14 <B 





COPYRIGHT. l8Se. BY PETER HENOERSON. SCO 



{Medicago Sativ*.) 



There is no plant which can be fed green or cured into hay 

 that is deserving of wider cultivation than Alfalfa, and there is 

 ?io stale in the Union where itcannot be successfully cultivated. 



DEEP ROOTING. — Its drouth resisting qualities are re- 

 markable, rendered so by the wonderful root formation, THE 

 ROOTS GOING DOWN DEEPER THAN ANY OTHER 

 PLANT, eight to twelve feet being usual, and a depth of thirty 

 feet has been reported. The photograph, shov\ ing a caved off 

 embankment, gives a good idea of the remarkable roots. This 

 deep rooting quality enables it to reach and utilize fertilizer 

 that has leached beyond the reach of all other plants. 



LIME NECESSARY— One of the essentials for its suc- 

 cess is 1.UIK in some form, either in the soil or subsoil, and if 

 lime or marl is present, profitable crops may be expected. 

 Therefore, if it is known tliat there is no lime in the soil, it 

 should be applied as a top dressing when the land is being 

 plowed preparatory to sowing the seed. 



GOOD DRAINAGE is necessary, for an excess of surface 

 tvater soon rots the roots and under these conditions the plants 

 seldom live longer than one or two years, though excellent 

 results have been obtained on clay soils, provided always that 

 lime is in the soil or subsoil, either naturally or applied. 



YIELD. — When fulty established it yields as much as eight 

 1o twelve and sometimes as high as sixteen tons of cured hay 

 per acre at three to four cuttings each year. The hay is palat 

 able and very nutritious. 



By the New Jersey Experiment Station and other competent 

 authorities the feeding value of the hay is placed at $20. co as 

 compared with Timothy at $12.00 per ton. As a soiling plant 

 for cutting and feeding green during the summer, it is of the 

 utmost value on all dairy farms, as it is ready for first cutting 

 about the time for planting Corn and about as early as green 

 Rye can be cut, and is ready for cutting about every six weeks 

 thereafter. Alfalfa should be cut every time it begins 

 to blossom, whether the growth is short or tall, for if 

 allowed to form seed, it shortens the life of the plant. 



Owing to slow growth the hist season, almost the entire growth 

 going to roots, the land should be clean and free from weeds, 

 and it is, therefore, best to follow Potatoes, Corn or some other 

 crop that has been thoroughly hoed and kept free from weeds. 



TIME OF SOWING.— The best time to sow in this sec- 

 tion is in April, and if the land is thoroughly clean and free 

 from weeds, it may be sown broadcast, using 20 to 25 lbs. per 

 acre, and such weeds as appear kept down by the mowing 

 machine with the cutter bar raised so as to avoid cutting near 

 the crowns of the young plants. But, even under the most 

 favorable conditions the better plan is to drill the seed in rows 16 

 inches to 2 feet apart at the rate of 15 to 20 lbs., per acre. As 

 soon as the young plants are high enough to mark the rows, 

 cultivation should begin, and if the soil is kept clean and mel- 

 low by frequent stirrings, the Alfalfa if cut often and not 

 allowed to go to seed, will after the first year cover the ground 

 and easily keep ahead of all weeds. 18 cts. lb.; $9.00 

 bushel of 60 lbs.; $ij.oo per 100 lbs. 



