16 



HEMDEIRSOM^S TESTED FAIRM SEEB^ 



HENDERSON'S NORTHERN GROWN ALFALFA 



MEDICAGO 

 SATIVA 



Yields Good Crops in all Sections of the United States. Is a most Efficient Hay' Producer and Soii-Enricher 



It has been well said that if "Corn is king," Alfalfa is the "queen of 

 forage plants " 



Yet Alialla growing in ths Northeast is not as universal as it should be, 

 although there has been a vast increase in the acreage devoted to its 

 cultivation. Alfalfa is a true leguminous plant, and a perennial, staying 

 on the land for many years. It sends down its long tap-roots into the 

 subsoil — five, ten, twenty, or even thirty feet, and utihzes the plant 

 foods contained 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 con- 

 stituents 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 h.ay producer it surely has no equal when once estab- 

 lished, as from three to four cuttings maybe had in a season, according 

 to conditions, totaUng 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 carbohydrates, the fat 

 forming element, but deficient in protein, so that 

 Alfalfa is the best crop to balance up the fat-form- 

 ing feeds. Corn and Alfalfa form the ideal food 

 for fattening all farm animals, one supple- 

 menting the other. Alfalfa and Barley 

 Alfalfa and Wheat, or Alfalfa and Oats 

 all excellent combinations. 



Alfalfa naturally prefers a rich, loose 

 limestone soU with a porous subsoil; but 

 it also grows and thrives on a variety of 

 soUs, and in many different climates. 

 Briefly, there are three essen- 

 tials — the land must be drained 

 it 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. 



CURING ALFALFA FOR HAY 



In the growth of any hay-producing crop there is just one short period 

 at which it can be harvested and good hay made from it, and when 

 that time has arrived we should not lose a moment's time in getting 

 the mowers in the field. A good deal more depends on hay being 

 made at the right time than the manner of harvesting the crop. When 

 is the best time to cut Alfalfa? This is an important question, and one 

 that every Alfalfa grower needs to study and master. Many fields 

 of Alfalfa are injured by the crop being cut too soon or left too long. 

 In my experience I have found that I can make an extra good quality of 

 hay by cutting the crop when it is about one-third in bloom. At this 

 time new growth has started from the bottom of the plants, which 

 is a good indication that the crop is ready to cut. It is very essential 

 that the crop be harvested immediately when this new growth appears, 

 and it should not be cut before that time, for if it is cut before these 

 buds or new shoots have been thrown out from the root the Alfalfa will 

 be at a standstill until it has time to make this new growth. It will 

 require about 10 days for the Alfalfa to start these buds or shoots, and 

 during that time troublesome weeds will make their appearance, the 

 Alfalfa in many cases will become of a yellowish color, and the following 

 (rop will inevitably be a shoit one. Hence we must not cut Alfalfa until 

 it hasj thrown out buds or new shoots near the root. Then 

 the new crop will start off vigorously and we shall soon 

 have a good growth for a second, third or fourth 

 cutting. If, however, we neglect to cut the Alfalfa 

 immediately after it has made this new growth 

 the plants will begin to throw their strtngth 

 to these buds, the main stalk will start to 

 crinkle down, and the hay will not be of 

 the best quality. If the first crop is not 

 harvested at all it will grow and pro- 

 duce seed, but the second crop will 

 not be as good as it would have been 

 had the first crop been removed, for 

 seed crop detracts a good deal 

 from the next cutting. 



Rural New Yorker, June 19, 191.3. 

 The time to sow in the North and 

 Eastern States is June, July or Au- 

 gust, 30 to 40 lbs. per acre if broad- 

 casted or 25 to 30 lbs. if drilled in; 

 the South sow in February or 

 September. (See engraving.) 



Price, 30c. per lb.; $15.75 per 

 bushel of 60 lbs.; $25.00 per 100 lbs. 



Full cultural instructions will be found in our booklet, "Alfalfa on Northern Farms," sent free to all applicants 



