ALFALFA YIELDS 377 



California, Utah, and Idaho, though the crop is. widely 

 grown in all the states from Nebraska and Kansas west- 

 ward, including Montana, Oklahoma, and portions of 

 Texas. In the irrigated portions of the Far Western states, 

 alfalfa is the principal forage crop. Outside of this district, 

 it is more important in Kansas than elsewhere, nearly one 

 million acres now being grown in that state, the alfalfa 

 acreage exceeding the combined area in clover and all the 

 tame grasses. Its cultivation has spread in recent years to 

 the states east of the Mississippi River, and though there is 

 no large acreage in any state, the importance of the crop is 

 rapidly increasing. 



The reasons for the popularity of alfalfa where it can 

 be grown are not hard to find. Once established, it lasts 

 for years and yields from three to five cuttings of very valu- 

 able hay during the season, the total production being con- 

 siderably greater than from red clover. It thrives in the 

 South where red clover will not grow; when once established 

 it is more drouth resistant. The feeding value of the hay is 

 greater than that of red clover hay. When a stand of alfalfa 

 is broken up, corn or other crops yield heavily, for the 

 alfalfa adds a large supply of nitrogen to the soil, and the 

 long roots improve its physical condition by making the 

 lower layers more porous. 



474. The yield of alfalfa varies greatly in different por- 

 tions of the country, depending on the rainfall, the fertility 

 of the soil and the length of the growing season. In the 

 South and Southwest, where four or five or more cuttings 

 may be made in a season and there is an abundant supply of 

 water either from rainfall or irrigation, the yield may vary 

 from J/2 ton to 2 or 3 tons to the acre at a cutting, and the 

 total yield for the season may reach 6 or 8 tons. Where con- 

 ditions are less favorable, the annual yield usually varies 



