Circular No. i8. October, 1908 



MASSACHUSETTS AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. 



AMHERST. 



ALFALFA AS A CROP IN MASSACHUSETTS. 

 William P, Brooks, Director. 



Alfalfa has been under trial in Massachusetts both at the experi- 

 ment station and on private farms for a number of years. A good 

 start and a thick stand are not difficult to obtain ; but in all the ex- 

 periments, in Amherst at least, and so far as known in other locali- 

 ties, the crop soon gradually dies out, being replaced by grasses and 

 clovers. The limit of satisfactory productiveness seems to be two or 

 three years. It is a question whether under these conditions the 

 crop will prove profitable, but in the opinion of some who have given 

 it an extensive trial, it will pay to cultivate alfalfa even though it 

 furnishes satisfactory crops for only two years. 



Its principal advantages as compared with clover are three, (i) 

 The first crop is ready to cut and feed at least two weeks earlier than 

 clover. (2) It starts after cutting more quickly than clover, usually 

 furnishing three crops annually. (3) It is considerably finer than 

 clover, and therefore likely to be more palatable. 



Alfalfa does not apparently exceed clover in nutritive value to as 

 great a degree as is often supposed. 



COMPOSITION OF CLOVER AND ALFALFA HAYS. 



These figures indicate that there may be no great difference in the 

 nutritive values of alfalfa and clover hays, although further compara- 

 tive determinations of digestibility are desirable. 



The cost of starting alfalfa must materially exceed the cost of 

 seeding to ordinary mixed mowing. 



Soil requirements. Alfalfa may be made to succeed upon a variety 

 of soils, provided these meet certain requirements. Whatever the 

 type of soil, it must be naturally thoroughly underdrained. Standing 

 water within less than six to eight feet of the surface will almost cer- 

 tainly prove fatal, and there must be perfect surface drainage. Stand- 

 ing water or ice will destroy alfalfa in a relatively short time. The 



* Calculated on basis of two analyses published by the N. J. Exp. Sta. 

 t Average of analyses in the Mass. Agr. Exp. Sta. 



