ADDRESS DELIVERED BEFORE THE ESSEX 

 COUNTY AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY, JANUARY, 

 1906. BY HENRY FIELDEN, SUPT. CHERRY 

 HILL FARM, BEVERLY, MASS. 



ALFALFA. 



Alfalfa or lucerne has been cultivated as a forage plant, 

 for more than 20 centuries. It was familiar to the Egyp- 

 tians, Medes and Persians, it was introduced into Greece 

 470 B. C. It grew spontaneously in the high dry regions 

 of Central Asia. Preceding the Christian era it was promi- 

 nent in Roman agriculture. It was esteemed highly by 

 the ancients as forage for their horses, and it has been 

 cultivated in Italy to this day. From Italy it was intro- 

 duced into Spain and Southern France and was carried to 

 Mexico, at the time of the Spanish Invasion. It found its 

 way from there to the western coast of South America and 

 still may be found growing over large areas of that section. 

 From Chili it was taken to California in 1854 and there, 

 mainly under irrigation, flourishes today to the exclusion 

 of other plants. It has spread rapidly eastward and is 

 now grown extensively in the western states and territories, 

 and is now commencing to find favor in the eastern states. 



Alfalfa is an upright, branching, smooth perennial clover, 

 growing as high as three feet. Its leaves are three parted. 

 The blossom is purple, the flowers instead of being in a 

 head, as in red clover, are in long loose clusters. These 

 clusters are scattered all over the plant instead of being 

 borne, as in red clover, on the upper branches only. The 

 seeds are kidney shaped, yellowish brown in color and 



