FORTY-THIRD ANNUAL CONVENTION 79 



This crop was introduced into the United States first in 

 1854. It was again introduced from Mexico where it had been 

 introduced in 15 19 by Cortez, but in both of these instances the 

 people of the United States, faihng to recognize its value, let it 

 run out, and it was not until the year 1873 when Miller and Lux, 

 two ranchmen of California, again introduced it into the United 

 States, that people realized its value. Then it was that we real- 

 ized the fact that there was introduced in this country a crop 

 that was destined to revolutionize the forage crop industry in 

 this country, and since that time it has spread to every state in 

 the Union, and now I am glad to state that it is grown in every 

 county of the State of Illinois, and I hope to be able to say that 

 it is grown on every farm within this great state. It might be 

 of interest to you to know that Mr. Miller of the firm of Miller 

 and Lux, died only very recently in California, an honored and 

 respected citizen of that state. 



There is another reason why we should grow alfalfa. It is 

 a legume. I don't want anybody to say after I get through talk- 

 ing that they don't know what a legume is. A legume is a plant 

 which has the power of growing in very close relation with an- 

 other plant upon its roots, which has the power of fixing the 

 nitrogen of the atmosphere in such a form as to make it avail- 

 able for plant food. Hence the value of those plants as a crop 

 on poor soil, since they enrich the soil by the nitrogen liberated 

 by the decay of their roots or of the whole plant if ploughed in 

 as green manure. Corn, wheat and oats do not have that power 

 of living in close relation with these nitrogen fixing bacteria. 

 Alfalfa, sweet clover, and many other plants are legumes. 



Now, if you had been going to create a world, I dare say 

 you would have forgotten many of the little details that have 

 entered in. We would have considered that all the people of all 

 time, all animals and all plants that grew would require nitro- 

 gen; then we would have decided that a certain amount must be 

 placed in the soil and would have buried some of it so deep that 

 the roots of the corn, oats and wheat never would have gotten 

 it and it would have been stored for an indefinite period of time. 

 The All-Wise Creator saw fit to provide -a legume plant among 

 all the plants of the world and bacteria for taking the nitrogen 

 out of his supply and transmitting it to the crops of corn and 



