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FOREWORD 



state alfalfa grower's association is officially known 

 as the Alfalfa Order of the Wisconsin Agricultural Experiment 

 Association. It was organized to increase and extend the 

 alfalfa acreage of the state by numerous state wide cooperative demon- 

 strational and experimental tests which have and will most effectually 

 solve the difficulties and problems that hinder the onward progress 

 of our greatest hay crop ALFALFA. 



The association began its work in 1 9 1 1 . At that time Wisconsin 

 produced about 50,000 tons of alfalfa hay. The United States Bureau 

 of Crop Estimates credits Wisconsin with a total production of 36 1 ,000 

 tons for 1 9 1 5 which was the largest production of alfalfa in any single 

 state of the Middle West. This seven-fold increase reflects what co- 

 operation and demonstration will do when carried on by a live organ- 

 ization with a membership of over 1000. 



During the past six years I have received, as secretary of the 

 Alfalfa Order over 3,000 reports from our members of successes and 

 failures with alfalfa. The experimental work at the Wisconsin Ex- 

 periment Station includes over 600 plots of various strains and varieties 

 of alfalfa which were sown under widely varying conditions and methods. 

 This publication tells the story of these experimental tests and the ex- 

 periences of our members. 



Seven of the articles appeared serially in the Country Gentleman 

 from December 1916 to June 1917. The article on "When to Cut 

 Alfalfa" appeared in Hoard's Dairyman, May 1915. For permission 

 to reprint these I am truly grateful. They were written to present 

 the fundamentals of alfalfa growing in the East and Middle West in 

 a readable and interesting manner and to start beginners right with 

 alfalfa. The author desires to extend credit also to Peter Swartz, 

 President of the Wisconsin Alfalfa Order, Waukesha, Wis., S. J. Hen- 

 derson, 6nieW, Nebrasls^ Dn W. M. Williams, Harlem, Mont., John 

 Waelti, Monroe, Wis., Efiiest, f homa, Sugar Bush, Wis., the Jeffrey 

 Manufacturing ^x>u>pz.ny, Columbus, Ohio, the John Deere Plow Co., 

 Molifie, l\L, ^he- United 'States Department of Agriculture and to the 

 Agricultural Bacteriology, the Agronomy and Soils Departments of 

 the Wisconsin College of Agriculture for illustrations provided. 



L. F. Graber, 



Madison, Wisconsin 





