CHAPTER XII 

 ALFALFA 



The leguminous forage plants may be classed 

 into three groups: perennials, biennials, annuals. 

 Of the perennials, the plant most useful for for- 

 age, and the one that occupies the relative posi- 

 tion among the legumes that corn does among the 

 cereals, is alfalfa, although it differs from corn in 

 having a more restricted habitat or adaptability, 

 not so readily conforming to a wide range of soils, 

 climate or conditions of growth. It should be 

 said, however, that alfalfa has not yet received the 

 careful attention that its merits warrant, and the 

 chances are that a wider study of the plant will 

 show that it is adapted to conditions which are not 

 now thought to be satisfactory. The chief diffi- 

 culty in the growing of the plant thus far, particu- 

 larly in the eastern and middle western states, is 

 in securing and maintaining a good "stand." 



Alfalfa is not a new plant. It has been culti- 

 vated in Europe for nearly two thousand years, 

 and is well known in both North and South 

 America. It was introduced into California from 

 Chili nearly fifty years ago, and its use has gradu- 

 ally spread eastward. Long before this, however, 



N (209) 



