1911 
ALFALFA THE SOUTHERN “MOSES.” 
A Fine Crop in Tennessee. 
I am sending you a cut (Fig. 62) of Alfalfa grown 
oil Crowell Farm, Hamblen Co., Tennessee, that is 
now past four years old. It was mown five times dur¬ 
ing season of 1910, producing six tons of barn-cured 
hay per acre for the season. This crop is growing 
on Haggerstown red clay soil, which is the most 
valuable soil type in east Tennessee. Long continued 
grain cropping had reduced this soil to such an extent 
that no farm crop could be grown on it at a profit. 
The first step in successfully establishing an Alfalfa 
meadow on this soil is lime. Second, deep and thor¬ 
ough cultivation, seeding August 1 to September 1, 
using 2i) pounds (the best) Alfalfa seed 
per acre, adding 250 to 350 pounds 16 
per edit acid phosphate with 100 pounds 
of muriate of potash carrying 50 per 
cent of potassium and 50 pounds nitrate 
of soda; these three thoroughly mixed 
and applied at time of seeding. 
We have no need to use any form of 
so-called inoculating bacteria, nor the 
soil from an Alfalfa meadow. Japan 
clover or Lespedeza seems to have ren¬ 
dered this unnecessary. If burned lime 
is used one to V/z ton is sufficient, pro¬ 
vided it be magnesium lime made from 
dolomite limestone. If calcium car¬ 
bonate is used, which in my section is 
made from marble, two to 2 x /> tons 
would be advisable, for it must be re¬ 
membered that magnesium carbonate 
has more power to correct soil acidity 
than lias calcium carbonate, hence it is 
that long ago magnesium carbonate was 
known as “hot lime,” and a less amount 
should be used. Red clover grew 4 T 4 
tons of hay per acre the season of 1910. 
This 14^4 acre field was limed also, 
without which such a crop of clover 
would not have grown. As an experi¬ 
ment we placed a few Alfalfa seeds on 
this field at the time it was seeded to 
glover, selecting in each case the. thin- 
• nest places. Result, these Alfalfa seed- 
ings are now growing, looking strong 
and healthy, while the Red clover is al¬ 
most all gone, it being a biennial at 
best. We are feeding* 40 head of beef 
cattle for the Spring market and we find 
that Alfalfa and clover hay with corn 
crushed, husk and all, makes the best 
combination we have ever tried for put¬ 
ting on flesh and fat. We see to it that 
stalls are kept well bedded with wheat 
straw, and we make immense amounts 
of manure, which is carted to the fields 
mostly in need of it, as fast as made 
and the weather will permit. So here, 
my dear Hope Farm man, is “the Moses 
that will deliver the South from poverty- 
stricken bondage,” lime, legumes and 
live stock. All hail the day when this 
truth will be driven home and safely 
lodged in the minds of our farming 
communities. Then and only then will 
happy contentment be found in each 
farm home, and here is the foundation 
on which our national institutions rest. 
For it must be remembered that no na¬ 
tion of peoples has long remained pros¬ 
perous under systems of declining agri¬ 
culture. o. P. N. FOX. 
Tennessee. 
R. N.-Y.—Good, but do you not need 
drainage? The “Moses” is all right, 
but why be so bashful as to keep him 
back away from the railroads? A little 
“playing to the galleries” will do all 
hands good. We should impress the 
capabilities of both men and soil on those as yet un¬ 
familiar with the field we are interested in. 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
life, $800 would have been a top price for him. Now 
as to the stallion dealer who sold this horse, perhaps 
no one but himself will ever know how much he re¬ 
ceived of the $2,400, for if this company was formed 
as they have been in the past 20 years throughout 
the United States, there were many things that had 
to be attended to. In this particular case I assume 
that the salesman was an agent for the sale of this 
certain horse, and the stallion was turned over to him 
at a price, to be paid for when this man sold him. 
In most cases, a salesman would have gone to 
one or two of the most influential farmers in the 
neighborhood and told them that he needed their 
assistance in forming a company, and that if they 
187 
3 FT 
A NON-TWISTING FENCE POST. Fig. 60. 
A KANSAS DOG THAT LEADS CATTLE. Fig. 61 . 
THAT HORSE COMPANY SCHEME. 
How It Is Worked. 
