53 



146 B. C.^ (some say 470 15. C- ) it was well known to the 

 Romans under the name "Herba IMeclica," which refers to its 

 Persian or rather its Median origin, but does not explaiii whether 

 it was brought by the Romans directly from Asia. The Romans 

 rightly prized it as a forage crop and introduced it wherever they 

 went. There is still a little uncertainty as to whether or not it 

 is indigenous to northern Africa, and was carried eastward along 

 the ancient carravan routes. However, it was undoubtedly culti- 

 vated there nearly or cpite as early as in Italy and was one of 

 the favorite plants of the Sahara oases, having been grown from 

 time immemorial. 



The Moorish invasion of northwestern Africa and Spain car- 

 ried the plant and name into Spain — hence the Spanish name 

 "alfalfa" or "alfacfacah""-', meaninii' "the best kind of fodder." 

 (x-\nother theory is that the name al-falfa"* was derived from the 

 Spanish al and the Arabic "fazfazah" which means "a certain 

 plant u.sed for fodder." ) 



During the Middle Ages it was popularly known throughout 

 France, Belgium. Germany and England as "lucerne" (luzerne, 

 luserne, lucern ) , a name which was probably derived from a 

 river valley in northern Italy. 



During the exploration and colonization of America, the 

 English and Western European colonists carried the plant and 

 the name lucerne to Eastern North America, while the Spanish 

 explorer Cortes carried it in 1519 under the name alfalfa to 

 Mexico and South America. It did not reach Peru and Chile till 

 somewhat later and was carried as far west as Utali by the Mor- 

 man pioneers in the middle of the nineteenth century. 



It was tried in New England and the North Atlantic States 

 150 years before the Revolution and although Thos. Jefferson 

 (1793) and others spoke highly of lucerne, it did not prosper 

 because of the general lack of lime and the proper bacterial 

 organisms in the soil and also because the people were not fami- 

 liar with the peculiarities of the plant. On the other hand, it was 

 well adapted to certain parts of Central and South America and 

 the name alfalfa spread rapidly throughout those countries, and 

 was carried northward by the Spanish settlers along' the Pacific 

 Coast to Southern California. After the discovery of gold in that 

 state, it was introduced from Chile in 1853 or 1854 and again 

 in 1873 to the San Joaquin X^alley, where it has become the 

 most important forage crop of the region. 



The wonderful success of alfalfa in California caused a "re- 

 vival of learning" in agriculture and in spite of the determined 

 declarations of the eastern farmers that "alfalfa was all right for 

 the west, but was of no use and could not grow well in the east," 



U. S. D. A., B. p. I. Bui. 131. 



U. S. D. A., B. P. I. Bui. 150. 

 ' U. S. D. A., Bureau of Plant Industry, Bui. 131. 

 ' '"Forage and Fiber Crops in America" — Hunt. 



