SE VT- TROPIC CA I. IFORXIA. 
Ajjtmtlhtrc, 
fitr>. (7 
ALFALFA. 
tRSTixi; com wr xu 
«*». SUIJCLtMt. 
L. Fkmi„<, , H],; flruod 
fit.— IJkau Sit:. Vn.trlei- 
if otir ■ (fM 1 
H. S, Orm.) containing inqulri.-. about nl- 
fnlfn, wn* Imiulml to iid* with the .,,,,1 
th»t I gi*e information nr* the n«»lijoot. 
Voii, I infer from your letter, make the iff. 
quirii'.i not in i-ontem plat ion of a migrating 
to ('alifornin, hut of a trial of 
conducive to the irmri»a*e of foil. Hnrtro 
— arid mu lee will do two-think foil work on 
alfalfa hay alone. The dairyman finds the 
j flow of milk of hi* alfalfa fed con * 4H0r.1t 
ntoM 1 erjoa! to that resulting from feeding red 
I clover in Juno. The r-onnoiancur of dairy 
product* detect* a betterment of quality 
l»y the addition of to tlm alfalfa rat, ,n, 
small allowance of hay uf a-mre other kind 
Siiftar beet* and even ...*..^1 wuntek *r,- 
addrd to tire alfalfa with advantage 
ifUftlity of the butter. Tim same remark* snd 
apply to red . b-veraa dairy feed. Sheep do s, , 
well on alfalfa, though better on mixed pm* 
wihl grasses. A rigor* nr mere crust* 
.i_i_1 .1 i, .. r . . 
are 11 aid* to mold ,0 the stack or !o 
here alfalfa i« teaa liable because it, 
'■( !• «« diameter dry out «.cti»r. , 
1* habU to he .polled by rain here- , 
forma for half the y#ar is’ramies* ft, 
*0 liahhy In the R*et, but of ,h r tv».. 
drying ♦xm.-r, may safely g,, ,„t<, ,h 
“tli»r til escape the. dm war ; m e*n 
given Mutant-* the nans# ahnwi 
clover hay goes into (Ha ham r>rvm 
oik Alfalfa tloonahea in 1 
where it is too warm fi,y r |ov 
is throughout a drought th, 
nd 
,., « Him VI aimiis III tnyi I I- f I . *■ 
region iironnd OhinAgo, I will, however, I ‘ »* Ihrve on alfalfa, but if left r--,t 
Htate facts nliont alfalfa in California, ul ,j;■ l|1 •**, will divide attend- • 1 
the alfalfa n 
Opinion* about it in Illinois. 
In order that you may know the origin 
°.f "l ,ul I know about alfalfa, it is meif- 
tween *.he sweetest alfalfa and the __ 
bitterest, thorniest and devest miseellsny «t 
the cbapparral. What i*, in thm particular, f->t 
drought and the 1 
reat, j root of the alfalfa varies 11 
ng to Circumstance*, fro 
he longer tap 
jrwif again*). 
ui>. The lap 
•ngih accord- 
t ion ml that f at the time when from one tu , <* oice ,,f ,l "’ *"*». 
leas degree ; The; 
"'•J. to twenty f, ► 
»ll Attested «m <d 1 
.. ■ ..■ ‘oiiir 1 .ifi-fi lion* one iu . . - - . ’ . 
hvo items to alfalfa for any oni* farmer , ,,ul . ,n * r degree a pan | !• -1 g-h Vlfalfa bin so. 
tnii. mi.... .1 .1 .. r ■ • 1 . of llatori- . ..11,11 . r, ...... 1 . tl... 1 . , 
measuret* the faith in ami use f.,r the plant I'.'f' 1; ‘i'‘ ,r ‘'' “'" i ' , ‘ f . v 1 
nrait ir. ;• r.rr-1 rf >« »'‘ff "* about 1 
•gone for thy sheep, j red c 
•'ll suited on alfalfa, hundreds of cattle a 
rca in ,1 single fluid; that I followed gl | K™'*'* " f dry, as on youiigand gri.wmgbarlay J falfa without 1. ,r.g 
e (i ft,... «.:.;.i .1 1 or wheat or on r,-d , , I.,. Kfe.Pl Ihrl (Ull n>..N,lS... .... 
tlm (ifty-acro sowing with other sowings-, 
that J have grazed it, mrwed it nml fed u, 
green, wilted and dry; that I have fed with 
it in these various ways, horses, mules, rat. 
tl«, sheep. Cashmere gouts, hog*, dairy 
cows, chickens, turkeys, geese and du.-ka. 
Sometimes a livelier appreciation of alfalfa 
is shown by wild duck* than comports with 
domestic economy, During the winter of 
nil exceptionally dry ycar, myriad* of wild 
ducks made nocturnal raids on the fifty 
ncre field. Their nightly return was but 
partially checked by occasional shotgun 
interruptions. 
t'OM bllSiONS tv ARKAXTKM 111 FMTIlIKM'l. 
