Big Growth of Legumes 
Plants of Cossack Alfalfa and Sweet Clover 
T he jiliints of Alfalfa and Sweet clover shown 
on the first i)ajre were jrrown at Iloiie Farm, 
in Northern New Jerse.v. They are not the largest 
siieciniens which could have been dug—we lau find 
others at least IS inches longer. These were dug ou 
.Tune 17. the Alfalfa just iu hloom. The man iu 
the iiictnre is five feet eight aud oue-half inches iu 
height, aud this gives a fair idea of the length of 
the plants. 
In his left hand he holds a plant of Sweet clover. 
Three years ago the seed w.as drilled into good soil 
the e.-irly p.art of .Tul.v. The first crop has been cut. 
and the .second permitted to m.-ike seed. The plant 
shown c.ime up from seed sc.ittered from the crop 
last year. The growth of Sweet clover when it once 
becomes firmly established is remarkable. "We can¬ 
not nuderst.-iud how such an enormous growth can 
l>e made from this small root. We find the Sweet 
clover very u.sefnl as a mauurial crop, or for mulch¬ 
ing an orchard. When small it makes a tine pas¬ 
ture. Of the si/e shown iu the picture it is not of 
much value fur hay. but when cut at 
about 40 inches high it makes go(Hl hay. 
The Alfalfa held in the right h.and 
is a single ])lant of Cossack tr.ans- 
]il;inted three years ago. The snmll 
seedling root—about as large as ;i 
le.-id pencil—came from South Dakota 
by express, and was transplanted 
...about as we would cabbage, putting 
the crown of the plant down to the 
surface of the ground, '\^'e simply 
stuck I'oots into the ground thi-ee feet 
ap.-irt each way. The soil is naturally 
li.ard .and tough, 'and the Alfalf.-i Inis 
bad no fertilizer and little care. The 
grass and weeds have worked in. and 
in many jilaces the ground is red with 
sorrel. Yet the iilants keep ou .grow¬ 
ing as shown iu the iiictnre. l*;ir- 
ticular attention is called to the big 
branching I'oof on this plant. All 
who iiave handled the common Al¬ 
falfa know that it niakc's a sin.gle 
(leeii tap-root, but has few surface 
fet'der.^. The ('ossack also roots 
deeply, but has a system of upiier 
roots Avhich feed on the uiiper soil, 
and .'securely anchor the jilant to the 
ground. We considci- this form of 
root sysimu a great advantage under 
our conditions. As for the economy 
of tran.s])lanting Alfalfa we do not 
advi.se it for held culture. Du small 
places, and jiai-ticnlarly on poultry 
farms, we think it can be made* to 
liay. Let any man (-onsider what the 
season’s growlb <if such a plant as 
the one heri' shown would amount to. 
'J’his tirsl growth is about siv feet ; 
the total for tlu' s(*ason. uith good 
c.are. would be at least 44 feet. Com- 
liare this with the fei'ding value of a 
hill of corn and J'enaMnber that the 
corn must he renew(*d each year, 
while the Alfalfa jilant will produce 
regularly for eight to ten years! 
B/>c RURAL NEW-YORKER 
ard grains and grasses that will flourisii on the 
place, and we never need reco.gnize the feedstore 
man. except to sell him the surplus. 
S(^^^ IN(r MIXEI) (5RASS SEED.—Tlie aim is 
never to have pure ha.v. When sowing Alfalfa seed 
there is a haif peck of clover. Alsike and Timothy to 
each bushel, and that amount of the others with each 
bushel of clover seed. The bags are set on a table 
or box with a two-qnart measure in the clover or 
the Alfalfa hag. and a pint cup on the others. The.se 
measures are poured in a big tin bucket, mixed 
and emptied in a liag. This .gives us a hay of 
variety and. further, it gives us more of it. because 
the other plants assert themselves and crowd iu 
to make a larger, finer yield. Also, the whole place 
is inoculated with Alfalfa, and iu onr Timothv field. 
« * 
cut six seasons, there are Alfalfa plants growin.g 
all over it. T have advised men to mix seed amt 
heard them say. “That only adds to the exiiense." 
Tt does, but I am satistied we have four tous extra 
for ,‘in investment of three or four doll.ars. and the 
ha.v is better. 
