•laiiuarv. lf)21. 



• S C I 1-: N T I F I C A G R I C U L T U 11 E 



A Study of the Influence of the Root System in 

 Promoting Hardiness in Alfalfa 



PROF. W. SOUTirWORTH, Agricultural (ollegc. VViunipc- 

 (.Read liet'ure The Western Canadian Society of Agronomy and |iui)lislie(l tliroutiji llic i-ourlesy of that Society; 



Tlie rapid increase in the areas tlevoted to llie jfrowth 

 of Alfalfa on the North American continent together 

 with the introduction of the many various strains 1)\- 

 the U. S. Department of Agriculture has enabled 

 field experimenters to obtain a practical ac(|uaintanee 

 with the great diversity of plant types to be found in 

 the various strains of Alfalfa now under cultivation. 

 These variations are exhibited not oid\ in hal)it of 

 growth, yield, seeding projierties, and quality; itut also 

 with respect to the power possessed by certain strains 

 to resist low temperatures in -winter and fluctuating 

 temperatures in sjtring and autumn. 



It is with respect to the latter quality: viz.. hardiness, 

 that we wish to deal and especially with hardiness 

 which seems to be due to, or at least is (dosely asso- 

 ciated with, particular forms of root systems. 



Historical Resume. 



The desirability of having strains of Alfalfa whicli 

 will withstand severe eold in winter and maintain a 

 good stand throughout a series of years has long ago 

 been recognized by observant agriculturists. 



Jethro Tull known as the father of horse-hoeing hus- 

 bandry, who wrote in the first half of the 18th century, 

 examined and noted the variations in tiie root system 

 i)etween different types of Lucerne plants (7). (Lucerne 

 is the name given to Alfalfa in Europe). 



In his book on page 291, Tull says: "Though one 

 Lucerne root be much more tai)er than another towards 

 the upper part of it, it is sometimes seen that a single 

 hoed plant of it has many of these perpendicular roots, 

 some of them springing out of the very branches of its 

 crown." Again on page 298, Tull describes how he dug 

 out the earth around a Lucerne plant, "to observe the 

 manner of its taproot and then the earth was thro^\m 

 in again and the hole filled up." 



Referring to the results of his euiperiment, he says : 

 "It is probable this jilant sent out immediately new 

 fibrous horizontal roots which did grow apace to ex- 

 tract the nourishment from this new-made pasture, in 

 proportion to the quick growth of the stalks which, in 

 summer, have been measured and found to grow in 

 height three inches and a half in a night and a day: this 

 being almost one inch in six hours." 



Another early observer, M. Lidlin de Chateau-vieux, 

 Geneva seems to have repeated Tull's experiment. 

 Writing in 1759 to M. Duhamel du Moneear, Paris (4), 

 he describes on page ;i58 how he uncovered the plants 

 which were below ground: "That 1 might he able to 

 .judge of their general stale." 



Ill describing tlie conditions of transplanted Lucerne, 

 he says: "The stalks seem to rise out of the earth : and 

 from the first time of cutting them, a kind of head 

 forms just aliove ground, which extends itself eveiy 

 year.... as many of them ha\'e gi-owii so as to touch 

 one another, theii- crowns lia\c liccoinc of nii i\\:\\ form. 



(7) 



igurcs ui 



brackets refer to lii. cited on ]) 



having extended tjiemselves on tlie sides where they 

 met with no resistance." 



Another authoi-ity, the celebrated author ami trav- 

 eler, Arthur Young, in his "Annals of Agriculture" {8i 

 refers to observations made by Thomas LeBlanc. in 

 1783 on what he termed variegated Medick which was 

 greatl.v i)referred to Common Lucerne. 



LcBlanc says: "My reasons for jjreferring it (varie- 

 gated Medick") to Lucerne are that it is hardier in 

 beai-ing cold : that from its habit of branching below the 

 surface of the groiuid, and the shoots being much more 

 numerous, it is not choked by natural grasses: and that 

 for the same reason, it will not be injured by being 

 fed liy sheep." 



Experiments were conducted by LeBlanc to compai-e 

 the crop-])rodueing powers of his hardy variegated 

 Mediek with Common Lucerne which proved that as 

 regards producing bulk of crop, the variegated was 

 decidedly the better: though he did not consider it so 

 succulent as the Common Lucerne. 



The writers and experimenters referi'ed to above were 

 evidently men of ken observation with discriminating 

 uisight: and it seems remarkable that their valuable 

 contributions to the study of the Lucerne plant should 

 have been forgotten or otherwise .so long ignored bv 

 agriculturists and botanists who succeeded them. 



Though there appeal' to be few recorded observa- 

 tions regarding hardy strains of Alfalfa during the 

 19th century; yet we know that on the American Con- 

 tinent the question was i-eceiving the altention of prac- 

 tical farmers. 



In 18.j7. the strain of .\lfalfa now known as Grimm 

 Mas introduced into Minnesota by the German im- 

 migrant farmer, Wendelin Grimm i2). This strain, 

 owing to its hardiness and good cropping properties^ 

 has gradually spread through many of the northern' 

 and north-western states of America- it is also found in 

 most of the Canadian provinces, and is now recognized 

 as being probably the best known strain we have for 

 withstanding severe M-inter conditions. 



Some thirteen to fifteen years after the introduction 

 of the Grimm strain into Minnesota, the Alfalfa known 

 as Ontario variegated was introduced into the Niagara 

 district in Canaila. 



It appears that about 1871, a farmer named Methel 

 who was then living near St. Catherines, obtained a 

 sample of Alfalfa seed from a German shepherd who 

 brought it from his native country. A few years later, 

 m 1875, Dr. Cellyer, a medical man. who was then living 

 at Welland-port near Niagara also .secured a sample of 

 seed from Germany. 



Both straiihs had variegated flowei-s. As to whether 

 there was originally any decided difference between 

 the two in point of hardiness, variegation, or produc- 

 tive cajiacity. there does not appear to be any authentic 

 evidence on record. 



If there were any differences in the strains when first 

 imported, they ap|iear to have become obliterated ; prob- 



