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 $60.00 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 al! 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. 75c.; 10 lbs. $7.00; 25 lbs. $16.25; 
100 lbs. $60.00. 
HENDERSON’S RECLEANED ALFALFA 
“GRIMM ALFALFA Fis) NORTHERN GROWN ALFALFA aa 
Makes a luxurious growth on ji (Medicago sativa) CORN 4 B Mesa 
soil upon which ordinary Al- +) y 
falfa will not thrive. DOMESTIC GROWN SILAGE (8,000 Ibs. ) 
Se A Clover-like leguminous plant of great : 
LI ; jot gar Vel 
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 -12<Tons Digestible 
feet into the subsoil. It needs one season to become established, after which it yields (24,000 ile) Nutrients 
enormous crops annually for many years. 3 or 4 cuttings per season, aggregating 4 to 6 SHELLED per acre: : 
tons cured hay per acre, are harvested, according to conditions and locality. It does well on CORN Digestible 53% 
all good, rich soils (except heavy clay), if well drained, or overlying a permeable subsoil; 8 ‘ equal 
on calcareous soil it thrives especially well. Alfalfa is one of the best Nutrients 4940 Ib 
cover crops for orchards. Our strain of seed is grown in far Northern * 60 Bus. 16%. 4 s. 
regions, where plants have to endure extreme cold and still thrive CLOVER i (3,360 Ibs.) equal 
in those high altitudes. Our experience—and that per acre 3840 Ibs. 
of our customers—has shown that such seed is un- Digestible g 
doubtedly the best for the North and Eastern States. TI MOTHY 2 Tons Natrients 
Before offering this seed to our customers for sale, (4,000 Ibs.) 
80% 
equal 
2688 Ibs. 
it is thoroughly recleaned by the most modern seed 1/2 Tons 
cleaning machinery. By this process we separate (3,000 Ibs.) 
the sound, perfect seeds from all rubbish and light, . per acre 
imperfect seeds. Sowin the Northern States during § Digestible 
June, July or August, 30 to 40 lbs. of seed per acre if Nutrients - 
broadcasted, 25 to 30 lbs. if drilled. In the South 46% equal 
sow in February or September. (See Engravtag.) _ 1380 Ibs. 
per acre 
Digestible 
Nutrients 
46% 
equal 
1840 Ibs. 
Price, purchaser paying transportation, lb. 65c.; 
10 lbs. $6.00; 25 lbs. $14.00; 100 Ibs. $55.00. Diagram Showing Digestible Nutrients of Five Principal Feeds on One Acre 
The Purchaser Pays Transportation Charges on Farm Seeds, Except Where Noted. 
