6 ALFALFA FARMING IN AMERICA. 
their heads would be visible. It produced four crops 
of hay and easily 8 tons to the acre. Water for 
irrigation was very abundant at that time in Range 
Valley. It was the custom to flood the land over just 
before cutting off the hay and once afterward. 
At that time no one knew anything about soil inoc- 
ulation and the behavior of alfalfa was a profound 
mystery. It now occurs to the writer to explain the 
curious behavior of the alfalfa in this manner: up 
the canyon a mile or two was an established alfalfa 
field, not a good stand, but thrifty. When this field 
was irrigated the surplus water flowed on down to 
the lower field and went over that. It seems clear 
now that in this manner the bacteria were intro- 
duced from the established field to the new one. As 
long as the writer had connection with this ranch, 
some twelve years, this field continued to produce 
heavy crops of alfalfa, though not so wonderfully 
rank as the earlier growths. Doubtless the excessive 
irrigation leached away some fertility, and the con- 
tinual removal of hay without returning any manure 
or fertilizer told, even on that very deep and per- 
vious soil. However, the last crops that the writer 
remembers growing on this field could hardly have 
been less than 5 ‘tons to the acre. 
It used to be a great joy to grow alfalfa on this 
old ranch. Before the alfalfa came there was noth- 
ing in the valley to relieve the monotony of brown, 
drouth-stricken nature. The alfalfa fields were 
vividly green squares and patches, relieving the 
monotony of brown sage brush and bare earth. The 
