Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1878-10-23
lIfslfs-en the East Of the Rocky Noun
kaee tains'
n. ". BLISS.


Of grass that would stand drought. For
the five previous years this region had
experienced an almost total loss OF, or
great annual damage to, all forage
crops, by reason OF drought. l there
fore read up on grass everything |
could find in my library, and by cores
pondence posted myself as well as.I
could. l came to the conclusion that
all things considered, the Fronch Lucern
introduced into California from Chill,
and known as Chill Clover, or better,
bYits single Spanish name Of Alfalfa.
held out the best promise Of beng the
grass 1 desired. l therefore ordered
100 lbs. OF seed from a dealer ia Callfor-
MIA. 1t cost then QS7D 10 cents per
pound in gold. The premium, ex-
change and freight made it cost here
about 80 cents per pound in currency.
The st. Louis seed stores were, at the
time, sending out small quantities Of
seed by mail-prepaid-at about IS
centsper pound.
l sowed the seed in April, lS75-'
sowing eight pounds per acre ell eight
acres, and about twelve pounds per
acre on three acres-1 should have sOwn
at least twenty pounds per acre. Dur
ing the summer following, the eight
acre field was flooded by the creek, and
Smalt-weed grew very thick and high
and ii had TO NOW itaRd haul it eff |
feared The Alfalfa, which Is quite deli
cate during the first year, was dead,
as the slim tops shaded by the Smart
weed, were black and dead, but a close
examination showed fresh, green leaves
Of Alfalfa close to the ground, sol was
satisfied all hope oft was not yet lost.
Lieut. no crop, save Smart-weed, that
season. The next year, 1876, l
cut two good crop Of Alfalfa hay, and
third crop was ready for cutting late IN
the season, when severe freezing took
place. The thHd season. 1877, l cut
tive crops On the eight-acrc piece and
three crops on three acres. l then
turned under the eisht-acre piece and
sowed winter wheat, hoping thereby to
thicken up the grass and to test, by
actual experiment, whether it would
grow again irem the roots. 4 friend i'll
California wrote that | would see which
had the most Of wheat or Alfalfa,
when came to harvest the wheat;.and
l did-the crops of both were about
equal the Alfalfa and wheat each being
about SIX feet high. Cutting and thrash
ing were rendered exceedingly difficult
bythe tangled nature of the mass, as
was blowing the fall before, on account
Of the tough roots. Some thirty-fve
days after cutting wheat, l went into
that field with mower and cut a good
cropof grass. OF course 1 had to cut
the wheat-stubJlc with that crop
About forty days afterwards, l cut
another excellent crop of Alfalfa hay. l
consider that field as having done very
fairly this year, in thus yielding crop
Of wheat ard two crops Of hay.
The three-acre piece l cut during the
first week in May; again. the fist week
in June; third time. the third week in
July; and fourth time, the first week
in September; The weather was SO
cool at date Of cutting the first and
fourth crops, that extra time was re-
CURED for curing the lay. For soiling,
it could have been cut nearly n month
sooner, and the cutting repeated every
TIVE weeks up to date.
When the Alfalfa had been down
aosut ten months, tool, advantage Of
the ground being soft and loose, owing
to the frost coming out. and pulled up a
root over two feet long. This fall, wish
ing to send a root TO tie depth Of thirty
tive inches, into very hard sab.oil, and
could not then pull the root up. and.
shower just then occurring, cut the
root of at that point. l have thor
oughly accomplished my object, aud OBJ
tanned a forage plant that Will not only
stand drought. but which, on our bot
toms, pays no attention whatever TO an
abundance Of rain or the want oft. All
this, however, would be Of little use
were the product-as some say Prickly
COmfrey is-unpslatable to stock after
one gets it. On the contrary, Alfalfa
is greedily sought and eaten by stOcl
of all kinds, the hogs even fighting a.
way cattle TO eat the dry hay made OF it..
The man who feeds the dozen mules
which haul heavy loads over the rough
roads of this region every day in the
year, says that when the first Alfalfa is
fed in the early summer or late spring,
the mules do not seem 10 care .or thciI
grain.
1 feel confident, from my experience
with It. flat Ills grass. by reason Gifts
rapid growth, IFS independence Of
droughts, lis many crops Of large yield.
Its abundance Of ,actIarirc matter, and
its adaptability to soiling. grazing and
cutting for hay, is tie most important
recent addition to our forage plants. !
say recent, because il is only within a
few wears that its value, or even name,
has been generally known 10 the far
mers Of this country.
In Germany lis used as solling crol
for swine. being mown and run through
a cutting hex, sprinkled with meal
bran, ETC., and fed 10 hogs, which iatter
-on;dlv pnen If. II must certainly prove