— 4 — 
ing assigned to Spain and France, the Palatinate, and other 
portions of Europe. He adds: It may possibly have been 
originally a native of Europe, continuing to be disregarded 
until it was imported into Greece from the East after Darius 
had discovered it in Media, whence its name. It has been 
culivated “time immemorial” in the southern countries of 
Europe, and French Lucern seed was imported into Eng¬ 
land about 1650, but it was entirely neglected for many 
years, and in 1765 the fact that a farmer in Kent had four¬ 
teen acres of it was a matter worthy of mention. Lucern, 
he continues, has been greatly celebrated for increasing the 
milk of kine, but Haller, who certainly knew it well, asserts 
that cattle are apt to grow tired of it and that they are sub¬ 
ject to be blown by it. 
The culture of this plant by the Greeks is mentioned in 
their literature for about four and a half centuries, from the 
time of Theophrastus, 381 B. C., to that of Dioscorides, 
in the first century of the Christian era, and by the Roman 
writers through a period of about two and a half centuries 
from the time of Virgil, to that of Palladius, at the 
end of the second century, A. D. If the Persians, under 
Darius, introduced the Medick into Greece from Media, 
it would fix its date of introduction at about 490 B. C. I 
have not found any date given for its introduction into the 
Roman provinces. Its culture in Italy, however, has not 
been continuous down to the present time. Matthioli, writ¬ 
ing in 1558, states that he had never seen it growing (in 
Italy), but adds: “ It is related that it is abundantly culti¬ 
vated in Spain where it is known by the Arabic name, Al¬ 
falfa.” This name came with the Spaniards to this conti¬ 
nent and has been borrowed by us directly from the Chil¬ 
ians, who, according to Prof. Hilgard, introduced it into Cal¬ 
ifornia in the early fifties (1854). It was first introduced 
into this State in 1862 ,the seed being imported from Cali¬ 
fornia, which continued to be the source of our seed supply 
for several years. It has since been introduced into the con¬ 
tiguous states and territories. 
CULTURE. 
The Kansas State Board of Agriculture published,in 1894 
a report devoted to Alfalfa, or Lucern, being for the most 
part answers given to a series of questions sent out by the 
Secretary of the Board, by various alfalfa growers in Cali¬ 
fornia, Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, Washington, Oregon, 
Arizona, New Mexico, Nebraska and Kansas, arranged by 
states and counties. The results given have, without doubt, 
been arrived at independently in the various regions and 
