— 6 — 
persons making this claim is so evident, that there is no 
need of any explanation, still it may be stated that they do 
not claim that there will be more or less plants to the acre, 
but plainly that the stand will be sufficient to produce as 
large a crop in the one case as in the other. Some claim 
that the vitality of the alfalfa seed is at best small and that 
the shrivelled seed produce puny plants which are even less 
likely to survive the first summer than plants from plump 
seed of which, in ordinary field culture, very many perish. 
Much stress is laid by some writers upon the necessity 
of growing the plants in a deeply prepared bed and rather 
abundant water supply during the first year, in order that 
they may establish themselves thoroughly, i. e., send their 
tap roots down deep into the soil. This suggestion has 
much force as applied to the conditions obtaining here, 
more, perhaps, than it would have in the East, and is by no 
means equally applicable to all of our lands. The root sys¬ 
tem of the alfalfa plant is greatly modified by the soil in 
which it grows. The so-called first bottom lands of our val¬ 
leys do not favor the development of as long a root system 
as the higher grounds do. I have recently had occasion to 
study some plants which, though they were producing vig¬ 
orous tops, could scarcely be said to have a tap root; for in 
no case, did it exceed eighteen inches in length. Had I 
never seen other alfalfa roots I would have considered them 
typical, for they were bright, without apparent deformity, 
and healthy. There was nothing about the plants or roots 
to indicate anything abnormal. The long tap roots are not 
always present and the old method of transplanting, as well 
as the continuance of gopher-eaten plants in some soils, 
fairly raise the question as ta their necessity under all con¬ 
ditions. As stated above, the conditions of soil and climate 
prevailing here give strong justification for the practice and 
much force to the recommendation, but too much stress 
ought not to be placed upon it. 
The history of fields of transplanted lucern is interest¬ 
ing in this connection. The practice of transplanting was 
at one time commended by some European agriculturists. 
The procedure and culture were briefly as follows : The 
plants were grown in seed beds in drills, were taken up in 
August or September, when the plants had attained a length 
of eighteen inches, the tap root was cut off eight, nine, or ten 
inches below the crown, the stalks about five inches above it, 
and they were then set six inches apart in rows, 
with two feet between the rows. This was subse¬ 
quently found to be too thick. The plantation was 
cultivated by horse power; its duration and yield were 
