56 



oblong toothed leaflets, one-sixth to one- fourth of an inch in 

 width. When the plant has reached maturity the leaves turn }el- 

 low, wilt, and (hop off. This suggests the importance of har- 

 vesting the crop when in its prime, since the loss of a part of the 

 leaves may represent the most valuable part of the fodder. 



Inflorescence. Six to twelve, purple to violet colored flowers 

 are borne in a short compact raceme, forming a headlike cluster 

 at the tip of the branch, each individual flower being borne on a 

 short, slender pedicel. The flowers are generally insect polli- 

 nated, but they may be self -pollinated. The many seeded pods 

 are small, slightly hairy, and spirally coiled in two or three turns. 



Seed. The light olive green to reddish brown colored seeds 

 are nearly oval to distinctly kidney shaped and bear distinct but 

 not prominent radicles which are about one-half the length of 

 the seed. 



There are from 200,000 to 240.000 or more seeds per jiound 

 and sixty pounds per bushel. 



The seeds germinate in from 3 to 5 days (sometimes 10 days), 

 and the standard of germination is 90 per cent. While seed two 

 or three years old is considered as good as fresh, prime seed has 

 lost only 2.5 per cent, in 10 years. According to the U. S. 1). 

 Agriculture^*' ordinary alfalfa seed generally tests as follows: 



1st vear 93% genuinaticMi 



2nd' vear 84% 



3rd year 79% 



.Idiiltcrations. I before jjlanting the seed, even though its ger- 

 mination be very high, one should test it for purity, for alfalfa 

 seed is sometimes adulterated w ith cheap clover seeds ; the seeds 

 of the worst weeds ever known to the alfalfa grower are also 

 introduced in this way. .\ little jM-ecaution at the proper time 

 may save a great deal of trouble and may even be the means of 

 .success instead of failure. 



The weed seeds most liable to occur with those of rdfalfa are 

 the dodder (large and small), yellow trefoil, bur clover, black 

 medic, curled dock, lambs' (piarters, si^reading amaranth, green 

 foxtail, witch grass, sweet clover, wild nnistard. and Russian 

 thistle, the worst and most serious of which is the dodder. 



1'his ])lant is i)arasitic and attaches itself to the alfalfa b\ nuans 

 of suckers and twines arountl the ])lant lill it "chok(.'s it."" The 

 best way to destroy a stand of do Ider is to plow ihr inle.sti'd 

 field before the dodder conus in to seed and plain xinie other 

 crop for two or more years. 



Varieties. Like all other croi)s. tlure are a large number of 

 varieties and strains of alfalfa now recognized an<l beinu' cul- 

 tivated with varied success according to the geograi)hical and 

 climatic conditions. 



'" l';irnicrs" niillftin 10' 



