292 THE BOOK OF ALFALFA 



to afford a most congenial home for alfalfa. This crop 

 will endure severe freezing, provided the soil is sujfficient- 

 ly dry so that it has no tendency to *'heave." Land upon 

 which clover will ^'heave" undoubtedly contains too much 

 moisture for alfalfa. It seems to be able to endure the 

 rigors of winter better than clover, provided the moisture 

 conditions are favorable* 



RHODE ISIiANB, 



Dr, H. /. Wheeler, Director Rhode Island experiment 

 station. — ^Alfalfa culture in Rhode Island is a very uncer- 

 tain undertaking. A few persons have occasionally met 

 with some success, but the majority of experiments have 

 been failures because: (i) Most of the soil in this 

 state is too deficient in carbonate of lime to enable alfalfa 

 to succeed even if other conditions are favorable. (2) 

 It is occasionally almost destroyed by clover leaf spot. 

 (3) The general culture of alfalfa in this state cannot 

 be made successful even if all of the conditions aside from 

 the climate are made favorable. Farther north where the 

 snow falls before the ground freezes and remains until 

 the opening of spring, this plant can be grown success- 

 fully. Farther south where the changes are less severe, 

 the same is true. In Colorado and other places where 

 irrigation is practiced, if it is desired to get rid of a field 

 of alfalfa, the ground is flooded after it is frozen and the 

 freezing of water over the surface accomplishes what is 

 desired. In Rhode Island it not infrequently happens 

 that we have in winter a considerable fall of snow. A 

 warm southeasterly rain may fall which transforms it 

 very shortly into slush. In a few hours the temperature 



