The Realm of Alfalfa. 325 



admirably adapted for the growing of alfalfa, though the life of the 

 plant will vary with the depth of the surface soil, and more especi- 

 ally with the composition of the subsoil. In the province of Cordoba, 

 where 1,111,500 acres of alfalfa are cultivated, two conditions dia- 

 metrically at variance are observable. In the eastern part, as 

 throughout the entire Central Pampa, the surface soil maintains an 

 average depth of two to three feet, composed of heavy, black, alluvial 

 loam, with a little admixture of fine sand, underlaid by a stratum 

 of plastic yellow or blue clay of immense thickness : this formation 

 is very favourable to wheat and maize, but limits the life of alfalfa 

 to such time as is necessary for the tap-root to penetrate a few inches 

 into the clay, when the plant loses its vigour and gradually dies 

 back. In the neighbourhood of Villa Mercedes, and the whole 

 south-western section of the province, the surface soil consists of an 

 extremely sandy, alluvial loam, varying in depth from six inches to 

 two feet, and, if judged by the appearance of the aboriginal grasses, 

 which are sour and sparse, presents no attractions to the agriculturist. 

 Nevertheless, it is in these lands so uninviting to the eye that the 

 alfalfa plant has found a habitat. The illustration does not, how- 

 ever, end with this particular district. Further west the broad tract 

 of country which intervenes between the meridian passing through 

 the City of Cordoba and the Andes is principally composed of similar 

 lands, in much of which, notwithstanding the arid nature of the 

 climate, alfalfa is cultivated without irrigation, the province of 

 Mendoza accounting for 259,715 acres ; San Juan for 286,520 acres; 

 San Luis for 98,000 acres; and the territory of Pampa for 232,100 

 acres. As I am not an expert in the science of geology, the explana- 

 tion I am able to give of this seeming anomaly, though accurate 

 enough as to detail, will probably fall short of what an audience such 

 as I have the privilege to address will expect. 



Immediately below the surface soil, from which it differs 

 little in composition, a stratum of saturated sand of an average 

 depth of sixty-five feet is encountered followed by a hard seam five 

 to ten inches thick of a calcareous deposit ; underlying this seam 

 another stratum of super-saturated sand and gravel of greater depth 

 is met with. As 3 rule, a plentiful supply of water for stock 

 purposes is obtained by sinking a pit six to nine feet, and a bore 

 hole into the lower stratum secures a semi-artesian well. The 

 abundance of moisture, due to the proximity of the ground water 

 level, promotes a rapid and healthy development of the alfalfa plant 

 in its younger stages, and the profound depth of the water-carrying 

 subsoils ensures an unknown length to the period of its existence ; 

 many " alfalfares," known to have been planted more than seventy 

 years ago, still rank among the most prolific in the province. I will 

 make only one other remark on the long life of these pasturages. 

 Some experts on the culture of alfalfa, it seems to me, attach an 

 exaggerated importance to the extreme depth to which the roots will 

 penetrate in a loose, well-watered subsoil. The preservation of an 

 even and bounteous stand of alfalfa depends far more on the condi- 

 tions obtaining within a reasonable distance of the surface ; for when 



