FIELD CROPS. 431 



Alfalfa has ])cen successfully o-rowu at the station which is located 

 at an altitude of more than (5,000 ft. Directions arc given for the 

 preparation of the land, time and method of seeding it at this altitude, 

 cutting, and curing. Seeding without a nurse crop is advised when 

 difficulty in securing a good stand is met with. In tests at the station 

 an average decreased ^deld of one-half ton per acre followed the seed- 

 ing of alfalfa with oats for each of 3 succeeding years. The average 

 yield of alfalfa on different plats for from 2 to 5 years has varied from 

 4,950 lbs. to 7,161 lbs. per acre. At altitudes below 6,000 ft. the 

 average yield has been: At Lander, from 7,000 to 8,000 lbs. per acre; 

 Sheridan, 10,600 to 16,800 lbs.; Wheatland, 10,380 to 20,402 lbs. At 

 Laramie, Turkestan alfalfa has jnelded at the average rate of Y,625 

 lbs. per acre, as compared with an average yield for 3 years of 6,030 

 lbs. of common alfalfa grown on plats under similar conditions. The 

 Turkestan alfalfa has proven especially hardy at the station, having 

 successfully withstood the severe winter of 1898-99, without apparent 

 winterkilling, when all plats of common alfalfa were more or less 

 injured. The author states that the principal cause of winterkilling 

 of alfalfa seems to be the freezing of water around the crown of the 

 plant. 



Alfalfa was grown oh plats containing different percentages of 

 alkali salts. The following table shows, in a measure, the tolerance of 

 this plant for alkali: 



Tolerance of alfalfa for alkali. 



Sodium 

 chlorid. 



Alfalfa killed: Per cent. Per cent. 



Salts ill first 6 in. of soil 0. 620 0. 029 



Salts in soil from 6 in. to 1 ft. deep . 792 . 053 



Alfalfa thrifty: 



Salts in first 6 in. of soil 034 .000 



Salts in soil from 6 in. to 1 ft. deep 270 .003 



Irrigation after alfalfa is cut and late fall irrigation are advised. A 

 table is given showing the numbei" of times the alfalfa plats at the sta- 

 tion were irrigated, date of irrigation, and the amount of water applied 

 each time. The average amount of water used on alfalfa for the sea- 

 son would cover the ground 2.22 ft. deep. 



Dodder is noted as one of the serious foes of alfalfa in W^^oming. 

 Plowing alfalfa under and cultivating the land for a year or two in corn, 

 potatoes, and the like is reconmiended. The experience of farmers in 

 different sections of Wyoming who have had experience in the growing 

 of alfalfa is noted, some letters being quoted. 



Some of the conclusions of the author relative to alfalfa culture in 

 Wyoming are as follows: 



"Alfalfa succeeds in all parts of Wyoming under 8,000 feet altitude where it can be 

 irrigated, and makes more fodder to the acre tliau any othei- hay plant yet intro- 

 duced. . . . 