It seems strange that after all that has been written 
about stallion salesmen going into a farming com¬ 
munity and selling a second-class stallion at three 
times his worth, it is still possible to do this in a 
State like New York. There is an old saying that is 
certainly as true to-day as it was a hundred years 
a £° sucker is born every minute, and one was 
ne\er known to die.” This quotation seems very 
applicable to the company that paid $2400 for the 
stallion described on page 89. In the first place, there 
are only a few stallions that are worth $2400, and 
$ 1^00 should buy a good enough horse for anyone, 
and if the photograph of this $2400 horse is true to 
A TENNESSEE ALFALFA FIELD. Fig. 62 . 
would go into it they would lie presented with their 
stock; in other words, when they signed their names 
to the note the cash would be paid to them. With 
two good names leading the list the rest is easy for 
a good “flannel-mouthed salesman.” Next, the banker 
must be seen, and a long time note is probably sold 
close to a 20 per cent discount. The selling company 
perhaps realized $1200 for their stallion, the agent 
perhaps received $500 for his trouble, and is now 
making similar sales in another locality. 
As to the income from this $2400 horse, in Virginia 
these company stallions are kept by members of the 
company at $12 a month, and a man hired to “carry” 
the horse for three months in the Spring at $25 a 
month. If he is a fair horse he should be allowed 60 
mares, and should realize 45 colts, and on this basis 
the net income after paying interest should amount 
to $473. _ F. W. OKIE. 
Virginia. 
How to Buy a Stallion. 
I read with much interest J. Grant Morse’s account 
of the organization of his horse company, on page 89. 
This is not a new story. It is an all too common one, 
both at the present time and in the past. The trans¬ 
action is quite legal, but it is hardly fair to charge a 
lot of men $2400 for an $800 or $1,000 horse, and to 
have four or five good men sign a joint note along 
with many others whose signatures are of no value at 
the local banks. It is too ‘bad that some communities 
will not buy a good horse until a smooth horse peddler 
comes along with a horse, an organizer, a tricky con¬ 
tract and a joint note. It suggests some of those co¬ 
operative creamery schemes we hear of. A better way 
is to organize the company first, agree on 
the cost of the stallion and send one or 
more good men who arc judges of the 
type of horse that is wanted to sales 
barns of the horse breeders or importers. 
You can get your choice of a horse in 
this way, and at a big saving in cost. 
Each member of such a horse company 
pays cash for his share in the horse, or 
gives his individual note, with security 
if needed, and tliere need be no mis¬ 
understandings or legal squabbles. If 
the selecting committee who go to pick 
out a horse are good horsemen and have 
some business sagacity, and take time to 
look about a little, they should easily 
be able to get a good horse worth the 
money, but in some cases-of this kind 
the prices seem too high. Two horse 
companies in this county have high- 
priced stallions, both Percherons. One 
cost $2,000 and another $3,000, but the 
latter horse was peddled, I believe. 
Though these tricks of the trade are 
legal, they are nevertheless wrong, and 
sooner or later react to the injury of all 
purebred live stock. It is really too bad 
that such a good horse as the Belgian 
came to the neighborhood in such a 
Way and with such companionship. 
Ohio. VV. E. DUCKWALL. 
The Horse Died; Few Colts. 
I was very much interested in the 
article written by Mr. Morse on the first 
page of January 28 issue. There was a 
company started here about 20 years 
ago in very much the same way, with 
results very much as Mr. Morse pic¬ 
tured them. There were five or six 
who were responsible men who had the 
horse to pay for. I don’t think, as I re¬ 
member it, that he ever got enough colts 
to pay his keep. The horse died in a 
few years, but there were very few colts 
ever raised from him. f. f. 
New Jersey. 
An Old-Time Experience. 
J. Grant Morse's description of “Our 
Farmers’ Horse Company" revives afresh 
my experience with a horse company 
about 20 years ago; I started in with 
the same experience as Mr. Morse. All 
went nearly the same; the agent pre¬ 
sented the joint note for me to sign. 
I told him no; he finally gave that up 
and wanted cash. I again told him no. 
Then finally lie wanted me to give him 
my individual note. I told him I would 
give him nothing nor sign anything, but 
would come to the meeting, about four 
miles away on a certain day. The horse 
was to be there. I went; when I got 
there the horse was at Afton, and the 
meeting was to be there. I refused to go 
any farther. I vied hard to get others 
to stand with me, but they had signed the 
joint note and I could not get them to go with 
me, but the next thing I knew I was ordered to 
appear at Delhi. Then I got busy and made up 
my mind I could go to Afton to the meeting. 
Arriving there I found some of the company had 
thought best to have legal advice and had em¬ 
ployed a lawyer, who was a friend of mine. I told 
him how matters stood. He told me not to pay them 
one cent, and he would see me through, and lie did ; 
when it came to trial the judge would not even let 
the case go to the jury, but decided in my favor, and 
the company that was selling the horse had costs to 
pay. Mv expenses were about $8 in cash and some 
lost time, but altogether I called it a good investment, 
as I think it taught me a good lesson, and I am quite 
positive there was not one of the other 11 men that 
came out as well as I did, as but few colts were 
raised from the horse, not enough to pay exnenses, 
and 1 know several lost nearly the whole amount. 
New York. e. c. birdsall. 
