LIST OF CHOICE FAItM SEEDS FOR 1908. 



43 



TURKESTAN ALFALFA OR LUCERNE 



MEDICAGO SATIVA VAR. TURKESTANICA. 



Perfectly Hardy. Withstands Drought, Heat and Cold. 



The importance of forage crops has occupied our atten- 

 tion many years, and we are constantly on the alert for 

 new varieties. Turkestan Alfalfa we believe to be the 

 most important introduction in late years. Its value can 

 hardly be estimated, but without doubt it will add mil- 

 lions of dollars to the annual hay crop of the United 

 States. 



Value as a Fodder Plant on Dry, Arid Soils — The cli- 

 mate of Turkestan is not unlike that of our interior 

 states, being far removed from the ocean and surrounded 

 by wide expanses of dry land. The summers are very hot 

 and long, and in many places the evaporation exceeds the 

 quantity of moisture that has fallen during the year. The 

 inhabitants are mainly employed raising cattle and here it is this Alfalfa grows and flour- 

 ishes. We have every reason to believe it will prove equally as valuable in this country. 



Withstands Extreme Coltl Without Injury — At the Experiment Station, Brookings, S. D., 

 with a minimum temperature of 40 degrees below zero, ■with the ground bare, common Al- 

 falfa was killed, while Turkestan came through unharmed. At the Wyoming Experiment Sta- 

 tion the Turkestan Alfalfa was exposed to a minimum temperature of 45 degrees below zero 

 without harm. 



The Director of the Russian Department of Agriculture, writing about Turkestan Alfalfa, 

 says: "Medicago sativa var. Turkestanica is the chief forage in use throughout Central 

 Asia, and is of the highest importance, since during the summer it forms the chief, and in 

 winter, prepared in the shape of hay, the only fodder for cattle. There are no meadows in 

 certain parts, as soft herbs and grasses that grow up in early spring are quickly dried by 

 the hot rays of the sun. The native Alfalfa would seem to be a cattle fodder that cannot be 

 replaced in countries as dry and hot as Turkestan. Parallel experiments have been made in 

 the Merv Oases in growing Turkestan and common Alfalfa under widely different conditions, and the results have shown that 

 the Turkestan is greatly superior to the common in the crop it yields, and is able to grow satisfactorily with a minimum sup- 

 ply of water, a supply so small that the common Alfalfa would perish with drought. Turkestan Alfalfa has a very large root 

 system, and its leaves are covered with thick down. This, in conjunction with the deeply channelled leaf, enables the plant on 

 the one hand to imbibe the moisture from the deeper layers of the soil, and on the other hand to exhale it in very small 

 quantities." 



Good Crops on Alkali Soils — The introduction of Turkestan Alfalfa permits of a great extension of the area heretofore de- 

 voted to the cultivation of Alfalfa, and this, too, in sections where" climatic conditions have almost prohibited the growing of 

 leguminous forage crops. Not only does it- endure extreme drought and cold, but excellent crops of it have been raised on 

 strongly alkaline soils. 



Superior to Common Alfalfa — In our experience Turkestan Alfalfa has proved infinitely better than the common variety, the 

 Seed germinates quicker, and the plants start into growth earlier and grow more rapidly under similar conditions. Sown 

 alongside the common Alfalfa in our own neighborhood the Turkestan made a top growth averaging 18 inches in height, with 

 a correspondingly large root growth, while the common only grew about 3 inches high. The plants grow strong, more leafy, 

 with slender and less woody stems than the common sort, thereby making a finer and more nutritious hay. For its cultiva- 

 tion follow the general directions given for common Alfalfa. The Seed we offer is imported direct from Turkestan. 



Pkt. 10c; 1 lb. 25c (by mail 1 lb. 35c); 10 lbs. $2.00; 25 lbs. $4.50; 100 lbs $17.00 



CURRIE'S ALFALFA OR LUCERNE— Strictly Choice Domestic. 



wonderful — three cuttings a year being the regular thing, 

 averaging 10 tons green fodder to the acre. Not only this, 

 but it will continue to give 10 tons to the acre, for 10 to 15 

 years. As a land enricher it is unsurpassed. The long roots, 

 10 to 15 feet under ground, bring up lots of buried min- 

 eral fertilizer, while, like all the Clover family, it is a great 

 nitrogen gatherer. No farmer should be without an acre or 

 two of it. Choice re-cleaned Seed, per lb. 16c (by mail 1 lb. 

 25c); per bushel $9.75; per 100 lbs. $16.00. (Subject to mar- 

 ket fluctuations.) 



SAND LUCERNE — Medicago media. 

 The director of the Michigan Experiment Station reports 5 

 tons of cured hay of Sand Lucerne to the acre on a sandy 

 knoll, and says it is one of the best hay crops in use on the 

 Experiment Station Farm. It is specially adapted to sandy 

 land. Per lb. 30c by mail; peck $2.85; bushel $10.00 



The chief merit of Alfalfa lies in the fact that it may be cut 

 3 or 4 times a season, each cutting bringing enormous yields 

 of sweet and nutritious forage which is much relished by all 

 kinds of stock. Care should be taken when cattle are first 

 turned in not to allow them to overfeed, as it is liable to cause 

 bloating. It is an excellent soiling crop and makes the best 

 hay when properly treated. In hay making it should be put 

 in cocks instead of windrows, which will tend to prevent the 

 shattering of the leaves. The Seed should be sown broadcast 

 at the rate of 20 to 30 pounds per acre about the middle of 

 April or earlier, should the ground be in good condition, with- 

 out a nurse or cover-crop. The soil must be deep, rich, well 

 prepared and well drained. It should never be sown on heavy, 

 sticky clay land where water stands a short distance below 

 the surface. A large crop once established, the results are 



RUSSIAN FLAX. 



When grown for Seed without regard to fibre, sow from 2 

 to 3 pecks of Seed to the acre. If fine fibre is wanted, sow 

 from 1% to 2 bushels to the acre, so as to grow clean, 

 straight, slender straw. 

 1 lb. by mail 20c; peck 50c; bushel $1.50 



THOUSAND-HEADED KALE. 



Like Dwarf Essex Rape, this is a valuable forage crop. Sow 

 the Seed in spring in rows 12 to 18 inches apart, using about 

 1 lb. to the acre. 



Pkt. 5c; Vi lb. 10c; 1 lb. by mail 35 



By express or freight, 1 lb. 25c; 5 lbs. $1.00; 25 lbs. 



$4.50; 100 lbs $1700 



FIELD PEAS FOR FEEDING. 



Canadian Field Peas can be very profitably sown along 

 with oats and either eaten off the field by cattle or hogs, or 

 allowed to ripen, when they can be readily separated by anv 

 farm seed mill. In this way two crops can be grown at the 

 one cultivation. 



Sow broadcast if alone, 3 bushels of Peas per acre, or in 

 combination 1% bushels Peas to 1% bushels of Oats, mixed, 

 to the acre. 



Canadian White — Bushel $1.50 



Canadian Blue — Bushel $2.00 



Scotch — Bushel $2.00 



Subject to market fluctuations. See Garden Peas, pages 24 

 and 25. 



