The Placer herald., 1873-03-29

ALFALFA IN THE FooTHMLs.--Joseph Saunders
sowed at his place in the foothills. back of Vir.
cinia on red soil, last season, on the Goth OF
April, six acres of land in alfalfa. 1t grew finely
Welded two crops of hay during the season last
year. and plenty of good pasturage besides. 1t
was irrigated three or four times during the dry
season. He also sowed small piece and gave il
no water, and even it set WE'LL did well and lived
over and now presents fine appearance The
six acres irrigated last year has been pastured
this Spring with five horses and a lot of hogs
and it is now some fifteen inches high, and not
wthstanding the pasturage, would cut two tons
to the acre, and Mr. Saunders believes if the
stock had been kept off it would have cut three
tons to the acre by the first of April. Doubtless
this six acres yields more hay and pasturage
than fifty acres of the natural grasses would,
and three times as much as any cultivated trass
would Mr.. Saunders informs us that the ground
was not well plowed, and was seeded by ndii-
ferent dragging in, as he was in hurry, as il
was getting late in the season. Perry Richard
son is also trying alfalfa the hills at his ranch
on Coon creek, with good prospects. Here at
Auburn, i 300 feet above tide-water Judge Fitch
has a fine lot of it, sowed last season, which is
neara foot high, and being rank, thrifty and
beautiful. He also tested some of it without
irrigation and found it to live over the dry season
and this too on dry, poor land. These were the
intended tests we spoke of last Spring and
we are deeply pleased that they have all been
more successful than the experimenters or even
ourself anticipated This year Judge Fitch has
sowed $50 pounds of alfalfa seed on upland
end even on the North Fork river hills, in the
full confidence that it will take root spring up
and live over the dry season, taking deep root
10 the permanent moisture, and yield annually
without re-secding. ten-fold more feed, and for
double and treble The length Of tine, Of any of
the natural grasses All our grasses in these dry
hills are ANIMALS. growing for few months in
the Spring and tEen dying from the drouth and
coming again the following season from the seed
In such country, where the slate bedrock
stands on eds with scarcely three inches in any
pace without creviccs for roots to penetrate
down to pcrmane~t moisture the year round
how important that perennial grass like alfalfa
should be introduced. These experiments 60
far to prove that alfalfa is Just the thing If al
lalla VIII increase OUf lAStlrage ana WINTER hay
four-fold, as we believe it will, then have W
found what will quadruple the value of nine
tenths of all our lands, and support an amount
OF stock in equal proportion. This is just Tia
last of the season for sowing it, and yet we wisi
that We could induce each farmer in this section
to yet try small patch of it This season; nc
matter how small, so that its incalculab!e value
e,t,ll L.. L., "
1t yet as an experiment; though from the abov'
tests IT can hardly be failure. We have giveI
considerable space to this subject now and il
former articles but not more CT perhaps as much
as Its merits and Importance requires.