192 GARDEN AND FARM TOPICS. 



" Universal Wheel Hoe," the work could be done on 

 light soil nearly as quickly as by the horse cultivator. 



Alfalfa is extensively grown in Europe, particularly in 

 France and Germany, where it is considered a valuable 

 crop for rotation, and is classed by the French as one of 

 the plantes ameliorantes ; for in southern France Wheat 

 has been successfully raised after six or seven years of 

 Alfalfa on ground which formerly had failed to give good 

 crops of Wheat. Although Alfalfa may be grown in cold 

 latitudes as well as in warm, as the plant is entirely 

 hardy, yet its value is not so marked in cold climates, 

 where it finds competitors in Red Clover and the grasses; 

 but in light soils anywhere, particularly in warm climates, 

 its deep-rooting properties make it comparatively in- 

 dependent of moisture; hence it is the forage plant par 

 excellence for the Southern States, wherever the soil is 

 light and sandy; but it should never be grown on stiff 

 soils, for, unless the roots can penetrate deeply, good 

 results cannot be expected. When it is considered that 

 immense sums are paid annually for baled hay by the 

 Southern to the Northern States, the wonder is how long 

 they will continue to do so, with the material at hand to 

 produce a better article at probably one-fourth the cost. 



At the date of this writing, thousands in Florida and 

 other Southern States are engaged in the culture of 

 Oranges and other fruits, as well as vegetables, for the 

 Northern markets; and while in specially favored loca- 

 tions success has attended these enterprises, yet it is 

 doubtful if one in four makes it profitable; while, with 

 the culture of this valuable forage plant, the vast sums 

 paid for northern hay would not only be saved, but the 

 products of the dairy would assume an importance which 

 now, among most farmers in the extreme Southern 

 States, is altogether unknown. 



