EXPERIMENT STATION BULLETINS. 273 



ALFALFA GROWING IN MICHIGAN. 



BuUetin No. 271. 



The growing of alfalfa in Michigan was being discussed as early as 

 1888 and a number of seedings were doubtless made at that time. Dur- 

 ing the middle '9()s more interest seems to have been taken in this crop 

 and experimental seedings were more generally made. From that time 

 to within the last few years alfalfa has been slowly but steadily gaining 

 ground throughout the state. While most of the earlier seedings proved 

 unsuccessful, there are several fields in the state which have been seeded 

 to alfalfa continuously for a period of twelve or fifteen years or more 

 and which are still fairly good stands and are producing satisfactory 

 crops each year. 



Many factors were responsible for these early failures; the alfalfa 

 was frequently seeded on low, poorly drained land; the seed bed was 

 quickly and poorly prepared in many cases; no means were taken to 

 secure inoculation by the alfalfa bacteria and in practically none of 

 the trials was lime applied to the soil. In some instances the alfalfa 

 made a good stand and produced profitable crops for one or two seasons 

 and then was winter killed. 



Because the seeding of alfalfa was so generally a failure, in its early 

 history in Michigan, it was not highly esteemed among the farmers 

 of the state and for years it was questioned even by the Experiment 

 Station whether it would ever prove to be a profitable crop and suited 

 to general planting. During the past five or six years, however, attempts 

 to grow alfalfa have been more generally successful. The number of 

 trials and the acreage seeded have increased until now alfalfa is be- 

 coming quite a common crop throughout the better agricultural sections 

 of the state and many farmers, believing that it has passed the ex- 

 perimental stage, are seeding large fields. 



While the College could give little encouragement in the growing of 

 alfalfa when the earlier attempts were made to grow it here, it has done 

 much during the past several years to encourage its introduction as a 

 general hay and forage crop throughout the state. The College has 

 advised thousands of farmers in seeding alfalfa both through its cor- 

 respondence and through its institute work, and during the past three 

 seasons it has undertaken a practical method of assisting the farmers 

 by sending an expert from the College to advise the farmer on his own 

 farm, in case an alfalfa club of ten or more members is organized. 



The College is also doing extensive work in the breeding of new 

 types of alfalfa which are productive of hay and seed and otherwise well 

 suited to Michigan conditions. This work has progressed far enough so 

 that it has been possible to distribute a small quantity of seed of several 

 improved strains which were developed originally from individual 

 plants. 



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