HENDERSON'S FARMERS MANUAL 



ALFALFA or LUCERNE 



(Medicago Sativa) 



Yields Good Crops in All Sections of the United States 

 Is a Most Efficient Soil-Enricher and Hay-Producer 



Alfalfa is a true leguminous perennial plant, staying on the land for many 

 years. It sends down its long tap-roots into the subsoil, whatever depth that 

 may be — five, ten, twenty, or even thirty feet, and utilizes the plant foods con- 

 tained therein. It is a great soil enricher, for the nodules on its roots are the 

 home of bacteria that extract the nitrogen from the air and transform it into a 

 valuable fertilizing element. For this purpose it is superior to any other plant, 

 because in addition to the nitrogen gathered from the air, its deep tap-roots 

 bring up other mineral constituents from the lower layers of soil, to be utilized 

 later by shallow feeding crops. It has been calculated by competent authority 

 that the amount of fertilizer that will come from an acre of good alfalfa is equal 

 to what the farmer would pay S60.00 for, if purchased by the bag. As a hay 

 producer it surely has no equal when once established, as from three to four 

 cuttings may be had in a season, according to conditions, totaling four to six tons 

 per acre. 



THE FEEDING VALUE OF ALFALFA 



is very high, being very rich in protein — which builds up blood, muscle and bone 

 in growing animals. Corn and its fodder, and most other farm crops, are rich 

 in carbo-hydrates, the fat-forming element, but deficient in protein, so that Alfalfa 

 is the best crop to balance up the fat-forming feeds. Corn and Alfalfa form the 

 ideal food for fattening all farm animals, one supplementing the other. Alfalfa 

 and Barley, Alfalfa and Wheat, or Alfalfa and Oats are all excellent combina- 

 tions. The diagram on this page shows the percentage of nutrients in an acre of 

 Alfalfa, compared with those in four other principal foods. 



Alfalfa naturally prefers a rich, loose limestone soil with a porous subsoil '■ 

 but it also grows and thrives on a variety of soils, and in many different climates- 

 Briefly, there are three essentials — the land must be drained if wet, it must be 

 sweetened with lime if acid, and there must be humus and nitrogen in the soil, 

 which may be easily supplied by barnyard manures, or green crops plowed under. 

 "When lime is not present in the soil, it must be supplied, the amount used being 

 1 ton of quicklime, or 2 tons of ground limestone per acre. 



The crop should be cut when the plants are about one-tenth in bloom, being 

 at that stage much more digestible than when older. Write for our pamphlet 

 "Alfalfa on Northern Farms," sent free to all applicants. 



GRIMM ALFALFA 

 The Hardiest Alfalfa Known 



DOMESTIC GROWN 



The attention of the Minnesota experiment station was called to this Alfalfa 

 in 1901 and by careful experimentation Grimm Alfalfa was found to be far superior 

 to common kinds in withstanding unfavorable winters. This strain of Alfalfa 

 seed not only endures extremely low temperature, but it can be cut with greater 

 safety in the fall, and will bear more abuse in the way of pasturage than any other 

 forage plant. Grimm Alfalfa has larger crowns, and a more spreading root system 

 than the ordinary Alfalfa. It is also claimed that it will yield from ten to fifteen 

 per cent more than any other variety, and will start and thrive in undrained wet 

 locations, where the ordinary sort was tried unsuccessfully. One of the charac- 

 teristics of the Grimm Alfalfa is that some of the plants produce peculiar greenish- 

 yellow flowers. The seed is high priced and it is rather hard to get the genuine 

 article. Sow 30 lbs. per acre. 



Price, purchaser paying transportation, lb. 70c; 10 lbs. $6.50; 25 lbs. $15.00; 

 100 lbs. $55.00. 



HENDERSON'S RECLEANED 

 NORTHERN GROWN ALFALFA 



(Medicago sativa) CORN 



SILAGE 



ALFALFA 



1 V2 Tons 

 (3.000 lbs.) 

 per acre 

 Digestible 

 Nutrients 

 46% equal 

 1380 lbs. 



CLOVER 



2 Tons 



(4,000 lbs.) 



per acre 



Digestible 



Nutrients 



46% 



equal 



1840 lb: 



SHELLED 

 CORN 



60 Bus. 



(3,360 lbs.) 



per acre 



Digestible 



Nulrients 



80% 



equal - 



2688 lbs." 



12 Tons 



(24,000 lbs.) 



per acre 



Digestible 



Nulrients 



16% 



equal 



3840 lbs. 



DOMESTIC GROWN 

 A Clover-like leguminous plant of great 

 importance as a hay and forage crop, 

 nutrious and rich in protein elements. It grows 2 to 5 feet high and sends roots 5, 10, 20, and sometimes 30 

 feet into the subsoil. It needs one season to become established, after which it yields 

 enormous crops annually for many years. 3 or 4 cuttings per season, aggregating 4 to 6 

 tons cured hay per acre, are harvested, according to conditions and locality. It does well on 

 all good, rich soils (except heavy clay), if well drained, or overlying a permeable subsoil; 

 on calcareous soil it thrives especially well. Alfalfa is one of the best 

 cover crops for orchards. Our strain of seed is grown in far Northern 

 regions, where plants have to endure extreme cold and still thrive 

 in those high altitudes. Our experience — and that 

 of our customers — has shown that such seed is un- 

 doubtedly the best for the North and Eastern States. TIMOTHY 

 Before offering this seed to our customers for sale, 

 it is thoroughly recleaned by the most modern seed 

 cleaning machinery. By this process we separate | 

 the sound, perfect seeds from all rubbish and light, 

 imperfect seeds. Sow in the Northern States during I 

 June, July or August, 30 to 40 lbs. of seed per acre if 

 broadcasted, 25 to 30 lbs. if drilled. In the South [ 

 sow in February or September. (See Engraving.) 

 Price, purchaser paying transportation, lb. 60c; 

 10 lbs. $5.60; 25 lbs. $12.50; 100 lbs. $45.00. Diagram Showing Digestible Nutrients of Five Principal Feeds on One Acre 



The Purchaser Pays Transportation Charges on Farm Seeds, Except Where Noted. 



