The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1879-04-24
Agricultural Department.
CONDUCTED BY ALBERT CHAPMAN,


A-|I'
age plant. 1t is the same plant that Is
brought to us from Europe as Lucerne;
the difference being that alfalfa comes
to us from Chill, South America, by
way d California. When in California,
In the fall of 1873, we were astonished
at the amount of excellent hay that was
obtained from land sown with alfalfa,
and as we were caring for a large flock
of sheep, taken out by Messrs. Ham,
mond & Severance, we had an expert
ence of several weeks, feeding the al
falfa hay to sheep. We were SO much
pleased with it, that we procured some
seed from a friend in California in the
spring of 1877, and sowed three or four
small patches with the same, OIL moder-
ately fertile land, and II or two on
poor. Our fear was that the plants
would not prove hardy here to with
stand our winters, as the lucerne had
not.
When in California we were told that
the European lucem had not succeeded
there, but coming to them from Chill
under the name of alfalfa, they had had
great success with it. They informed
me that they could cut from two to five
crops In a season. On one ranch that
was irrigated, we. saw the third crop
being carted in, and judged there could
not have been less than three tons to
the acre, probably more, and we were
informed that the other two crops were
quite as heavy as the third. In our
shorter seasons in Vermont, we expect
ed to cut only twice, but to return to
our small experiment, we sowed II
seed the 21st day of Juue, in quite
thick sowing, ne grain whit. neame
up apparently as thick as we sowed it,
grew very rapidly, and July 4, forty
four days after planting, we pulled a
plant after a heavy rain, and found the
ROOT eleven inches long to where it
broke of; whether there was much
more or not we could not determine,
but probably at least an inch more.
The main stem of the plant vas H. inch.
es, and there were several branches,
one of the longest measuring IL inches.
OF course this was one of the largest
plants we could select, but the whole,
we think, would not measure less than
II inches. The larger plants BIOS
somed and bore seed, and we could
have cut q good crop of hay from il the
first season. 1t wintered well, and so
far as we could see, no plants were
killed out OF. missing. In 1873, we cut
from two Of the patches two crops;
these we cured for hay, and the third
time we cut for feeding green to some
lambs we were keeping in the barn,
having just taken them from the ewes.
These lambs were doing remarkably
well when they were wcaned,. but
they continued to do as we'll after they
were weaned and fed this alfalfa, as be-
fore, they eating it up quite clean,
stalks andall. Wenever had any lambs
wean as well, and continue to grow as
we'll as these. The first two crops had
grown a little too long before they were
cut, aud the stalks we're so hard that
our sheep or COW would not eat up the
larger stalks clean, but probably left
less than they would of the stalks of
o~uracoarse red clover. The third crop
was cut just as it commenced blowing,
and was in about the right stage to be
eaten clean and make the best of hay.
The third crop was cut the last of Au-
gust and first of September. On the
part where we commenced cutting the
third crop, the LIST of October, the
fourth crop was twenty inches high,
and we cut the fourth time a heavy
crop. Our experience with alfalfa, al
though in a very small way, is very ell
couraging, and such as to give us hope
that it will prove very successful in
favorable locations and deep, porous
soils In Vermont; thus far the indica-
tons are that it will prove more hardy
and durable than common red clover,
the latter often Kills out in hard VIM
ters, especially in grounds that are not
naturally dry or well un~derdrained.
We believe alfalfa will succeed well
on lower or interval lands with a loose
or porous subsoil. Certainly, either
one of the four crops we cut from ours,
was worth more than one crop of red
clover grown % an equal amount of
any LAND. From our short experience
with it, we believe it should be sown
thick. A firm in California writes us
that at least twenty-five pounds of seed
to the acre should be used, that the
stalks may grow fine. 1t should be
sown late in spring, a frost soon after il
comes up is fatal to il, but after it gets
through the first season it is hardy;
this is their experience with it in Cali
forpia. 1T Should be sown alone, not
with q grain crop. The seed is worth
in California at this time, Is cents per
pound for the best. II would cost prob
ably, about 10 tents per pound to prop
erly pack and pay postage on small
packages of four pounds or less. IfI
enough was wanted to make up a bar
rel, the transportation would cost much
less. AACtI = ft
We give the following extaact from
a letter we received lately from Messrs.
Warren n Co., publishers Of the Cali
fornia Farmer. Their address is at 800
Clay Street, San Francisco. AS will
be seen, like our clover, alfalfa should
be cured in the cock after being wilted
in the sun, BOT dried up hard.
"Now Us TO the price, and best way
for you TO get it, the Chilli clover
seed (alfAlfa) comes to as In an unclean