208 THE BOOK OF ALFALFA 



varies in color from light yellowish-green to a rich golden- 

 yellow, and in some instances, because of weathering, or 

 sweating in the cock, or perhaps standing too long, it 

 shows a reddish-brown color. The dodder seed is darker 

 in color than the alfalfa, all of that which I have suc- 

 ceeded in gathering from the plants being a rich golden- 

 brown. The accompanying illustrations show the form of 

 the dodder and alfalfa seed respectively. 



"The seeds, being sown, germinate in the soil, throw- 

 ing up a slender, thread-like stem somewhat resembling 

 a corn silk, which retains its connection with the ground 

 until it comes in contact with the stem of the alfalfa plant. 

 It twines around this tightly, sending its feeding suckers 

 through the outside bark, and as soon as it is firmly 

 attached to the host plant, the ground connection is sev- 

 ered and it is sustained by the plant juices which are taken 

 in by the suckers. It continues to grow and spread, twin- 

 ing around other stalks and increasing very rapidly until 

 a colony is established. Continuing to grow, it climbs 

 toward the upper portion of the plants, feeding on their 

 juices and sapping their vitality, but never goes to the 

 extreme top, seeming to prefer the dampness and dark- 

 ness of the matted alfalfa rather than sunlight. The 

 plants first attacked begin to die, and the dodder, spread- 

 ing out in all directions, forms a circle or ring. 



"The rapidity with which the pest spreads makes it a 

 serious menace to the alfalfa grower. Comparatively 

 little work has been done by scientific men in studying 

 the dodders and methods of eradication, and the fact that 

 the little rootlets or suckers (haustoria) become so firmly 

 affixed to the host plant that it must be destroyed together 



