RB.BUCHANAN SEED CQ 
MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE. 
ALFALFA WILL PRODUCE MORE CHOICE FEED PER ACRE THAN WILL ANY OTHER CROP 
Three tons of dry alfalfa hay per acre is a fair 
yearly yield in regions of light rainfall and short 
growing season. 
The yield should be more than three tons per acre 
where there is abundant rainfall and a long growing 
\ season. 
Alfalfa and corn fed together make a good ration 
for all live stock—Alfalfa belongs on every farm— 
for hog pasture; hay for the dairy herd, family cow 
or chickens. For sheep and beef cattle, no other 
roughage is equal to alfalfa hay. 
When comparing alfalfa with other crops, remember 
one sowing of alfalfa may last five years, and it 
usually doesn’t have to be cultivated. 
Alfalfa lives several years if not pastured too close. 
There is always a fresh growth coming during the 
growing season. 
Alfalfa is weakened and its life shortened by pas¬ 
turing too young, too close, or late in the fall or winter. 
Taking off the fall growth exposes alfalfa so it some¬ 
times winter-kills. Better not pasture alfalfa the same 
year it is sowed. 
Chickens like alfalfa pasture. Unless they have 
considerable range the chickens will keep the alfalfa 
so closely cropped that new shoots have but little 
chance to grow. When alfalfa is used for chicken 
pasture, have plenty of it, so it will last longer. 
Finely cut, steamed alfalfa hay with plenty of 
leaves is a choice feed to add variety to the winter 
ration for laying hens. 
Finely cut alfalfa hay makes good litter for brooder 
houses. Mouldy alfalfa is not good for either poultry 
feed or litter. 
Alfalfa is a perennial legume belonging to the 
same family as peas, beans, and clover; it is also the 
oldest forage plant known. 
The best soils on the farm should be selected for 
the alfalfa field. It is practically useless to attempt 
to grow the crop on non-productive lands. 
It is best to precede alfalfa for a year or two with 
some cultivated crop, such as corn, potatoes, or cotton, 
to free the land from weeds. The ideal seed bed is a 
well-settled sub-surface with a fine surface that is 
loose to a depth of 2 inches. 
Alfalfa should be sown early enough to permit the 
plants to become well established before winter sets 
in. The rate of sowing depends upon the condition 
of the soil. In the South, 25 to 35 pounds per acre is 
generally advised. Except under very favorable con¬ 
ditions, alfalfa should be sown without a nurse crop. 
Attempts to thicken up thin stands by resowing nearly 
always result in failure. 
Alfalfa should be cut for hay when the plants are 
well in bloom. 
Alfalfa hay and pasture are readily eaten by all 
classes of farm animals. 
PURCHASING SEED 
Before buying alfalfa seed there are three points 
upon which the purchaser should have information: 
The name of the variety, the section of the country 
in which it was produced, and the quality of the 
seed with regard both to germination and purity. 
It is important, therefore, that dealings be had only 
with thoroughly reliable and intelligent seedsmen. 
The viability of the seed, or its ability to germinate, 
is quite clearly indicated in its appearance. Plump 
seeds of a bright olive-green color almost invariably 
germinate well, while shriveled seeds or seeds that 
are of a brownish color germinate poorly. 
CHOOSING A FIELD FOR ALFALFA 
In selecting land for alfalfa, careful consideration 
should be given to the texture of the soil, its pro¬ 
ductivity, and drainage. Where possible, very sandy 
or very compact soils should be avoided. 
PREPARATION FOR ALFALFA 
Alfalfa may be successfully grown after almost 
any crop, provided proper attention is given to the 
preparation of the soil after the preceding crop has 
been removed. In deciding upon the preceding crop, 
however, one should be chosen that fits best into the 
particular system of farming and at the same time 
leaves the land in good condition. 
PREPARING THE SEED BED 
The tender nature of the young alfalfa plants re¬ 
quires that the soil be in excellent tilth at sowing 
time. Many of the failures to secure a good stand 
may be traced to a poorly prepared seed bed. 
LIMING 
No other of our commonly grown forage crops 
requires so much lime as does alfalfa. It is necessary 
not only to have enough to neutralize the soil, but 
also an excess for the actual use of the plant. 
METHOD OF SOWING ALFALFA 
The method of sowing varies considerably in dif¬ 
ferent sections. It may be done with a grain drill 
with a seeder attachment, or with an alfalfa drill, or 
the seed may be broadcasted with a hand seeder, 
or by hand and covered with a light harrow, a weeder, 
or a brush drag. 
Alfalfa is the only forage plant known which will 
send down its roots to moisture during a severe 
drouth like the ones of 1934 and 1936. 
Alfalfa is the only forage plant that held its green 
color and survived the 1934 drouth of the Northwest— 
the most disastrous drouth ever known in this country. 
FEET 
0 TSTT 
iitcufi 
?- 
5—J 
6-1 
-7— 
8 - 
9- 
10- 
II- ; 
12—V 
IJ—r 
15- 
.. Roots of the 
alfalfa plant . . . 
frequently are 
found to have 
penetrated the 
soil fifteen feet 
or more.” 
(Page 66) 
