oregon Agricultural College must be used if a good stand is to be Oregons ........................ secured. The plantings should then The ten highest individual hen rec be as follows: ords, seven being O. A. C., for the Winter wheat— 8 pecks. period to Oct. 1 are: Winter barley—8 to 9 pecks. Eggs Winter oats— 10 pecks. Sherman, Lebanon, Oregon, Winter rye— 7 to 8 pecks. Oregon Agricultural College Vetch and oats (mixed half and Barred Plymouth Rocks ..... 195 half by volume)— 2% to 3 Oregon Agricultural College bushels. White Leghorns .... 193 Vetch alone—80 to 100 pounds. Oregon Agricultural College In this way, by getting more seed White Leghorns ................... 189 per acre and more plants per acre, Oregon Agricultural College there will still be a sufficient stand to Oregons ........................!......... 187 make a good crop though the plants Tom Barron, England, White do not stool out as much. Leghorns ................................. 178 In addition to having nothing but Oregon Agricultural College good, heavy, clean seed, treated and White Leghorns .......... 175 free from smut and using a sufficient Oregon Agricultural College quantity o f it to guarantee a stand, Oregons ................ 164 the depth o f seeding should be shal White Leghorns ..................... 164 low. After the rains begin and the Dollenbacher, Wash., Black Mi soil cools off considerably, germina norca ..... 163 tion takes place much more slowly at Oregon Agricultural College two to three inches deep in the soil Barred Plymouth Rock ......... 161 than it does at one inch. Many plants will not germinate at all three inches SECOND RE G IM E N T FORM ED deep in the soil but will give an ex cellent germination when planted near the surface. Therefore, all o f the Owing to the fact that more cadets seeding of the various plants men at the O. A. C. are reporting for mili tioned above should be made shallow, tary drill this year than ever before, preferably not deeper than an inch. a second regiment has been formed In this way, better germination and with one battalion of four companies, stronger plants and a better stand Godfrey R. Hoerner, of Seattle, has may be secured. These latter rates been placed in command, with the title of seeding are not applicable to the of Lieutenant-Colonel. ordinary year but are necessary in this excentional year when th e'fall TO T E ST C O W S N E X T MONTH rainfall is so light.—G. R. Hyslop, soils and crop specialist at O. A. C. (Milton Eagle.) Testing of cows by the expert of OREGON H ENS CLINCH the Walla Walla Valley Cow-Testing HOLD ON FIR ST PRIZE association, will be commenced Nov. 1, according to announcement last Oregon Agricultural College, Cor week. Another meeting o f the di vallis, Oct. 25.—With but six weeks rectors will be held October 23 at the of the Panama-Pacific Exposition egg- Commercial Club, Walla Walla, to se laying contest to be run. the O. A. C. lect the expert who will do the work. White Leghorns have firmly establish One or two more herds could be ac ed themselves in first nlace. Even if commodated in the association. 96 87