NEW MEXICO
Thomas J. Clark, Grant county.—I have had 15 years’ experience with alfalfa on first and second bottom land with gravel soil, dry to within four feet of water, which is reached at a depth of 15 feet. I irrigate from the Gila river, and my alfalfa, which is 14 years old, is as good to-day as at any time since it was sown. The seed is sown as turnip seed is. I plow the land thoroughly, harrow it over smoothly, then sow the seed in March, and harrow lightly once. Then the water is turned on, and the ground will remain moist until the seeds sprout. After the alfalfa is six inches high, I cut it to make it spread and destroy all the large weeds; and there may be two cuttings of hay that same season. Water will not injure the plant unless it stands on it in low places. Stagnant water standing on the plant, or mineral water so near the surface that the roots reach it, will kill the plant, but it is not liable to injury from winter frost. After the first season there are three or four crops, the first being usually chosen for seed and not irrigated. For hay it is cut when in full bloom, and, if the sun is shining, should cure 24 hours if in June, or 20 in July or August, before raking, and then 30 hours in the cock. It must be thoroughly cured before stacking, and then will not mold. The most convenient bales weigh 90 to 100 pounds, and the cost of preparing them is $2 a ton. The total cost of hay in the stack is about $3 a ton, and the average yield about three tons to the acre each year. When the burs turn brown the seed is harvested, and when well cured should be stacked in a dry place. An average yield is 500 to 600 pounds to the acre, and it sells for $4 a bushel. The hay makes excellent feed for farm animals, keeping them in good condition the year around without grain. The alfalfa pasturage is better for swine and cattle than clover, and yields more largely; sheep may be kept on it to advantage also. A good acre will keep five grown hogs in excellent condition, but will not make them fat. If they are taken up in October and fed about 40 days on grain, they will be marketable. Cattle on the pasture sometimes bloat, but I have had 100 head of cows and calves on mine for two months, and have had no trouble. The irrigated alfalfa is better than that grown on land that requires no water. The straw is about equal to oat straw, but not half so good as the alfalfa hay. To rid land of the plant requires a strong team and a sharp 10-inch plow. The roots rot at once after plowing, and the land is well fertilized for other crops. In my opinion, alfalfa is the best forage plant known in this western country. It is most easily raised, produces the largest yield, commands the best price, and can be planted at any time from March to September. Land seeded to it is the most valuable, and the farmer who has plenty of it is the most prosperous. Farming here cannot be a success without it, and I take pleasure in recommending it to my brother farmers. It will lie dormant all summer if it is dry, and with fall rains revive and make good pasture. It is the earliest plant up in the spring, and the last to stay green in the fall. In other words, it is the best of all.
Hartman & Weil, San Miguel county.—We have been dealers in alfalfa hay for eight years, and have some small fields of our own. This is on both bottom and upland. In the bottom, the subsoil is sand and bowlders; on the upland, stiff bluish clay, and in some places blue limestone. Well water is reached on the bottom land at a depth of 8 to 10 feet, through soil moist all the way; on the upland, it is necessary to dig 60 to 100 feet, and, beginning two or four feet from the surface, the ground is dry. When seed is planted in the spring, the soil should be well pulverized, moist, and warm, that the seed may germinate quickly. It should not be put in deeper than 11⁄2 inches, and may be planted in May or June, or any time in the spring after the soil becomes warm. In our climate, it is best to sow about 30 pounds of good seed to the acre, besides just enough oats to shade the ground and protect the young alfalfa from the hot sun. Once well started, it will kill out all weeds, and does not winterkill here. We irrigate from streams. Alfalfa should not be irrigated when quite young, for, if the small plant is covered with soil, when watered, it will not come up again, but, after it gets a good start, it is not easily killed. There should be about two irrigations to each crop harvested, or ordinarily, six in a season. The heavier the stand the more water is needed. We have three cuttings, yielding about 3,000 pounds of cured hay per acre per cutting. When the plant is fairly well in bloom, it is cut, and is best when cured under large sheds or in the shade. If left until dry where cut, the foliage will fall off and pulverize. It is best to stack in narrow ricks, as it is liable to heat if put in large stacks, and it should be salted liberally when stacked. The last cutting is preferred for seed, which is mowed when most of the pods are well matured; in this case only two crops should be cut during the year. The straw makes good feed for stock in winter, having about half the value of the hay. Each irrigation costs about 50 cents per acre, and the total cost of hay in the stack is about $3.50 per ton. Baling costs $1.25 per ton, with 50 cents additional for wire. The common yield of seed is 6 to 10 bushels from the acre. “Reeves” clover huller will thresh about 12 bushels per hour. The price of hay, baled, in New Mexico has averaged about $8 per ton for the past eight years and seed for the same time about $5 per bushel. Our experience indicates that alfalfa hay is a more nutritious food for farm animals than either clover or timothy. We have found nothing better to feed cattle for market; it makes good, solid beef, and they take on fat very fast. The pasturage is excellent for swine, horses, and cattle. If overfed, animals will sometimes bloat on rank alfalfa, especially if unaccustomed to it. About the third year from seeding, the plant has acquired its best yield. It is difficult to rid land of it, as plowing under is sometimes beneficial, making it come up thicker than before. Success with it on high prairies depends upon the precipitation during the growing season. We think four inches of rainfall during the time of its growth would make a fair crop of hay; or 8 to 12 inches from May to September, for two or three cuttings.