Alter years of experience with nllalfa 
nml o!her fodder-plants in Onbforma and, 
extensive experience with fodder-planU 
other than alfalfa in the Hast, ii i, my de. 
liberate opinion that alfalfa is the best of 
all lor fodder. It yield* more than other 
plants, 11 greater number of crops each year, 
greater tonnage per mo wing, is well 
adapted to a greater variety of domestic 
animals, ami more readily and ben-di, ,.,l|y 
responds to the digestive and assimilative j {minis intUh 
propmm. ' • * ' 
r M LllClt AND TOXNAOK 
wheat or on rvd elover. The K**e\ mil . 
the Berkshire, the m..re cloa»ly boilttbeb. i »i 
wr after three months old, will thrive 
urAirt xiui 
I frar that your winter* *rr 
The extreme fiortl 
i-« ' alfalfa diverge, northward* a* • 
■tore hogs, ami get exc«l!enUy ready fur * for alfalfa. My ,|-ubt - 1 
sixty days' fiaiahing on gram, tluwevrr nut ,Uter you lr>n» nulni g an 
much coin you give a hog ho will, if p, Vmir blanket d «no* w. 
milted, abend hours daily in the alfal fa | prated ton to alfalfa 
field, or feeding on alfalfa h»y—and con- to wheat, 
trary to the opinion of some, the hog thru r« [ alfalfa div 
more on the corn berause of the alfalfa, pmachto ihw A 
and as all agree, thrives more on the alfalfa ward tiirru 1* m 
because of the coni. To test tbw exunpar* erly ha iding of the o 
live availability of the nutritive prop*rtic« T‘ ‘ 
of alfalfa and any other bay, one has only ' al. 
to feed a pig on alfalfa hay and sec him »t*> 
thrivo, and on any hay except alfalfa or in 
clover, and see him dwindle and perhaps 
perish. 
Poultry, however inurh grain ot dough auhmeni 
they receive, will spend a jaTtion of every warmth, 
day in the neighboring alfalfa field, cram me 
mlng with alfalfa leave* 
ktly 
CUHrLIlHOX Of ALFALF A Wl III Kat>l 
Alfalfa is a speck*, or more 
speaking, a variety within a »j»*c»*'a 
•ti. ?*,> are the white and 
(red clovers. Alfalfa •• supeiK«r to white 
o» to red clover in many respect*, and 
iai tine 
•real r 
ng the lake shore where water never 
ids oa the aurfave lunger th«o Ten day* 
winter, nor morn than tbrwa Java lit 
■m weather. Alfalfa, i-ka otlurr plants 
j half lead with cold, wdl survive long, r 
11 than when fatly olive with 
At sain l' May has had the !»*t 
■y as law aa t‘i u ahwva »*n«, sow the 
alfalfa seed. Prepare the ground hy fr»- 
iiueut furrowing*, *nd then s.»w and lurr-.w 
The , 
i how >hallow to g-H 11 
tha 
In l,o* Angeln* coipity six, vvi'tl and j ferior in ni nr. with the amgle rxvrption 
even eight mowings of front one to ifir*--! that the northern limit of ib >lovers 
■ l lor mowing of alfalfa are annually j a higher latitude than that of alfalfa. Tic 
yielded. I hose mowings arc made from ‘ ChuMg-s inquirer i* deeply mi. d n 
March to November inclusive. There k . ilic aubici t of the degrt.I c. Id eloeh al- 
outtblderablo growth of alfalfa her.- during ! ,«Jfa m«v .urine \H I can rav lnun 
Il.n-cmbvr, January and K.-bruary I'hr ,..,ml ot-wrrvatmn 1* that I have «su ali i a 
equivalent uf one full crop I noted « conn nit luxnr viitly in May near Salt 
growth of one loot in thirty d«y«, ending! Dike t ’lty, where the r-o»t* had rawed ! 
.latiUHiT 111, 1XXI Twenty five day* u\ . through a'winter in whir.h tl-.r mercury fell : 
June would llAVw brought out of tin* name I tn trn drgreva below *-ro. I ike •«» 
ground from two and a half to three tmiea similar llliiatratcoa of »h^ capacity of *1 
tlm production. During our summer l»lf* to lluurish after pawing ivJJ snaps ol 
months alfalfa may be mown every mouth. (icu degrees below /.•■<•<• east cf Salt f-aio- 
M n:m\ 1 iji ,vi iiikhui- iuc vx. il'ity, an 
l he chemist 111 ln« laboratory find* the j railroad, 
percentage or nutriment in unV hundreri 
pounds of alfalfa hay, about equal to the 
nutriment he finds in one hundred po aids with cl- 
of the best Knglish hay, Tho horse finds j sticks that 
deep hy half; 
is tli* best, one vtglith will 
g>i«'autm uf tn daily »h 
j rn ghl ba s»wt> on frwihly In 
1 ram do-pa to do the 
Svr pounds of seed to It 
enough, and thirty pound- 
The hay crop is sard to 
tbau tin* cotton ce.p. A * 
schI. 
urh 
a id (I 
I 1 
the alfalfa more slrviigtlnming ami more I reject. 
‘itv, and on tlm Into of tha Pi 
The second crop, 
rely Bah*alps. No cm 
aali vatws. Tha man 
bu< there , 
-perlv alio want 
f red - 
1 Pacific' 
th* Nath 
Would 
us Would (to added 
alfalfa 
fills up ’- 
ll,,t 
;Vo- 
ml 1 