N.VTEIflO TllAC’IlES.—'\^'atch an animal eating 
and yoit will see it browse around, picking a inonth- 
A Baitcru of Hap Loaders in Clover. Fiff. J/W 
Remember the Clover 
Totnaloes at a l^oiitlieni Neir Jerseii Port, Fif/. ti20 
A W l',l'.,K Ad ('L<)^ I'.lf II.VY.—'I’his was a .grand 
week for haying, and we u.sed it. Nothing is 
ton .good for our sheeji. and a ‘Jo-ton mow of line, 
green, well-cni-ed clov(‘r. Alsike, Alfalfa and Tiniotliy 
is fdled for them, d’he first named is in the ma¬ 
jority. Another mow opposite, of the same size, was 
half filled with Alfalfa last week, and now this 
evening of June l.d we are fixi'd for happy animals 
next Winter. Later cuttings of Alfalfa will fill 
fhe other mop-, hut we are in fine shape this early, 
so let it rain. Our 10 acres of clover gave us 
2r» 
tons for the sheep, with ei.ght in tlie horse barn, and 
the eight acres of Alfalfa will ,^ield about 20 tons. 
'Tinm we expect clover seed. or. if not another cut- 
ling of nic(‘ sweet ha.v, a benelit fiom early cutting, 
d'his will appear too late for readers this .^■ear. but 
as they think or work at their own. perhaps they 
can get some idea.s of Avorth that have come to us 
since the time Ave operated clover like the “avm-a.go 
farmer.” Take this vieAviioint. If a man sat down 
to three meals, each the same, of one or two articles, 
he Avould make troubli*. but if he AA-ere only alloAved 
one dish for months, he Avonid net“d a jiadded cell. 
He Avants variety, and .so does an animal. It is 
cruel to feed but one or two materials, and it is 
unprofitable. Our rule is noAv to huAe all the stand- 
fnl hei'e and there, nijipin.g a A\eed. briar, bush, and 
sampling all tlie different grasses. Alsci, nature 
never .grows a forest of one kind of trees, nor a 
grass lii'ld of one kind of grass. It may look the 
same, but thei-e are scores of varieties, and by this 
Ava.v jirodnces more and better. I Avould ask consid¬ 
erable boot to exchan.ge onr mows for any kind of 
IHire ha.A'. When the stock find it in tlieir mangers 
the.A' can Inn-e a selection like in the pasture, and 
the different kinds mow-cured together, give it all 
a better flavor. 'I'he one-variety plan, either of hay 
or grain, sends a man to the feedstore for a balanced 
ration, and a sorry i-ation it sometimes is compared 
to the good stnIV he might .grow at home. Instead 
of buying feed, if one can possibly dn it. a ladter 
plan is to buy f(‘rtilizer and .groAv giKul and jnire 
Aarh'ties of L'cd. 
OSLERIZED FARMERS.— When the writer Avas 
youn.g, f(nv num ovm- .Id years old ijid much on fh(‘ 
farms excejit the chores, but they must kei'p busy 
now. We have had a nice Aveidc as I lock back uoav. 
Saturday evening, at the desk, and mentally smell 
jind s('e till' ha.A" mows. T be.gan to b(» a hand in 
1N()0. and now forkfuls hurt Avhen they go above 
m.v head, but shocks pile as neatly and ipiickly as 
ever, while it is fun to feel oneself an artist Avith 
85 i 
a iiitchfork. I Avurk in Avhere I can make a hand 
adjustin.g ropes and forks, raking, shocking, cle:ining 
up the barn floor, sharpening knives, etc. Here I 
remark that I never use a grindstone on them. T 
turned the cranks on mean old stones for scythe.s 
and knives that men rested on. and Avill alwa.A's hate 
the sight of a grindstone. I have a lug carborundum 
Avhetstoiie, and can fix the .sections better and 
fluicker than Avith any grindstone. We have had a 
pleasant AA'eek. and it i>leases me to reA'ieAA- it, .and 
it also strikes me Iioaa’ man.A-. anil hoAA- A'aried are 
the things I can find to do about the place anil the 
Clops. 
