210 Sino-Iranica 



acted as mediators between the far east and the Mediterranean. How- 

 ever, the case of alfalfa presents a different problem. The Chinese, who 

 cultivate alfalfa to a great extent, do not claim it as an element of 

 their agriculture, but have a circumstantial tradition as to when and 

 how it was received by them from Iranian quarters in the second 

 century B.C. As any antiquity for this plant is lacking in India or any 

 other Asiatic country, the verdict as to the centre of its primeval culti- 

 vation is decidedly in favor of Iran. The contribution which the Chinese 

 have to make to the history of Medicago is of fundamental importance 

 and sheds new light on the whole subject: in fact, the history of no 

 cultivated plant is so well authenticated and so solidly founded. 



In the inscription of Persepolis, King Darius says, "This land Persia 

 which Auramazda has bestowed on me, being beautiful, populous, and 

 abundant in horses — according to the will of Auramazda and my own, 

 King Darius — it does not tremble before any enemy." I have alluded 

 in the introduction to the results of General Can K'ien's memorable 

 expedition to Central Asia. The desire to possess the fine Iranian 

 thoroughbreds, more massively built than the small Mongolian horse, 

 and distinguished by their noble proportions and slenderness of feet 

 as well as by the development of chest, neck, and croup, was one of 

 the strongest motives for the Emperor Wu (140-87 B.C.) to maintain 

 regular missions to Iranian countries, which led to a regular caravan 

 trade with Fergana and Parthia. Even more than ten such missions 

 were dispatched in the course of a year, the minimum being five or six. 

 At first, this superior breed of horse was obtained from the Wu-sun, 

 but then it was found by Can K'ien that the breed of Fergana was far 

 superior. These horses were called "blood-sweating" (han-hue ff jfiL), 1 

 and were believed to be the offspring of a heavenly horse {Vien ma 

 % fi$). The favorite fodder of this noble breed consisted in Medicago 

 sativa; and it was a sound conclusion of General Can K'ien, who was a 

 practical man and possessed of good judgment in economic matters, 

 that, if these much-coveted horses were to continue to thrive on Chinese 

 soil, their staple food had to go along with them. Thus he obtained 

 the seeds of alfalfa in Fergana, 2 and presented them in 126 B.C. to his 

 imperial master, who had wide tracts of land near his palaces covered 



1 This name doubtless represents the echo of some Iranian mythical concept, 

 but I have not yet succeeded in tracing it in Iranian mythology. 



2 In Fergana as well as in the remainder of Russian Turkistan Medicago sativa 

 is still propagated on an immense scale, and represents the only forage-plant of that 

 country, without which any economy would be impossible, for pasture-land and hay 

 are lacking. Alfalfa yields four or five harvests there a year, and is used for the feed- 

 ing of cattle either in the fresh or dry state. In the mountains it is cultivated up to 

 an elevation of five thousand feet; wild or as an escape from cultivation it reaches 



