56 



THE MONTHLY BULLETIN. 



fornia, and later, 1854, was introduced from Chili into northern Cali- 

 fornia. Here it developed that it was incomparable as a forage plant. 

 California's success has caught the ear of the whole country, until 

 now every state and nearly every agricultural county in the United 

 States has given glad welcome to this "king" of forage crops. While 

 it reaches its best only under irrigation, yet almost everywhere it is 

 proving to be the leading forage crop. The hardy drought and cold- 

 resisting Turkestan alfalfa comes direct from northern Asia, introduced 

 by our U. S. Department of Agriculture. It not only resists drought 

 and heat, but it is also well suited to endure the cold of the more 

 northern of the states of our country. 



CLASSIFICATION. 



As already stated, alfalfa is a legume, and so related to clovers, beans, 

 peas, vetches and many other native and exotic plants. The legumes are 



Fig. 9. — Alfalfa stem attacked by dodder. 

 This parasite of the alfalfa is a true 

 flowering plant and often causes much 

 injury to the growing crop on account of 

 its peculiar choking habits. (U. S. Dept. 

 Agriculture. ) 



unique in that thev are able to utilize the free nitrogen of the air in the 

 nutrition and growth of the higher plants. This is done through 

 symbiosus with bacteria and is indicated by root nodules. See Fig. 10. 

 The flowers of our common forms are irregular, papilionaceous, but- 



