6 ALFALFA FARMING IN AMERICA. 



their heads would be visible. It produced four crops 

 of hay and easily 8 tons to the acre. Water for 

 irrigation was very abundant at that time in Eange 

 Valley. It was the custom to flood the land over just 

 before cutting off the hay and once afterward. 



At that time no one knew anything about soil inoc- 

 ulation and the behavior of alfalfa was a profound 

 mystery. It now occurs to the writer to explain the 

 curious behavior of the alfalfa in this manner: up 

 the canyon a mile or two was an established alfalfa 

 field, not a good stand, but thrifty. When this field 

 was irrigated the surplus water flowed on down to 

 the lower field and went over that. It seems clear 

 now that in this manner the bacteria were intro- 

 duced from the established field to the new one. As 

 long as the writer had connection with this ranch, 

 some twelve years, this field continued to produce 

 heavy crops of alfalfa, though not so wonderfully 

 rank as the earlier growths. Doubtless the excessive 

 irrigation leached away some fertility, and the con- 

 tinual removal of hay without returning any manure 

 or fertilizer told, even on that very deep and per- 

 vious soil. However, the last crops that the writer 

 remembers growing on this field could hardly have 

 been less than 5 tons to the acre. 



It used to be a great joy to grow alfalfa on this 

 old ranch. Before the alfalfa came there was noth- 

 ing in the valley to relieve the monotony of brown, 

 drouth-stricken nature. The alfalfa fields were 

 vividly green squares and patches, relieving the 

 monotony of brown sage brush and bare earth. The 



