DAIRY MEETING. 187 



alfalfa seed adapted to growing in Maine to send me five 

 pounds. They sent it, and I cultivated this land the best I 

 knew how, so that it was a good seed bed. I sowed the seed 

 the last of May and watched it with interest. It came up all 

 right and looked very well the first year. I w^as very much 

 encouraged. That winter was unfavorable. You farmers 

 know that we have winters once in a while that will kill out 

 the clover plant. When the snow went ofif in the spring I 

 was able to find only five alfalfa plants alive. I gave it up 

 then and concluded that alfalfa under present conditions could 

 not be raised in Maine. 



I do hope and have faith to believe that the men who study 

 these things will develop a plant hardy enough to grow m 

 Maine. It has been grown in Asia ever since we have any 

 history, and has been grown in some portions of Europe over 

 two thousand years. It was brought to this country during the 

 Spanish Conquest, and was introduced into the United States 

 in 1854, brought from South America to California. It spread 

 over that region and is now extensively cultivated in regions 

 where irrigation is practiced. It has almost revolutionized the 

 agricultural industry in Kansas and has made the farmers inde- 

 pendent. 



Ques. Did you sow the five pounds? 



Ans. I only sowed three-quarters of an acre. 



Q. Did you test the seed? 



A. It came up all right ; there is no question about that, out 

 it did not live through the first winter. 



Q. How high did it grow? 



A. It got a good growth ; it was high enough to get a good 

 growth the first year. 



Q. What did you do with the five plants that survived? 



A. I plowed the piece up and planted it to corn with some 

 other land. 



Q. Don't you think that was a mistake? 



A. I think so now. 



Q. You spoke of the winter being unfavorable, what were 

 the conditions? • 



A. Not much snow, and a good deal of freezing and thaw- 

 ing in the spring; and the ground not well covered with snow. 



Mr. Fred J. Rose, Bath. — When we came to our place we 



