Alfalfa in Kansas. 181 



The lighter yield of forage and seed, as compared with common alfalfa, 

 will not make Medicago falcata desirable where ordinary alfalfa can be 

 grown successfully, but in view of the fact, as Hansen says, that it "en- 

 dures very severe summer drouths, stands dry upland soils underlaid with 

 hardpan, and is considered resistant to alkali," there is every reason for 

 introducing it into Kansas for growing under special conditions and for 

 breeding purposes. The department of botany and plant breeding is 

 making extensive use of the plant in breeding operations. Many hybrids 

 have been made this season between the more upright-growing plants of 

 Sickle alfalfa and a superior selection of pure-bred Kansas alfalfa. 



Medicago media. This plant is supposed to be a natural hybrid be- 

 tween the common and the Sickle alfalfas. It is found wild most com- 

 monly where the boundaries of these two species overlap in Europe and 

 Asia. The hybrid, furthermore, grows farther north than common al- 

 falfa, in which respect it shares the characteristics of the Sickle alfalfa. 

 The plants of Medicago media show considerable variation. This is most 

 striking in the case of the flowers, which vary from pale yellow to green- 

 ish yellow and greenish purple, for which reason the name Variegated 

 alfalfa, proposed by the United States Department of Agriculture, has 

 come into use. The seed pods are spiral, but they are not so closely 

 coiled as in the case of alfalfa. Medicago media is often called Sand 

 alfalfa, because it has been found growing in Germany in sandy soil, and 

 has been recommended, therefore, for sandy regions. It is, however, 

 doubtful whether much of the alfalfa seed sold as Sand alfalfa is really 

 anything but common alfalfa seed from plants grown on sandy ground. 



The fact that Variegated alfalfa, will grow farther north than common 

 alfalfa is due to the circumstance of its being a hybrid of common alfalfa 

 with the hardier Sickle alfalfa. 



Medicago ruthenica. This is a species of alfalfa found growing wild, 

 from the east shore of Lake Baikal, in eastern Siberia, to the Pacific 

 ocean, and in Siberia as far south as Manchuria, Mongolia, Korea, and 

 northern China. The plants are low and spreading, with small, narrow 

 leaves, yellow flowers, and flat, oval pods, tapering toward both ends, and 

 not containing over four seeds, as a rule. The forage value of this 

 species is small in comparison with that of common alfalfa, but it will 

 undoubtedly be of some use for pastures in dry regions. Perhaps its 

 chief value will be for crossing with Medicago sativa, to produce hardier 

 alfalfas. 



VARIETIES. 



This concludes our discussion of the species of alfalfa that give most 

 promise to agriculture. We have next to consider the so-called "varieties" 

 of the species Medicago sativa, or ordinary alfalfa, that have come into 

 prominence. 



Common alfalfa has well been called "the most important forage plant 

 in the world," by reason of the very great series of variations it pos- 

 sesses, which make it adaptable to such a wide range of climates. The 

 fundamental essential needs of all alfalfa varieties are four, viz., (1) a 

 rich soil, (2) a well-drained soil, (3) a soil free from acidity, (4) a porous 

 subsoil. 



