274 ALFALFA FARMING IN AMERICA. 
wonderful pasture. Perhaps it does not yield as 
much forage as does the mixture of brome grass 
and alfalfa, but it is a close second, and bluegrass 
is indigenous to a large part of our country. Thus 
it comes in usually of its own accord because of the 
seed latent in the soil. 
Of this mixture Robert Giltner, of Henry Co., Ky., 
wrote: 
I find that alfalfa thrives well with us when we have used 
enough lime and have sown it on fairly well drained land, made 
fertile. After a few years the bluegrass comes in thick and I do 
not know but we get the most profit from it then. It makes the 
most wonderful pasture that I have ever seen. It is little less 
than marvelous what fat lambs come from these pastures and 
how the calves thrive and the colts grazing on it. After the pas- 
ture has been used about two years it is nearly all blue grass, 
thicker and richer than ever seen before on the land. Then we 
plow it, put it to corn and resow to alfalfa again. 
Some men have exploited alfalfa and bluegrass 
pasture and have made great profit from the use of 
this mixture of plants. It seems especially desirable 
as a cattle pasture. Very great gains from such 
pasture are reported. When it is desired to improve 
an old bluegrass pasture hardly any better plan 
could be suggested than to plow it in fall or winter, 
setting the furrows on edge, harrowing in April and 
sowing to alfalfa. If the land needs lime it should 
be given; in fact everything that alfalfa likes should 
be done and the instructions previously given should 
be carefully followed in order to get a good stand. 
The grass will come thinly the first year and thicker 
the next. The yield of forage will be quadrupled 
by the addition of the alfalfa and when ultimately 
the grass has again regained possession of the soil 
