— 7 — . 
claimed to be greater than an equal area sown broadcast. 
1 he chaiacter of the hay produced by the two methods, es¬ 
pecially as to its coarseness and the readiness with which it 
was eaten by sheep, horned cattle, and horses, did not es¬ 
cape observation and comment. Such a method is clearly 
not to be considered, but they cut the tap root off eight, 
nine, or ten inches below the crown of the plant, and some 
asserted that six or seven inches below the crown would be 
even better. They cut three crops of hay in England and 
obtained large yields. When they harvested a crop of seed 
they obtained only one crop of hay and considered the seed 
crop as injurious to the roots as four cuttings. In Italy from 
four to six cuttings were made; in Catalonia as many as 
seven, frequent irrigation being necessary to obtain so many 
cuttings. The hay from broadcast alfalfa is finer and softer 
than from drilled. The yield of hay is put at more than 
four tons. Such are some of the statements made of the 
practice and results obtained. The life of the plant grown 
without transplanting is variously estimated at from two to 
fifty years. The former is evidently too low and the latter 
is exceptional. Columella gives it at from ten to twelve 
years, which is more consonant with general observation. 
Miller observes that, when alfalfa is cultivated and assisted 
by manure, he has not observed it to decline at any age, 
but sown broadcast, it declines and even wears out verv 
fast after seven or eight years. From the various state¬ 
ments it is evident that, under some conditions, the tap root 
is not necessary to the continued healthy growingof alfalfa. 
The susceptibility of the plant to culture and its require¬ 
ment for water applied to the surface, its prompt response 
to the application of fertilizers, and its deportment when 
transplanted, suggests that we attribute more importance to 
the.tap root than it deserves. Mr. Mills, of the Utah Ex¬ 
periment Station, speaking of the amount of water required 
by alfalfa and the part the tap root performs in supplying it, 
says: “Though the roots go deep and probably lift water 
from below, this water is not furnished rapidly enough to 
supply the rank growing alfalfa. The only real advantage 
derived from the long roots seems to be that enough water 
is thereby supplied to keep the plants from perishing dur¬ 
ing seasons of dry weather.” . The complaint that alfalfa 
plants are,difficult to exterminate by plowing them up, is 
very common, and Tull is quoted as having seen alfalfa 
plants mangled by the plow for twenty-two successive years 
and still flourishing. I here will be some further similarly 
suggestive facts found under the discussion of the roots. 
It is generally recognized that alfalfa flourishes best in 