HOR.'sE SORREL. —Our ground is about as full 
of red .sorrel .seed as men are of theories about the 
pest. I IniA-e never seen nor heard anything Avorth 
a button about either its prevention or cure. lA-ery- 
thing eAer ailA'i.sed has been usele.ss. Tribulation 
scatters it and makes it thriA'e. SAA'eetening soil to 
kill it is a humhu.g. Lime makes it groAv luxuriantly. 
It is a mean little short pest, but Avhere Ave lime for 
Alfalfa, and the set misses. I can sIioaa' it l.ving 
along the ground in mats. Avith stalks ne.-irly three 
feet long. Our dirt is so full of it that if an enemy 
• wants to soAv more he is Avelcmnc. 
Tliere are just tAvo AA’ays to be.-it it—■ 
either haul the soil off clean and be¬ 
gin doAvn deep on the sub.suil. or groAv 
things that Avill smother it or make 
it groAv spindly. It has no shinv at 
all in our Rlue-gras.s. and the clover 
set is so thick that the Aveak .sorrel 
filants are only plentifid enough for 
feed. There is Avhere mixed and lib¬ 
eral seeding comes in aa'cII. The sor¬ 
rel has .so much to contend Avith that 
it gets discouraged, .\bout half the 
AA'eeds that groAA' can be smothered 
Avith cloA-er. T am .a heretic on many 
long-draAvn theories advanced to 
teach us Iioav to farm. Here is 
another. 
AI.FALFA THEORIES.—T notice 
the -Vlfalfa subject dl.sciissed. and 
many iininiries. oral and Avriftmi, 
come to me about its ]irofits. AVe 
griiAV it because Ave Avant A'ariefy, but 
at least four of five Alfalfa fields 
east of the Mississijiiii are expensive 
luxuries. I speak from knoAvledge. 
Sim-e onr good friend .Toe AA’ing is 
gone, it is not likely that anyone has 
had a better chance fo knoAA' nf its 
groAvfh on all kimls of snll in these 
State.s. I AA'as associated Avith him 
Avhen he Avas young. Avith a ]iatch, 
dreaming and ho])ing of a grand 
groAVth in the East, as he had seen 
it in fhe West. I Avas in his fields 
later, and in hnndi'eds of patches and 
fields of others aaIio Avere bound fs 
succeed. I Avas sales manager nf a 
good fertilizer concern and furnished 
the fertilizer, studying and hoping 
for succe.ss so Ave could sell more stnfl' 
for it and other crops. I had to 
learn, and my .advice iioav to the 
man Avho can groAV clover is to groAV 
it Avell, in a rotation, .and treat Al¬ 
falfa and every other substitute as 
of minor imiiortance. The only ex¬ 
ception to this is tlie land-OAvner Aviio 
has deefi, rich .soil. Avitli plenty of natural lime, or 
liniestiine pebbles in it. and a Avafer table. Avifh 
Avater there, six to 20 feet beloAV the surface. Every 
readei- knoAvs Iioav it has been coddled and petted 
on fhe best dirt available, by intelligent farmers, 
bonnd to succeed, and they knoAv of enough failures 
and partial failures to prove its nncei-tainty. If it 
Avere not an unreliable endeavor, Avith the volumes 
siioken and Avi-itten ou it. the extra labor and ex¬ 
pense applied to it. by the mosh advanced men in 
every locality, and if it had the value claimed fur 
it. there avouUI he notliing else groAvn iu the Fnited 
States today. Let me shoAV you hinv reading in¬ 
fluences us. Hoav many articles have you seen mi 
the clover subject in the past 40 years? There has 
been a dearth of discussion, and the younger genera¬ 
tion knoAvs little about it. The proiiagandas for 
commercial feeds. Alfalfa, silos, croim separ.iturs. 
.^oy beans and tractors have Avorked full time to 
some purpose, and had the help of most of onr agri¬ 
cultural teachers. Every one of these thin.gs is good 
in its iilace. but they have smothered clover, some¬ 
thing more valuable than any of them. l‘ractic;il 
farmers, carried aAvay Avith them, have neglected 
clover, the one thing needful, and .seed av.-is AVorth 
.^22 a bushel last Spring. Avith no export [lossibie. 
