ALFALFA A BOON TO THE FARMERS.

BY WILL. H. PALMER, THURSTON, OHIO.

[Read at the Independent Farmers' Institute held at Jersey, Licking County, January 12 and 13, 1905.]

Although we may as yet consider alfalfa in the experimental stage in Ohio, it is one of the oldest of our forage plants. It is a native of the central districts of western Asia, having been found in an apparently wild state in the region to the south of the Caucasus and in several parts of Beluchistan and Afghanistan. In 470 B. C. it was introduced into Greece and it was in especial favor in that region as a forage plant in the first and second centuries and has been maintained in Italy down to the present time. From Italy it was introduced into France and Spain and at the time of the Spanish invasion was brought to Mexico. From Mexico it was introduced into South America and in 1854 it found its way into California from Chili. From here it has spread slowly eastward until at present it has been grown with more or less success in every state and territory from Maine to Washington and from Florida to California. The first introduction into the United States was in 1820 in New York, but the dissemination from this source has been practically insignificant.

Alfalfa, or lucern, is a perennial legume growing from one to three feet high. Its leaves are in three parts, each leaflet being broadest above the middle, narrowly oblong in outline and slightly toothed toward the apex. The purple, pea-like flowers instead of being in a head as in red clover are in a loose cluster or raceme. These racemes are scattered all over the plant instead of being borne, as in red clover, on the upper branches. The seed is about onehalf large than red clover seed.

Alfalfa is a very deep feeder. The root system varies greatly, due to the soil in which it grows. Wherever the sub-soil is loose and permeable the tap root descends to great depth (eighteen to twenty feet and even fifty and sixty-six feet having been reported), but in those soils where the subsoil is less permeable it is comparatively shallow rooted. The young plant consists of a number of low branches springing from a simple basal stalk at the crown of the root. These branches ascend directly above ground and form a compact tuft. On the old plant, however, certain of the more robust stems elongate under ground and become new branch-producing stalks. In this way the simple stalk or rhizome, becomes two or many headed. When the stems are cut or grazed off the stalk dies down to the base and new buds spring up on the upper part or crown of the root and grow, forming new stems. If alfalfa is closely grazed and if every young stem is eaten off as rapidly as it appears the vitality of the roots will be impaired and the plant may die, because the growth comes directly from the root itself and not from the base of the old stem.

Alfalfa starts early in the spring and continues to grow until quite late in the fall. It grows very rapidly and once being established thrives for several years. Once established it should not be plowed up for at least six or eight years as it yields better the second year than the first, better the third than the second and so on until it is from six to ten years old. Report has it that alfalfa has been grown in some of the western states continuously in one field for from twenty to forty years, yielding good crops each year.

What are the conditions for the best growth and development of this plant? It grows best in light and sandy rich loam underlaid by a loose and

permeable subsoil. The best conditions seem to be attained in the arid regions of the west where there is a light rainfall and the supply of water can be artificially controlled. Good drainage is one of the prime essentials to successful growing of alfalfa as the plants are quickly killed by an excess of water in or on the soil; especially is this true if it occurs in the winter time. Water must not be allowed to stand on a field of alfalfa more than twenty-four to forty-eight hours at a time as it will cause the plants to die and the roots to decay. The water table should not be too near the surface of the ground so as to interfere with the development of the root system, neither should it be too far below.

Alfalfa thrives in a variety of soils, but in this section it reaches its greatest perfection on the deep alluvial loams of the river and creek valleys where it usually finds the light warm soils in which it seems to delight. While it roots deeply it is not essential that the soil be of very great depth providing it contains plenty of plant food to maintain the young plant until it has become firmly established. The subsoil must be permeable and comparatively deep and moist. Mr. Wing, in a recent issue of the National Stockman and Farmer, says: "For alfalfa a clay soil, rather heavy, with a coating or two of barnyard manure will give splendid results if allowed to stand until the plants have become well rooted, say four years." A Kansas farmer having two hundred and eighty acres in alfalfa says: "It will grow on the poorest clay soil if the land is given a good coating of barnyard manure."

From these remarks it would seem that all that is necessary for growing a good crop of alfalfa is a liberal application of barnyard manure. If this were all, those who desire to grow this valuable plant would find it very easy, but there are several other factors that must be taken into account. One of these, acidity of the soil, is responsible for the greater number of the failures. Alfalfa like the other legumes will not grow in an acid soil. The acidity in the soil can be easily overcome by the liberal application of rock lime or, better, ground limestone which being alkali neutralizes the acid. For the best development of the plant the soil must not only be free from acid, but there must be present in the soil certain micro-organisms. These bacteria have the power to gather the free nitrogen from the air and are known as nitrifying bacteria. They are very essential to the growth of the plant and unless present in the soil should be supplied, as the plant will not thrive long without them unless the soil is exceptionally fertile. Without these bacteria the plant is as dependent upon the nitrogen in the soil as any other of our forage plants. How to supply these bacteria has been the question. In sections where the common sweet clover grows and thrives successfully there is no need of soil inoculation as the bacteria found on the roots of this plant have been proven to be identical with those on alfalfa roots. Although there may be a sufficient number of these bacteria upon the seed to effectively inoculate the soil and although we may supply the inoculation by the direct application of infected soil, the cheapest and most efficient agency is supplied by the government. At a cost of not to exceed four cents one may receive from the department at Washington a small cake containing millions of these bacteria. With each consignment full and explicit directions are given for the proper preparation of, and the best method of applying them to the soil.

