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?