GARDEN MANUAL FOR THE SOUTHERN STATES. 



101 



ces3 and owing to its quick growth, it is 

 a very desirable variety. As a forage 

 plant it may be mowed twice and then 

 plowed under, thereby acting as a fertil- 

 izer and renovating the exhaisted soil. 

 In the Southern States Crimson Clover 

 should be sown in the months of October 

 and November. However, it may be 

 sown with good results as late as Janu- 

 ary or February and will produce a fine 

 crop. The demand for tnis variety of 

 Clover has increased considerably of late 

 years. From 10 to 20 pounds should be 

 sown per acre. 



Burr Clover. (Medicago Macculata). 

 This variety of Clover was brought from 

 Chili to California and thence to the 

 States under the name of California 

 Clover. It is often taken for Lucerne, 

 which name is wrongly applied. The 

 B'jrr Clover 'has only two or three yellow 

 blossoms in each, cluster, while the 

 Lucerne has many blue blossoms in an 

 elongated head. It furnishes good graz- 

 ing from February till April or May. It 

 is also good for hay. Thirty pounds to 

 the acre. 



Alfalfa or Lucerne. 



Alfalfa or Lucerne. (Medicago Sativa). 

 Alfalfa is a deep rooting perennial plant, 

 sending up numerous small clever like 

 shoots. The flowers are violet purple, 



and instead of being in dense heads, as 

 in red clover, are in erect racemes. The 

 seeds are in spirally coiled pods and 

 abundantly produced. The roots will 

 penetrate to a great depth and are known 

 to have gone 10 and 12 feet deep in 3 

 years growth. It has been recorded as 

 sending its roots to a depth of over 50 

 feet. Its great rooting accounts for its 

 long life and rapid growth, as it con- 

 sumes food, moisture and the leach of 

 fertilizers from depths entirely beyond 

 the action of the drought or heat, which 

 have been for years beycnd the reach of 

 ordinary plants. Where, 50 years ago, 

 sage-brush was the only sign of vegeta- 

 tion, now fields of green Alfalfa are rais- 

 ing the crops cf hay to feed sheep, hogs, 

 horses and cattle that are, every winter, 

 fattened to supply iiie market. It will 

 grow anywhere, from sea level to 7,500 

 feet elevation, provided the water does 

 not stand close to the surface of the 

 ground. It grows best in a rich sandy 

 loam, underlaid by a loose and permeable 

 subsoil. It is a heavy feeder on lime, 

 potash and phosphoric acid, but most 

 essentially on lime, which is so common 

 in this country, and which produces its 

 rapid growth. Alfalfa will thrive well in 

 any kind of soil except where it is wet; 

 it is a forage plant for dry lands and it 

 is known to have yielded one and two 

 crops a year, m places, v/here other crops 

 have failed entirely. Though it will do 

 best in a rich sandy loam, it stands 

 drought better than any other cultivated 

 grass. Alfalfa is grown more or less in 

 every State or Territory in the Union, 

 from the Atlantic to the Pacific coast; in 

 Canada in the North and in Mexico in 

 the South. Its use as a forage plant is 

 getting more and more every year. It 

 is is hardy and stands our winter better 

 than any other kind of clover. The seed 

 should be sown about one inch deep. 

 The seed does best planted here in 

 Louisiana in late fall, during September, 

 October or November, while it is planted 

 almost the year round. The way to plant 

 it to be successful is as follows: The 

 ground should be thoroughly plowed, 

 leaving no weeds. Plow first one way 

 and then crcssways, making thorough 

 drainage; allow no water to remain on 

 the seed beds or meadow, nor around 

 them. To be successful it should be 

 planted three consecutive years. The 

 first year, work as above with 30 pounds 

 of seed, broadcast. The second year, 

 about the same time, 20 pounds cf the 

 seed, without disturbing the ground. The 

 third year, about the same time, 15 

 pounds of seed, without disturbing the 



Plant Mexican June Corn, the greatest Corn for June, July and August planting. 



