5 THE BOOK OF ALFALFA 



tage which the Turkestan variety has is that the stems 

 are more slender and less woody, the plants making a 

 more nutritious hay of finer quality. That it will with- 

 stand drought under the same conditions better than 

 ordinary alfalfa seems certain from the reports of the 

 experimenters. In the West and Northwest, at least, it 

 seems to be more productive, both with and without 

 irrigation." 



At the North Dakota station Turkestan alfalfa sown 

 in 1901 yielded in the three years following (1902-3-4) 

 at the average rate of slightly more than two tons per 

 acre annually. 



Acclimation of alfalfa is a slow process, and numerous 

 close observers think there are too many radical differ- 

 ences in climate and possibly of soil between Turkestan 

 and New Mexico, or North Dakota, to admit of this 

 variety's becoming a preeminently valuable acquisition 

 to America. It is thought more reasonable to let the 

 American-grown alfalfa gradually accustom itself, as it 

 will, to any particular region, sowing seed from nearly 

 the same latitude and grown under as nearly as possible 

 the conditions it will encounter in its new environment. 



In 1903 the Department of Agriculture began experi- 

 menting on a small scale at stations in Arizona, Califor- 

 nia and the warm regions with alfalfa seed procured by 

 Mr. D. G. Fairchild, from Arabia. The officials in 

 charge observe that the plants from this seed appear to 

 make a much quicker growth after cutting, and as a 

 result of this one more crop in a season than is obtained 

 from other alfalfa may be possible. It differs from 

 other strains in having larger leaflets and in being much 



