EXPERIMENT STATION BULLETINS 259 



different portions of tlie world there can be no reasonable doubt, but 

 such variations have not, so far as the writer is informed, amounted to 

 well marked varieties. It is said that the Chilean alfalfa, which was 

 introduced into California, and which is now the stock chiefly grown in 

 the United States, is more vigorous and deeper rooted than the alfalfa 

 previously grown in the eastern United States, but I am not aware that 

 a careful comparison has been made. In the spring of 1895 the follow- 

 ing samples of alfalfa seed from different sources were sown side by side 

 upon the station grounds. 



1. Seed grown in France. Plants of about average size and vigor. 



2. Seed grown in Qermany. Decidedly the best row in the series. Row 

 taller, broader, fuller, and more even than any other, and earlier to start 

 in the spring. 



3. Seed groivn in Colorado. Nearly as good as No. 1, and superior to it 

 later in the season — somewhat uneven. A few seeds ripened the first 

 year. 



4. Seed groicn in Armenia. This seed came from the World's Fair at 

 Chicago. The amount was small and it was sown thinly. In general 

 appearance this row stood next to No. 2, starting in spring a little slower 

 and appearing more uneven. In July, however, it stood taller than any 

 other row in the series, and had it been sown as thickly as the others it 

 would, perhaps, have surpassed them all in yield. 



5. Old College seed; source unkfioicn. This gave decidedly the poorest 

 results of any. The seed had been kept in the college seed room for some 

 ten years or more but there was nothing to show where it came from. The 

 seed germinated fairly well in a tester. The plants in the field however 

 were much less vigorous than any of the other samples, and the first year 

 matured a considerable amount of seed. The next year, 1896, this row 

 started more slowly in the spring than any of the others and remained 

 somewhat behind them all summer. None of the samples matured seed 

 this year. 



The above results indicate that the source of the seed is a matter of 

 importance, and they seem to emphasize especially the value of fresh 

 seed. 



The remaining questions asked above have most of them been answered 

 in Bulletin 125 and in a special circular on alfalfa. They may be briefly 

 recapitulated, however, as follows: 



1. Climate. Alfalfa is grown most extensively in warm, dry climates 

 and produces in such a climate its largest yields, especially if subjected to 

 irrigation. It is hardy, however, in any part of Michigan and is injured in 

 winter only on heavy wet soil where, like clover, the roots heave out. 



2. Soil. Any good soil will answer except muck. If the soil is heavy 

 it should be rolling or well drained. 



3. Amount to sow. Twenty pounds of seed to the acre is the amount 

 usually sown. On heavy soils, or if sown with grain, a somewhat greater 

 quantity should be used. 



4. When and how to sow. The best results are obtained by sowing in 

 the spring without a grain crop, though sometimes sowing with grain 



* There is, however, a plant grown in Europe on poor sandy soil called Sand Alfalfa or Sand Luzerne 

 which has sometimes been called a variety of the ordinary Alfalfa and sometimes a distinct species, 

 Medicago media. 



