Alfalfa in New York. 



By F. E. Dawlet, Fayetteville, N. Y. 



During the past two years more than a passing interest has been 

 found in alfalfa, at Institutes in parts of New York State where it 

 is unknown. Many questions have been asked, and instructors 

 who have seen the crop growing in the West or at the State Ex- 

 periment Station, and on my farm at Fayetteville, have been able 

 to give facts from what they have seen as well as from bulletins 

 from the experiment Stations. 



I have received many letters regarding the plant, asking where 

 seed could be obtained, its feeding value, &c, &c. Many people 

 have an idea that it is a poor food. A fanner at Mohawk 

 writes : " Why do you continue to boom alf alf a ? You seem 

 sound on many questions, and are doing so much good with the 

 Institutes since you have made them more practical than before, 

 that you and the State behind you will do great damage to the 

 farmers if you persist in pushing this miserable weed forward. It 

 is as hard as sweet clover to eradicate, and no better for cattle 

 food. See what a Western (Colorado) paper says about it in 

 the inclosed clipping. It may do where nothing but salt bush will 

 grow, and where the cattle must eat it or die." 



Here is the clipping: 



" Do not think, by the way, that alfalfa is an arid plant, grow- 

 ing out on the plains without water or culture. It is sown as 

 clover is sown, irrigated as wheat is irrigated and harvested like 

 any other hay, so that its production and use for dairy and stock- 

 feeding purposes are strictly farm operations. 



" Stock feeding is in its infancy, but the past is suggestive of 

 great possibilities for the future. The same is true of dairying. 

 We do not yet produce more than half the butter we consume." 



I infer that my friend in Mohawk has tried alfalfa, and feels that 

 he has failed with it. I presume he sowed too little seed, or sowed 

 it with some other crop and the seeding was too thin on the ground. 

 (I've been through this and am judging his experience by his re- 

 sults). This gave him a strong rank growth of coarse hard stalked 

 alfalfa which was not palatable for the animals and of course they 

 did not eat it well. Only a few years ago, I purchased just such 



389 



