UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



^3^^ 



1 BULLETIN No. 428 



Contribution from the Bureau of Plant Industry 

 WM. A. TAYLOR, Chief 



'^U 



Washington, D. C. 



PROFESSIONAL PAPER 



January 9, 1917 



MEDICAGO FALCATA, A YELLOW-FLOWERED 



ALFALFA. 



By R. A. Oakley, Agronomist, and Samuel Gaevek, Scientific Assistant, Office 

 of Forage-Crop Investigations. 



CONTENTS. 



Page. 



Introduction 1 



Introduction of Medleago falcata into the 



United States 2 



Natural distnbution 5 



Climatic and soil requirements 7 



B otanical history 8 



Botanical description and relationship 13 



Botanical description 13 



Botanical relationship 24 



Agricultiual history 33 



Common names 34 



Agronomic characteristics 35 



General habits of growth 36 



Characteristics of the vegetative growth . . 36 



Stem characteristics 37 



Periods of growth 38 



Hardiness 41 



Drought resistance 45 



Page. 

 Agronomic characteristics — Continued . 



Seed production 47 



Yields of hay 49 



Feeding value 50 



Cultural investigations 51 



Broadcast seedings 62 



Cultivated rows 53 



Hills 53 



Transplanting 54 



Seeding on the range 55 



Possibilities in selection and hybridization ... 56 



Selection 56 



Hybridization 57 



Difficulties in establishing new strains. . . 59 



Present agronomic status 61 



Summary 63 



Literature cited 67 



INTRODUCTION. 



Eight years have elapsed since Medicago falcata L. was brought to 

 this country with the serious view of utilizing it as a cultivated for- 

 age crop.' During this period much attention has been directed to- 



1 From 1910 to 1913, incluBlve, InvcBtlgatlonH were conducted with Medicago falcata 

 at Brookings, Illghmore, and otbor polntH In South Dakota in ooopcration with the South 

 Dakota .\Krlcu)lural Experiment Station. 



The wrlterH wish to acknowledge their Indehtednc'SK to Mr. H. L. Westovt-r for valuable 

 aHHiHtance rendered In trauKlatlng hotanlca) dcscrlptionH and In reviewing lltenitnre and 

 to Mth. Katherlne H. Bort for aHnlstiince In eonneetloii with the literature consulted in the 

 preparation of the Kubject matter. 



XOTE. — ThiH bulletin Ih Intended primarily for thowe who an' InteroRted lu all'ulfa 

 breeding. 



55890'— Bull. 428— 17 1 



