78 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Oct 



Varieties of Alfalfa. 



To many farmers alfalfa is alfalfa and there is no difference 

 between varieties. Many seedsmen do not know one variety from 

 another. The alfalfa seed business is new and we have not 

 learned how to buy and sell alfalfa seed. There are a number of 

 different kinds of alfalfa and each has its advantage or disadvan- 

 tage for a farmer. There is the so called "common" alfalfa which 

 is a very much mixed alfalfa that has been grown in America for 

 some years. Then there is the Grimm alfalfa which has sur- 

 vived Minnesota climate since 1858. There is the Turkestan 

 alfalfa which gave one or two good winter tests and the seed of 

 which v/as cheap and hence the Turkestan alfalfa was much 

 exploited by seedsmen. There is the Arabian alfalfa with de- 

 cidedly larger seeds and hence many farmers perfer it because of 

 the fine looking seed. But Arabian alfalfa begins to grow at 

 lower temperatures and it grows at a higher temperature. It has 

 given eight to twelve cuttings per year in the Im.perial and Sacra- 

 mento valleys of California. Arabian alfalfa is a hairy, large 

 leafed short lived alfalfa which we know too little about to recom> 

 mend to eastern farmers. Peruvian alfalfa is another hairy, erect 

 alfalfa that has given some very good v\^inter tests. Yellow, 

 sickle and Siberian alfalfas are pasture plants. They have largely 

 decumbent stems and rhizomes which help them to spread in the 

 pasture. 



Tests for Low Temperatures. There have been a number of 

 tests to see which varieties of alfalfa can stand low temperatures 

 but as the moisture content, the length of time dormant, and 

 other things affect the degree of cold which a plant may stand, 

 there is not as much evidence as we might v/ish to enable us to 

 determine which alfalfas are best to stand hard winters. The 

 North Dakota tests are interesting. The temperature fell to 31 

 degrees Fahrenheit below zero. The results in per cent, of plants 

 standing the next spring was as follows : 



% Alive. 



Grimm, a North Dakota strain - . - 97.2 



Grimm, a Minnesota strain - - 93.0 



Turkestan, a South Dakota strain - 90.8 



MongoHan, three strains - - - 65.5 



Canadian, two strains - - - 54.6 



Montana, three strains - - - 34.6 



