4 The Bulletin, 



to us from Spain, directly or indirectly, it is known as alfalfa ; while 

 if brought from other countries of Europe (and it is in isolated 

 instances here and there), it is generally called Lucerne, from a 

 valley in Switzerland by the same name, in which it grows well and 

 in large quantities. 



HABIT OF GKOWTH. 



Alfalfa or Lucerne (medicago sativa) is a perennial belonging to 

 the clover family of plants. It grows generally with slender branch- 

 ing stems which are stiffer, taller and more woody in character than 

 those of any of the clovers ; especially is this so after the plants have 

 reached the blooming stage. The leaves are pinnate in form with 

 three-toothed leaflets each about an inch in length and ovate-oblong 

 in shape, and much resembling those of sweet clover. The flowers 

 are purple in color and grow in clusters, known by botanists as ra- 

 cemes. 



The seed, borne seven to nine in pods coiled spirally as shown in 

 Fig. 1, are a trifle larger, longer and more kidney-shaped than those of 

 red clover, but in other respects are very similar. 



The root system is large and deeply penetrating. As a rule, one 

 main tap-root is sent deep into the ground, and as this penetrates the 

 soil it throws out a few lateral roots and frequently divides a number 

 of times ; but the general tendency of the whole root system is down- 

 wards, as shown in Eig. 4, going frequently to the depth of twenty 

 or thirty feet, and instances are on record where they have been 

 traced to a depth of fifty or sixty feet. Its roots will not go far, 

 however, into soils possessing barren clay subsoils or into soils that 

 are saturated wath water or that are subject to overflow frequently. 

 In fact, there is nothing that will kill out alfalfa quicker than an 

 excessive amount of moisture. As the plant advances in age and the 

 crown increases in size, new roots are sent into the soil from the sur- 

 face in search of moisture and plant-food. 



The great superiority of this legume over others of the same 

 family is the great depth to which it feeds when once established, as 

 well as its long life and the small expense required to keep it up after 

 once a stand has been secured and maintained for one year. 



On page 8 (Fig. 2) is reproduced a portion of the stem of an 

 alfalfa plant showing leaves and flowers and their arrangement on the 

 stem. 



INOCULATION. 



All leguminous plants, such as alfalfa, cowpeas, clovers, vetches, 

 beans, etc., are endowed, under certain conditions, with the power 

 of obtaining the nitrogen required for their growth largely from the 

 illimitable supply of the atmosphere; while corn, cotton, wheat, and 

 othiBr plants not belonging to the above group are entirely devoid of 

 this power, and are dependent upon the store of this constituent 



