ALFALFA CONDITIONS IN NEW ENGLAND. 



H. W. JEFFERS, SUPERINTENDENT, WALKER-GORDON FARM, PLAINSBORO, 



NEW JERSEY. 



Alfalfa has been known and valued for centuries in the Old 

 World. Some fifty or sixty years ago it was introduced into 

 California by way of Chili. It met with favor as a forage 

 plant, and its cultivation gradually extended eastward until all 

 States west of the Missouri River became great alfalfa-growing 

 States. 



The western States were well adapted naturally for alfalfa 

 growing; the soils were deep, dry and filled with a large per- 

 centage of lime, and rich in mineral fertilizers. The plant 

 became a great boon to the live-stock interests of the west. 



Seedings were frequently made through the east, but were 

 generally failures except in a few restricted districts, one nota- 

 ble district being near Syracuse, New York, where there was 

 a terminal moraine deposit filled with fragments of limestone. 



Until quite recently it was believed that the growing of 

 alfalfa in our eastern States v/ould not prove profitable on 

 the great majority of our farms, but the accumulated experi- 

 ence of the past few years of those who have succeeded lead us 

 to believe that any well-drained land properly prepared by lim- 

 ing and fertilizing will grow alfalfa profitably, and that the 

 introduction of this crop in our rotation will increase the fer- 

 tilit}^ of our farms. 



All feeders of live stock who have used alfalfa meal or hay 

 have recognized its advantages, and have felt that it was prof- 

 itable to feed even if they had to pay $25 to $30 per ton for it. 

 The hay is rich in protein and mineral matter and relished by 

 all kinds of live stock. It will grow better pigs, better young 

 cattle, produce more milk when fed to the cow and more eggs 

 when fed to the hen. There seems to be something about 

 alfalfa that makes it a better food than its chemical composi- 

 tion would indicate. This may be due to the large percentage 



