LEGUMES 



Legumes are important to grassland agriculture because they provide 

 nutritious feed for livestock and have the ability to enrich the soil by taking 

 nitrogen from the air and fixing it in the soil. This soil improvement re- 

 sults from tiny Rhizobia bacteria that live on the roots of legumes, their 

 presence and beneficial activity there being evidenced by nodules that form 

 on the roots. Since these bacteria may not exist in the soil, it is advisable to 

 inoculate legume seed, just before planting, with a liquid or humus culture 

 of a specific kind required to provide maximum assurance of root nodule 

 development on the seedling legumes. 



The forage legumes included in this report are perennials, biennials, 

 and annuals, and can be used alone or in mixtures with various grasses. 

 Almost all of the legumes mentioned are palatable to livestock. 



ALFALFA 



Alfalfa is among the most palatable and nutritious of the forage 

 legumes. It is grown in every State, which indicates its remarkable 

 adaptability to a wide range of climatic and soil conditions. The greatest 

 acreages are found in Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, South Dakota, 

 Nebraska, Kansas, and California. Although different varieties are adapted 

 to different climatic conditions, all varieties do well on deep loams with 

 open, porous, well -drained subsoil. None do well on acid soils. A heavy 

 feeder, alfalfa requires an abundance of available plant nutrients for best 

 growth. Alfalfa hay is rich in proteins, minerals, and vitamins. Large 

 tonnages of this high-yielding legume are dehydrated for meal. It also is 

 used for pasture and is a highly effective conservation crop. 



Until about 1950 common alfalfa and uncertified seed of named 

 varieties comprised the greater part of the alfalfa seed produced and 

 marketed in this country. Common alfalfa seed was, and is, usually desig- 

 nated by the name of the State or area in which it is produced. These 

 alfalfas and named varieties differ in their winter hardiness and in other 

 characteristics. The genetic purity, hence the traits, of a given variety 

 can best be maintained by growing the seed under seed certification, which 

 requires sufficient isolation to guard against cross pollination with other 

 varieties. Thus, the use of certified seed is the best guarantee of getting 

 genetically pure planting stock which will give satisfactory performance. 

 If common or uncertified seed is to be used, it is advisable to obtain seed 

 that has been grown where the winter temperatures approximate those of 

 the area in which it is to be seeded. 



Several new alfalfa varieties have been developed and released in the 

 United States since 1940. Availability of seed has been increasing rapidly 

 since 1950. 



Ranger is resistant to bacterial wilt, a serious disease of alfalfa, 

 and is relatively cold resistant. It has no yield advantage over other 

 alfalfas where wilt is not a problem. Its range of adaptation is 

 bounded on the south by a line that runs through central New Jersey, 



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