92 Eicliard Frotscliers Almanac and Garden Manual 



The folloTTins: letter on ••Alfalfa" or ''Lucerne.'*' has been writ- 

 ten by E. M. Hudson, E-q., a gentleman wko is a close observer, 

 and has given the subject a great deal of attention, it will be 

 found very instructive : 



Villa Eeiedheevl, 

 Mobile County. Ala., September 7, 1S78. 

 Mr. E. Eeotscher, ^ew Orle-^ns. La.: 



Dear Sir : — Your letter of the 3d inst. has jusr reached me. and 

 i cheerfully comply with your request to give you the results of 

 my experiments with Lucerne or Alfalfa, and my opinion of it as 

 a forage plant for the South. 



I preface my statement with the observation that my experi- 

 ments have iDeen conducted on a natuarally poor, piney woods 

 soil (which would be classed as a sandy soil), varying in depth 

 from six inches to one foot. But I have a good red clay sub-soil, 

 which enables the soil to retain the fertilizers applied to it. thus 

 rendering it susceptible of permanent enriching. 



Three years since, when my attention was first directed to Al- 

 falfa, I sought the advice of the editor of the Journal of Progress, 

 Professor Stelle, who informed me that, after attempting for sev- 

 eral years to cultivate it, he had desisted. He stated that the 

 plant, at Citron elle, in this county, died out every summer, not 

 being able to withstand the hot suns of our climate. Discouraged 

 but not dismayed. I determined to test the matter on a small scale 

 at fi.rst. HaviDg procured some seed in March. 1876. I planted 

 them on a border in my garden, and gave nether manure nor 

 work that season. The early summer here that year was very 

 dry: there was no rain whatever from the first of June to the 23d 

 ot'july and from the 2d of August to the loth of November 

 not a drop of rain fell on my place. Yet during all this time, my 

 Alfalfa remained fresh, bloomed, and was cut two or three times. 

 On the 1st of November 1 dug some of it. to examine the habit 

 of root growth: and to my astoni^hment found it necessary to 

 go 22 inches below the surface to reach anything like the' end 

 of the top roots. At once it was apparent that the plant was. by 

 its very habit of grow-th. adopted to hot and dry cbmates. It is 

 indeed"^a -child of the sun."" 



Eucouragedby thi> experiment, in which I purposely refrained 

 from giving the Alfalfa any care beyond cutting it occasiisnally, 

 last year. 1 proceeded on a larger scale, jilanting both spring and 

 fa 1, as I have done agnin this year to ascertain the best season 

 for put'ing in the s-ed. My experience teaches that there is do 

 preference.to be given to sprang sowings over those of autumn 

 provided only, there be enough mois ure in the S'Ul to make the 

 seed germinate, which t-iCy do more quickly and more surely than 

 the best turnips. Two winters have proved tome that the Altaifa 

 remains green throughout the wi:.ter m this latitude. 25 miies 

 yorth of Mobile, and at an altitude of 4UU feet above tide-vater. 

 Therefore I shouhi prefer fall Sowing which wid give the fii\<t 

 cutting from the first of Mai ch to the 1st of April following. This 

 season my fir>tcut!ing was made on the 1st of April : ana I have 

 cut it since re^ularlv everv four or six weeks, accordingr to the 