In preparing to sow the farmer should not hesitate in thoroughly preparing the ground. He should plow the ground deep and save neither time nor money to get it in the very best condition possible. The first cost may 35-O. S. B. of A.

seem very great, but when we stop to consider that we are planting something that remains for several years it seems not so much.

In this section of the United States alfalfa should be sown in the spring after all danger from frost has passed, say from the first of April to the fifteenth of May or even later. It is recommended to sow from fifteen to twenty or twenty-five pounds per acre. If it is for permanent pasture sow more than for meadow as the plants should be sufficiently close together so that the stems will be small and not woody. The most even stand is secured by sowing broadcast, covering the seed lightly with a light harrow or brush or, better, by the use of the roller. The United States Department of Agriculture recommends that on light sandy loams alfalfa be sown without a nurse crop while on clayey, cloddy soils a light crop of oats or barley is desirable. The latter is considered best as it is not quite as leafy and can be allowed to mature. One of the greatest enemies to the young alfalfa plant is the weeds which may come up in such numbers as to choke out the plant and it is for the purpose of keeping the weeds down that a nurse crop is used. If, therefore, we should allow the nurse crop to remain too long we have defeated its purpose and it in turn may be worse than the weeds which might have come up. If a nurse crop is used it should be cut early enough so as not to interfere with the growth of the young alfalfa plant. The alfalfa is sometimes cut for hay the first season, but its fitness depends greatly upon the rapidity of the growth during the first part of the season. It is essential that if weeds be present the field be mown frequently and raked off in order that the weeds may not get sufficient start to choke out the young plants which have not the power to hustle for themselves in such an unequal race. As a result of this frequent cutting the plant will develop a good root system and be better fitted for good growth the next year. The field should not be clipped too closely late in the fall as the plant will withstand the rigors of the winter better when of some size.

In regions where alfalfa will grow there is no better plant for hay. It yields more than any other of our crops, permitting of two, three and even four cuttings, each yielding from four to six tons per acre. It should be harvested as soon as the blossoms appear as it is at this stage that the protein content is the highest, the percentage of crude fibre is the lowest in and the quantity of leaves, the most valuable part of the plant, is the greatest. Experience and good judgment are required to make good alfalfa hay as it is very difficult to cure successfully owing to the nature of the plant. The loss of leaves during curing, due to careless handling, sometimes amounts to more than onehalf the weight of the entire crop. After cutting it should be allowed to lie until well wilted when it should be raked up and placed into cocks where the principal part of the curing is done. The cocks should not be so large as to interfere with the free circulation of the air which should be permitted to get to all parts. When properly cured it does not must or mold in the mow or rick. The making of alfalfa hay is an art which must be learned by practice rather than by following directions. Much depends upon the weather as to the time required for curing. The value of the hay depends upon its being cured when in the fullest leaf. The hay is easily injured by moisture as a rain on it when in swath or cock often depreciates the value one-half.

Only passing mention need be made as to the cutting for seed as the production of seed will never play an important part in the industry of Ohio. When desiring to cut for seed the second cutting should be used as it ripens more uninformly and the yield is greater. Alfalfa yields from five to ten bushels per acre and good cleaned seed will bring on the market from three dollars to nine dollars and sixty cents per bushel.

