VARIETIES OF ALFALFA. 81 



alfalfa that has grown for some generations in hot 

 Arizona becomes by elimination a type adapted to 

 hot climates, and alfalfa grown for several genera- 

 tions in Montana or North Dakota becomes also by 

 elimination, and perhaps to some extent by muta- 

 tion, a strain able to endure extreme cold. 



The practical lesson to be drawn from this vari- 

 ability of alfalfa is that it is best to choose seed com- 

 ing from a region in about the same latitude as one's 

 own farm. Alfalfa from Arizona is not hardy in 

 Nebraska. Alfalfa from Montana would doubtless 

 do poorly in Arizona. Alfalfa from California has 

 not always proved hardy in the East. Alfalfa from 

 France and Germany usually succeeds in the east- 

 ern States of America. When it fails it may be that 

 the seed came from Algeria, up through France, 

 and thus was in nature similar to the Arizona strain. 



Commenting on varieties J. M. Westgate, ag- 

 rostologist in charge of alfalfa investigation for the 

 United States Department of Agriculture, says: 



Under most conditions, especially in the alfalfa districts, or- 

 dinary alfalfa, whether from American or European grown seed, 

 gives quite as satisfactory results as any of the special varie- 

 ties. In certain sections of the country, however, special varie- 

 ties of alfalfa have been found to be more valuable than the ordi- 

 nary forms. Of these the Turkestan, Arabian, and Peruvian 

 varieties have been introduced through the Office of Foreign, 

 Seed and Plant Introduction of the United States Department of 

 Agriculture. 



Turkestan alfalfa was introduced into the United States m 

 1898, and has since been tried in all parts of the country. It 

 has been found to be superior to the ordinary alfalfa in only lim- 

 ited sections. It is decidedly inferior in the humid sections east of 

 the Mississippi River, but has given somewhat better results 

 than the ordinary alfalfa in the semi-arid portions of the Great 

 Plains and in the Columbia Basin. In addition to its drought 



