86 FARM AND SCHOOL PROBLEMS. 



cheaply. The cattle are easily fattened on alfalfa alone, need- 

 ing no supplement to the pasture for beef production. 



If the United States is to compete with other countries in 

 farm products it is very evident that alfalfa must be grown wher- 

 ever it can be raised profitably. 



For ordinary purposes in mixed farming where it is neces- 

 sary to follow a scientific plan of crop rotation alfalfa excels 

 every other crop grown in the following characteristics : 



1. As a soil renovator. 



2. As a drouth resister. 



3. As a soil enricher. 



4. As a balanced ration. 



5. As a profitable crop. 



As a drouth register its verdure and luxuriant growth are 

 due to its ability to grow roots that penetrate to the moisture in 

 the subsoils, (that often cannot be reached by other crops) during 

 long periods of drouth. When meadows are dry and grass is 

 dead alfalfa continues to grow and produce crops. Its great 

 value is largely dependent on the fact that it is a dry weather 

 perennial plant. If properly cared for it will grow for many 

 years on the same soil. 



As a soil enricher it brings more fertility to the soil than any 

 other legume that can be successfully raised. The roots pene- 

 trate to a great depth and draw nourishment from rich stores of 

 minerals that are beyond the reach of other plants. It is a nitro- 

 gen gatherer that is associated in its work by nitrogen-fixing bac- 

 teria found in the nodules of the roots. 



In a rotation with corn the U. S. Govt. speaks of its value in 

 the following terms: "In these two crops, corn and alfalfa, is 

 realized more nearly than in any other combination of crops 

 grown in the corn belt, the maximum of grain and hay yields and 

 of profits that can be secured from an acre of land by ordinary 

 methods of farming. Whenever a farmer can substitute alfalfa 

 for clover and timothy in the rotation without too great a cost, 

 he will be able practically to double his profits." 



As a balanced ration it aids in the digestion of other foods. 

 While it may be fed alone with good results, it has been fed with 