Generally speaking alfalfa has all the good qualities of a forage plant and but few bad ones. It is not a perfect food because it is lacking in the carbonaceous material. It is when used with corn that it has its greatest usefulness. Director Jordan of the New York Experiment Station says: "Probably no species of forage plants are known that are more economical sources of high class cattle food than alfalfa and corn and if in the realm of stock raising corn is king alfalfa is queen." As reported by the same station, alfalfa yields more than either corn, red clover or timothy and by comparing the digestible dry matter we find that alfalfa possesses about one and threefifths times as much as red clover, and two and one-fourth times as much as timothy. Comparing that most valuable of feeding elements, protein, we find that alfalfa contains almost twice as much as red clover and nearly four times as much as timothy. Alfalfa is considered an excellent fodder, being palatable and very nutritious. The Colorado Experiment Station has shown that a ton of alfalfa leaves is equivalent to twenty-four hundred pounds of wheat bran and taking the entire plant, the hay is worth about 86 per cent. as much as wheat bran. In other words if wheat bran is worth twenty dollars per ton alfalfa leaves are worth twenty-four dollars per ton and taking the entire plant the hay is worth seventeen dollars and twenty cents per ton. George L. Clothier, of the Kansas Experiment Station, in his investigations, in 1899, found that farmers using alfalfa hay considered that they could save from one-fourth to one-half in the amount of grain fed and that when it was used in the fattening of cattle there was a direct saving of from twenty to fifty per cent. Is there any good reason why we should not give this plant a trial? Although of great value to all classes of stockmen and farmers its greatest benefit is to the dairymen and shepherds. The fact that alfalfa can be grown very successfully in Argentina has made that country a very formidable rival with the United States in the sheep industry. Since the introduction of alfalfa into that country they are able to keep ten animals where but one could be kept before. Other things being equal meat and milk cannot be produced more cheaply than in those regions possessing a high adaptation for the growing of alfalfa.

Except for the damage to itself from trampling, alfalfa makes an excellent pasturage for horses and swine, but for ruminants it is not as safe as red clover until the animals become accustomed to its use. The danger from bloating or hoven is greatest when the stock is first turned into the meadow, when the plants are wet with dew, or when they are frosted.

If this plant was not possessed of all these good feeding qualities it would be a very valuable plant to grow because of its value as a soil renovator. Here we have a plant that not only produces a large amount of excellent and nutritious feed, but a plant that leaves the soil better off for having grown in it. The symbiotic relation existing between this plant and certain forms of bacteria makes it a very valuable plant to raise because these bacteria gather the free nitrogen from the air and in their life processes transform it into a form available to the plant. The method of growth improves the physical condition of the soil by opening up and aerating the lower layers of the soil. The deeply penetrating roots bring from the deeper layers of soil a large amount of plant food and upon their decay leave it in a very available form in the surface layers.

By raising alfalfa the farmer not only is providing an excellent quality as well as a large quantity of forage for his domestic animals, but is at the same time enriching his fields and doing it with a fertilizer which if purchased in the market would cost a great deal of money. Are we still to continue to buy

these high priced fertilizers when it may be possible to have this inexpensive way for the trying? Let us stop and think of the possibilities that may lie just within our reach and are ours for the asking, and then determine that we will attempt the growing of alfalfa and if successful we will leave an everlasting monument to ourselves and a bounteous legacy to posterity.

THE INFLUENCE OF CULTURAL METHODS ON TOBACCO.

BY HARRY RICH, GERMANTOWN, OHIO.

[Read at the Farmers' Institute held at Centerville, Montgomery County, February 1 and 2, 1905.]

The object of this paper is to examine and discuss certain practices pursued in the culture of tobacco and point out the results that are obtained under various conditions and methods of growing the crop. The tobacco plant, to a greater extent than most cultivated plants, varies according to the conditions under which it is grown. In a large measure this is so because the plant's most variable organ, the leaf, is the commercial product desired. This tendency to vary in yield and quality according to the soil, climate and treatment can be made use of by the grower to direct the growth of the crop towards certain definite ends which he may desire. For the farmer in his cultural operations regulates rather than animates the active fertility of nature. But in order to regulate nature's forces to start them in the proper direction he must have a correct knowledge of nature's laws; a knowledge that certain results are produced under certain conditions, a knowledge of general principles, to guide him in his various operations, and this knowledge is power.

The tobacco plant may be compared to a complicated and sensitive machine depending largely on its ability to make a perfect growth on four factors, namely, heat, light, food and moisture. If these are furnished in just the right amounts and at the right time there is harmony in its development and the best possible growth may be expected; if some of these factors are deficient or excessive then the perfect growth of the plant is hindered and its ability to make the proper development is impaired. Certain diseases may appear, the crop may fire, the leaf may be too thin or too short and the yield too small. While the grower cannot control the type or variety he produces, this being determined by the seed and climatic conditions, he does determine by the way he grows the crop the grade of the variety and thus his success or failure is largely left in his own hands. He controls the grade, among other practices, according to the fertilizers or manure he uses, the distance at which he plants, his method of cultivating, the manner in which he tops and the degree to which he allows the crop to ripen. What kind of fertilizers should he use? This is a broad question and some fundamental ideas only can be given. To feed the tobacco, as well as other crops, intelligently, one ought to know the composition of the plant or what kind of food it takes from the soil and the physical and chemical nature of the soil. Local tobaccos contain four per cent. of nitrogen or ammonia, four per cent. of lime, four and three-fourths per cent. of potash and one per cent of phosphates. In other words one thousand pounds of leaf tobacco would take from the soil forty pounds of nitrogen, forty pounds of lime, about 50 pounds