74 THE BOOK OF USEFUL PLANTS 



regions it goes far ahead of grass. In southern 

 California some irrigated fields yield ten tons to 

 the acre, where grass, with the same care, yields 

 two to four tons only. 



Nothing is more beautiful than a field of alfalfa 

 ready for cutting. The plants stand less than two 

 feet high, covering the ground with a velvet carpet 

 of dark green, tinged with the deep blue or purple 

 of the dense flower clusters, just beginning to show 

 their color. The plants branch thickly, and the 

 abundant foliage is made of clover-like, three- 

 branched leaves. A single flower is like a pea 

 blossom, and each ripens, if it gets a chance, an 

 interesting flat pod that coils itself as tight as a 

 watch spring. 



Alfalfa hay is cut when the flowers bud, and 

 before fibre hardens the succulent leaves. Care- 

 fully dried, the leaves make hay that is at its best. 

 The leaves are very rich in protein, the nitrogenous 

 element that builds flesh. The stems and flower 

 clusters are nutritious, too, but at haying time it is 

 the leaves, which shed badly if not properly dried, 

 that the farmer is most concerned about. 



Alfalfa fields make rich pastures, but hungry 

 cattle eat too much and get sick, if they have their 

 own way. Cattle-raisers feed the hay ground up 

 and added to corn and bran. Such a balanced 



