226 CAMPBELL'S SOIL CULIURL 



CHAPTER XXV. 



ALFALFA. 



In 1895 alfalfa was little known in the United States 

 except in remote localities. A few had begun to realize 

 something of its value not only as a great hay or forage 

 producing plant, but as a fodder of unusual feeding value. 

 Not until 1900 did our people begin to grasp the real value 

 of the plant which was never well established until care- 

 ful experiments were made by the State Agricultural 

 Experimental Stations in a large variety of feeding tests. 



In no case was any other hay or fodders found to be 

 its equal except for working horses. Its producing powers 

 are far in excess of all other hay when conditions are 

 right. 



In its early culture and growth it was considered to be 

 a low land or water plant. Little by little, however, it 

 has gone into the prairies until today there are many fields 

 of ten, twenty, fifty and a hundred acres on the high di- 

 vide in the more arid sections; in some instances two and 

 three hundred feet above sheet water. In Kimball county, 

 Nebraska, twenty four miles from the Wyoming line, is 

 ten acre field now five years old, 312 feet from sheet water 

 with an average rainfall of 14 inches. This field has cut 

 from one to two and a-half tons of No. 1 hay each year. 

 It is disked once and harrowed twice during each season. 



This is only one out of many similar cases, showing 

 conclusively that with careful fitting and good care alfalfa 

 is a most desirable plant. 



