CHAPTER XXV, 



Miscellaneous 



ALFALFA IN THE ORCHARD 



Probably nine-tenths of those who have written on this 

 subject have condemned the practice of sowing alfalfa 

 in the orchard. They have said that the alfalfa demanded 

 so much moisture that the trees would be dwarfed if not 

 destroyed. In going through an immense amount of 

 material in the preparation of this book only two in- 

 stances have been found of men who claim that the 

 alfalfa is a benefit to orchards. One of these was from 

 Texas and the newspaper quoting him did not give his 

 name. He was reported to have used his orchard for 

 hog pasture, keeping on five acres from ten to fifteen 

 sows with their pigs from early April to September. He 

 claimed that the alfalfa instead of robbing the orchard 

 of moisture actually contributed to the surface moisture 

 and benefited the trees. 



Prof. F. L. Watrous, of the Colorado station, is an 

 earnest advocate of the use of alfalfa in the orchard and 

 from an article of his this is quoted : 



"Whatever may have been believed or imagined as to 

 the uncongeniality of trees and alfalfa the theory is des- 

 tined to an early downfall. The evidence is at hand now 



