194 



THE IRRIGATION AGE. 



INCREASING THE PRODUC- 

 TION OF ALFALFA. 



The results of experiments with 



Comparative tests and system- 

 atic methods of seed selection 

 have been carried on to fix, com- 

 bine, and develop the superior 



alfalfa have clearly shown the traits that have been found in 

 possibility of improving this val- some of the best strains of al- 

 uable crop. falfa from different sections of the 



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world. But to do this, and in- 

 crease the progenies of these 

 types for commercial use, will re- 

 quire several years to accomplish. 

 In the meantime, present results 

 seem to fully justify the advice to 

 farmers, to sow the Baltic or 

 Grimm's alfalfa seed, especially 

 when the seeding is made with a 

 view to seed production as these 

 two strains have proved to be 

 among the best. There are points 

 of decided merit in these over 

 most of the imported and ordinary 

 strains of alfalfa. 



Some of the points of superior- 

 ity found in these hardy northern 

 strains can be enumerated as fol- 

 lows: 



1. Hardiness and frost resist- 

 ance They have the ability to 

 survive winter conditions where 

 ordinary alfalfa has failed or has 

 been seriously injured. This is 

 due to the difference in the stool- 

 ing habits, the hardy strains hav- 

 ing protected underground buds 

 and shoots spreading beneath the 

 surface of the soil, while the non- 

 hardy types grow more upright 

 with their buds more exposed to 

 frost. 



2. Better Quality of Hay 

 These strains having heavier 

 stooling habits form larger crowns, 

 which send up a greater number 

 of stems that tend to produce 

 finer and more leafy hay. 



3. More adapted to different 

 soil conditions These heavy 

 stooling types have more branched 

 roots near the surface of the 

 ground. They also have a tend- 

 ency to take root from the lat- 

 eral branches of the crown, thus 

 making this type of alfalfa better 

 adapted to shallow soil, or soil 

 with ground water near the sur- 

 face. They are also better for 

 dry land conditions where the 

 root development must be neces- 

 sarily near the surface as the 

 plant must develop from super- 

 ficial moisture. Yet under irri- 

 gation these strains seem to have 

 the same deep root system as 

 other alfalfas. 



Early blooming habits This 

 doubtless is an advantage in sev- 

 eral respects. For instance, 

 lengthening the period for honey 

 flow, and earlier maturity of the 

 first crop of hay, thus lengthen- 

 ing the time for subsequent crops 

 to develop. Early blooming is 

 also an advantage in seed produc- 

 tion. 



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