ALFALFA FOR DRY-FARMING 247 



It has yielded an average of forty bushels of seed to 

 the acre. 



Lucern or alfalfa 



Next to human intelligence and industry, alfalfa 

 has probably been the chief factor in the development 

 of the irrigated West. It has made possible a rational 

 system of agriculture, with the live-stock industry and 

 the maintenance of soil fertility as the central con- 

 siderations. Alfalfa is now being recognized as a 

 desirable crop in humid as well as in irrigated sections, 

 and it is probable that alfalfa will soon become the 

 chief hay crop of the United States. Originally, 

 lucern came from the hot dry countries of Asia, where 

 it supjDlied feed to the animals of the first historical 

 peoples. Moreover, its long tap roots, penetrating 

 sometimes forty or fifty feet into the ground, suggest 

 that lucern may make ready use of deeply stored soil- 

 moisture. On these considerations, alone, lucern 

 should prove itself a crop well suited for dry-farming. 

 In fact, it has been demonstrated that where condi- 

 tions are favorable, lucern may be made to yield 

 profitable crops under a rainfall between twelve and 

 fifteen inches. Alfalfa prefers calcareous loamy 

 soils; sandy and heavy clay soils are not so well 

 adapted for successful alfalfa production. Under 

 diy-farm conditions the utmost care must be used 

 to prevent too thick seeding. The vast majority of 

 alfalfa failures on dry- farms have resulted from an 



