274 ALFALFA FARMING IN AMERICA. 



wonderful pasture. Perhaps it does not yield as 

 much forage as does the mixture of brome grass 

 and alfalfa, but it is a close second, and bluegrass 

 is indigenous to a large part of our country. Thus 

 it comes in usually of its own accord because of the 

 seed latent in the soil. 



Of this mixture Robert Giltner, of Henry Co., Ky., 



wrote : 



I find that alfalfa thrives well with us when we have used 

 enough lime and have sown it on fairly well drained land, made 

 fertile. After a few years the bluegrass comes in thick and I do 

 not know but we get the most profit from it then. It makes the 

 most wonderful pasture that I have ever seen. It is little less 

 than marvelous what fat lambs come from these pastures and 

 how the calves thrive and the colts grazing on it. After the pas- 

 ture has been used about two years it is nearly all blue grass, 

 thicker and richer than ever seen before on the land. Then we 

 plow it, put it to corn and resow to alfalfa again. 



Some men have exploited alfalfa and bluegrass 

 pasture and have made great profit from the use of 

 this mixture of plants. It seems especially desirable 

 as a cattle pasture. Very great gains from such 

 pasture are reported. When it is desired to improve 

 an old bluegrass pasture hardly any better plan 

 could be suggested than to plow it in fall or winter, 

 setting the furrows on edge, harrowing in April and 

 sowing to alfalfa. If the land needs lime it should 

 be given ; in fact everything that alfalfa likes should 

 be done and the instructions previously given should 

 be carefully followed in order to get a good stand. 

 The grass will come thinly the first year and thicker 

 the next. The yield of forage will be quadrupled 

 by the addition of the alfalfa and when ultimately 

 the grass has again regained possession of the soil 



