660 



IOWA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



Fig-. G. — A comparison of tlie 

 young- clover plants. 



•oot growth of the j'oung- alfalfa and 



appropriate for its own grov^^th, the large supply of phosphorus and potas- 

 sium found in the suh-soils. These elements are beyond the reach of the 

 other farm crops in the rotation, but the long alfalfa roots gather them 

 and later on much of this potassium and phosphorus become available to 

 other crops through the manure made from feeding the alfalfa hay. More- 

 over, as these deep penetrating roots decay, they open channels which 

 will be followed by the roots of subsequent crops which otherwise would 

 never tap these lower regions of the sub-soil. The great amount of 

 organic matter left when the alfalfa is plowed, leaves the soil in the very 

 best physical condition for the following crops, thereby increasing their 

 yields, 



HISTORY OF ALFALFA GROWING 



Alfalfa dates back many years before the Christian era. It probably 

 had its origin in the valleys of Media, located in western Asia. Grad- 

 ually spreading westward, it had reached Persia by 500 B. C. and Greece 

 by 470 B. C. It was used very largely as a forage crop for army horses, 

 and its wide distribution was probably due to the Graeco-Persian wars. 

 From Greece alfalfa gradually spread to Italy, then to Spain, France, 

 Germany and England. 



The Arabs called this great forage plant "alsacfatsh," which means 

 "best kind of fodder." Later the Spanish name "alfalfa" came into more 

 general use, though in many parts of Europe the plant is called "lucerne," 

 supposedly after a river valley in northern Italy, 



In the United States alfalfa's history is rather brief. Lucerne was 

 introduced into New York about 1620 where it made but a partial sue- 



