The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1875-03-19
ALFALFA.

Much has been said in the pa
Pers lately in regard to this new
kind of grass. The following
communication from B. T. Akers,
of Lawrence, to tho Rural World,
gives some interesting facts in re-
gard to it:
EDITORS Rural WoRLD:-The
severe drouth of last year ought
to learn the farmers of the south
west that we need something for a
grass that won't burn out every
few years. 1t seems to me that
alfalfa will just fill the bill. 1 got
seed enough last year from Colora-
do to SOW five acres. also put
in timothy, red top, orchard grass
and red clover, each by itself, to
see which l liked the best as q
stock grass. They all started fine,
but the only thing l had to show
rmy investment last fall. was my
alfalfa, which furnished me fine
pasture after the grasshoppers
left. 1t was sown the last in the
spring, and l had no idea of seeing
it live through the severe drouth;
but it did, and to-day has a long
top-root extending from eighteen
inches to two feet into mother
earth. Old CaIifornians tell me
that it goes down until it finds
water. I sent for enough seed
this spring to SOW one hundred
acres. Let others do as they may,
L am going to fix the drouth. In
California, where they have no
rain for six months, it is their
mainstay; but / will let the COM
missioners of agriculture tell the
story. La his report tor 1871,
page 235. he says: "Alfalfa in
Southern CaliforniA-San Barnar
dino valley is over fifty miles and
nearly thirty miles wide, and is
fertiIized by numerous streams
which flow from the surrounding
mountain ranges. In this valley
the alfalfa, growing permanently,
gives eight cuttings per year of fine
quaIity-though extensive herds
lie unmolested year after year.
Immense herds of cate are fatten-
Ell, and the beef is superior to that
of any other part of the State,
while the hay is in great demand
and brings an extra price in the
market"
Again, in his report of 1872, on
page 42O, he says: "Alfalfa on
sage brush land.-The Reno
Crescent, of Nevada, reports thir
teen and one-half tons Alfalfa and
seed sold in that town. in the
spring of 1872, against three tons
sold in 1871. The same paper
gives the name of IL persons who,
in 1872, on six hundred and TWEEN
Jy-five acres of sage-brush land,
hitherto deemed worthless, raised
one hundred and ninety-five tons
of alfalfa hay-in some cases reach
ing an average of six tons per acre.
The much smaller average of here
shown is partly from the fact that,
while some grow for hay alone.
Others Craze for q portion of the
season, and others devote part of
the acreage for seed. One gentle
man reserved forty acres for seed.
Estimated value of their produce
$4,000. The hay crop of the val
ley had been increased fully two
thousand tons by the introduction
of alfalfa, and there was an oppor-
tunity for a much greater addi-
ton"
have written to friends in Cal
ifornia, Colorado and New Mexi
co for their knowledge and exper-
fence in raising alfalfa, and will
give your readers the benefit of it.
In the meantime let us hear from
some of our returned Californians,
who are acquainted with the grass
il question. =. F. AKERs.
Lawrence, Kan, Feb. -, 1875.