91 



Whether this plant is suitable for feeding stock or not there is no 

 doubt it is an excellent plant for building up worn-out soils, and for this 

 purpose, if for no other, it may be recommended to the farmers of the 

 South for restoring fertility to lands of a calcareous nature. It has a dense 

 foliage; it grows rapidly; its roots are abundant; it has the capacity like 

 clover of gathering nitrogen from the atmospnere; it is more hardy than 

 clover and it is much easier to secure a stand upon run-down soils. It 

 therefore supplies a want for some localities where the land needs humus 

 and an increased supply of nitrogen. 



If the statement that stock soon learn to love it is true, it makes it 

 still more valuable to the farmer, for the immense amount of dry forage 

 which can be made from it when grown upon soils even of moderate fer- 

 tility, is almost incredible. 



ALFALFA OR LVC'ER'S—{Medica^o saliva.)— [Hay.) 



Alfalfa, or lucern, stands unrivalled among all the forage plants for 

 its abundant yield, its longevity, its hardiness when once established, its 

 extended habitat and its great antiquity. From the vast highlands of 

 Western Asia it v/as introduced into Greece at the time of the Persian 

 War, 470 years B. C. It was cultivated extensively by the Romans, was 

 carried into France probably when Caesar invaded Gaul, and then into 

 Spain. From Spain it came to Mexico and then to South America, and 

 from South America to California. It was introduced into New York 

 before it was brought to 

 California. 



Alfalfa is now cultivated 

 to some extent in every 

 State and Territory in the ^ \/ 

 Union, and in every State ^^\^^ 

 and Territory it has met ■'/K-' 



with more or less suc- 

 cess. Wherever it has been 

 well established it has re- 

 ceived great favor. It is a 

 child of the sun and revels 

 in heat that would destroy 

 any other species of clover. 

 Its nutritive elements are 

 almost identical with those 

 of red clover. It has one 

 advantage, however, of red 

 clover, in that it is a peren- 

 nial plant. It does not at all 

 resemble clover in its ap- 

 pearance. The purple pea- 

 like flowers are in long, 

 loose clusters or racemes, 

 and are scattered over the 

 entire plant. 



Alfalfa -Medicago saliva . (U.S. Dept. of Agric. ) 



