78 



Richard Frotscher's Almanac and Garden Manual 



The following letter on "Alfalfa" or "Lucerne," has been written 

 by E. M. Hudson, Esq., a gentleman who is a close observer, and has 

 given the subject a great deal of attention, it will be found very instruc- 

 tive. 



Villa Friedheim, 



Mobile County, Ala., September 7th, 1878. 

 Mr. E. FEOTSCHEE, New Orleans, La. 

 Dear Sir : 



Your letter of the 3rd inst. has just 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 experiments 

 have been conducted on a naturally 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 Alfalfa 

 I sought the advice of the Editor of the Journal of Progress, Erofessor 

 Stelie, who informed me that, after attempting for several years to 

 cultivate it, he had desisted. He stated that the plant, at Citronelle in 

 this country, 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 first. Having procured some 

 seed in March 1876, 1 planted them on a border in my garden, and gave 

 neither manure nor work that season. The early summer here that 

 year was very dry ; there was no rain whatever from the 1st of June to 23rd 

 July ; and from the 2nd of August to 15th 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 November I dug 

 some of it to examine the habit of root-growth ; and to my astonish- 

 ment I found it necessary to go 22 inches below the surface to reach any- 

 thing like the end of the top roots. At once it was apparent that the 

 plant was by its very habit of growth, adapted to hot and dry climates. 

 It is indeed a "child of the sun." 



Encouraged by this experiment, in which I purposely refrained 

 from giving the Alfalfa any care beyond cutting it occasionally, last 

 year, I proceeded on a larger scale, planting both spring and fall, as I 

 have done again this year to ascertain the best season for putting in the 

 seed. My experience teaches that there is no preference to be given to 

 spring sowings over those of autumn, provided only, there be enough 

 moisture in the soil to make the seed germinate, which they do more 

 quickly and more surely than the best turnips. Two winters have 

 proved to me that the Alfalfa remains green throughout the winter in 

 this latitude, 25 miles north of Mobile and at an altitude of 400 feet 

 above tide-water. Therefore I should prefer fall-sowings, which will 

 give the first cutting from the 1st March to 1st April following. This 

 season niy finst catting was made on the first of April ; and I have cut 

 it since regularly every four or six weeks, according to the weather, 

 to cure for hay. Meanwhile a portion has been cut almost daily for 



