PLATE L 
The plant represented in this plate grew in a rich, loose soil, with a heavy clay subsoil 
and an abundant supply of water, the water level ranging from 4 to 8 feet from the surface at 
different seasons of the year. The diameter of the top was 18 inches, and the number of stems 
300. The plate shows how these crowns gather soil around them, for the length of the under¬ 
ground stems is seen to be several inches, and this represents the accumulation of nearly this 
much material about it. 
This is one of the largest plants that I have yet found. The specimen, as photographed, 
was dug April 3Uth, 1890. 
PLATE II. 
This photograph represents the face of an opening made to the depth of rather more than 
13 feet in an alfalfa field on the Experiment Station Farm, at Rocky Ford, Otero County, Colo¬ 
rado. The soil is a fine alluvium. The roots penetrated to a depth of 12 feet 0 inches, and the 
simplicity of the root system is well shown, the roots being shown in their natural position. 
The upper margin of the photograph represents the surface of the ground, which lacks sufficient 
sharpness to show the crowns and stubble in the picture. 
This alfalfa was four years old and cut from four to five tons of hay a year. The diameter 
of these roots, just below the crown, averaged a little less than y 2 inch. 
PLATES III. AND IV. 
The two succeeding plates represent the largest alfalfa roots that I have seen. The root 
system and the tap roots are exceedingly large; they were of very nearly the same length—11 
feet 9 inches—measuring from the crown of the root to the deepest point to which the roots had 
penetrated. They were not dug at the same time and are different types of roots. The tops of 
these plants measured over 5 feet 3 inches. They were obtained on the place of Mr. J. II. Walter, 
in Weld County, Colorado. 
PLATES V. AND VI. 
The two succeeding plates represent typical roots, grown on the place of Mr. J. H. Walter, 
in Weld County, Colorado. The smaller roots have been placed as nearly in the relative position 
which they had when taken from the soil as possible. These roots were very large, having a 
diameter below the crown of 1 inch. Unfortunately it was impossible to have the plants photo¬ 
graphed immediately after digging them, and the leaves have fallen from the stems. 
PLATE VII. 
This cut represents an unusual form for an alfalfa root. It has not arisen from the tap 
root having received an injury at some time, for it is present, as may be seen upon close inspec¬ 
tion, in perfect condition. It is difficult to distinguish between the branches of this root; they 
have about the same size and length, and one of them would serve as well for the tap root as 
any other. The root seems to have divided into five roots a little below the crown, each division 
going down separately, as an independent root, instead of going down as a single tap root. The 
length of this root was nearly 11 feet. 
PLATE Vin. 
This plate shows a root with more than the usual amount of branching, also the crown 
as dead on one side and developing on the other. The particular and anomalous feature about 
it is the throwing out of the two small roots at the crown. This is one of the very few instances 
of this which I have seen. In this case, as in all others which I have seen, these roots, although 
small in diameter, are as long as the larger roots. 
PLATE IX. 
Yearling plants grown on a highly cultivated soil; the maximum depth to which any of 
them had penetrated was 3 feet 9 inches. The soil was a fine prairie loam, with a clayey sub¬ 
soil, succeeded by a fine yellow sand. This soil offered no resistance to the growth of the roots. 
The black spot on one of the roots is the remnant of a dead root, which, having died and 
decayed, left an open channel which the alfalfa root had followed. I have traced alfalfa roots 
for four and five feet where they have followed the course of decayed willow roots. 
