Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1888-03-15
ALFALFA.
A Compilation Of Facts Concerning Its
History, Culture and Yalue, and
Printed for the Farmer
Seed this Prolific Plant and Leave 1t as q
Legacy to Your Children for
All Time.
HISTORY.

Alfalfa, or more correctly lucerne, has
. history enYeloped in the mists Of an
.iuuity. It was known as 8 valuable fod- |
der plant in ancient Media 500 years be-
lore the Christian era, and may, for aught
we know, have fourished luxuriantly in
The Garden Of Eden. From Media 1t
Iound its way to Greece, thence to the
Roman Empire. Professor McBryle, in
his paper on the history of ancient hus-
oApdry, printed in the journal Of the
American Agricultural Association, tells
Us that lucerne was among the cultivated
legum u plSnts 10 the days Of Cato,
Virgil and VsTro; while CONumello, with
other r Im1n writer's On hushandry, gave
full directions for lis Cuttivstion-lI being
hen held valuable not only as forage
pl snt but as a rotation crop for wheat and
other cereals. From Rome il passed to
Fra nee and S pain, where it received the
name by which it is now generally known
in North Americs; from Spain it found its
way to Son b Am .rica, where for CEN
turtles rs grew wild on the pisins OF
BueE ostA pres, and WAS supposed TO be
plantSEf native growth. Ia Mexico, 1t
WassS staple crop If The Country ~ the
tinsFfof the conquest. Il Was inc-uduced
INTO California from Chilli, wuere i. passed
under the name OF Chill clover. From
the Golden Coast, within the last few
years, il has been introduced into Colo
RADIO, and is fast Masking for Itself repu-
tatlon sustaining that enjoyed in the dSys
of ancient Rome.
DESCRIPTION.
Alfalfa Is OF the genius Me6icAgo StatiVa.
The generic name is from the Greek
mndiBp, SIS it comes TO the Greeks from
Media. Loudon describes it as deep
roofing perennial plant, sending up
numerous small and clover-like shoots;
leaves, pinnately foliate; leaflets, obovate-
oblong, toothed; the flowers, instead Of
being IN dense head as in clover, are in
erect recemes; the corolla is violet
purple, and the any-seeded pod is
spiraIly cOiled. These blossoms are rich
in honey food.
SOIL.
It does not thrive well in s compact,
clay soil, or in any shallow soil having 8
clay bottom, but 1t requires q sandy
loan, the richer the better, such as
aoounds in all the vSlley lsads Of Colo
rado. There is hardly state or terri
toEE in the Union where it will not thrive.
Efs said that soil which seems to be
destitute of vegetable matter will, when
'soWn with alfalfa, in few years be con-
verted into rich, black loam, full of
vegetable mould. This is of interest ID
our country, where the land is rich n
mineral plant food, but lacking in vegetss
able matter.
SEEDING. =
sEhA GROUND should be mellow, fine and
leveIS newly broken sod does not do 50
WelE II is slow grower and tender IN
ssil7well established; needs moisture to
terminate it; has been known to remain
in the ground one year without sprouting ;
should not be soWn before the middle of
April in our climate. a good stand has
been obtained from 8 sowing made IN
july. 1t can be soWn broadcast with 4
Cahoen seed sowerr or with grain drill
shutclose, ssy to one sixteenth Of an inch
with the teeth or drills taken out. Use
narrow or brush drag. II the ground is
moist, do not roll, as the seed will not
come up through the crust. We favor
thick sowing, as thin growth tends to
coarse stalks. Some farmers say it
should never be sown with any other crop,
though others have tried it and succeeded,
and the Department of Agriculture in its
Issue OF 1873, says it should be soWn in
connection with barley or wheat. Twenty
pounds to the acre seems to be the &C.
some favor using FIVE pounds more. II
| has been p.oYen by sctuSl count that there
are 244, 249sseeds IN one pound; IS there
are {, 2725640 inches to the acre, twenty
| five pounds and eleven ounces would give
| al ID % sr,nh -
will be too thick, If the seed Is clean and
goed, but considerable allowance must be
fagde for seed possessing no germinatin g
5quslities. 1t has been soWn on sod, but
This practice is not to be rec commended.
Sometimes one, two and even three seed
! ings are required before good stand is
Obtained. IL hourishes up to an altitude
of 1900 feet above the level of the SEES,
but at points higher is liable to Kill Out
| before strong roots are secured.
HEIGHT OF STALK AND DEPTH CT ROOT
1t will grow to the height of nearly nine
feet, as has been shown by specimens
measuring LOG inches, taken from the
ranch of GsusrGl Shields Of California. II
is almost i'm possible 10 say how deep the
roots Will go down, some claiming thai
they will reach depth OF thirty feet. L
is On record, however, that in California
in 1872, freshet cut sWsy the bank of .
creek, exposing section Ct an alfalf.
field. The roots had penetrated to {
depth OF twenty feet, where they bat
reechsd the water line. These roots were
close together, but entirely disconnected
each one growing straight through tn,
soil to the water, at which point cluster
of roots or feeders were thrown out.
LONGEVITY.
4 How long it will live in & soil is ques
siiion not essily answered. E. R. Sizer O
West Las Animas writes the he has reat
Of fields in Chilli 400 years old, still bear
Ing good crops. 1t is known that field
planted sixty years ago are in good yield
ing condition, sad We can, therefore, con
clude that there is no dsrger of its oeini
!: ort-lived. Like the fruit tree, we cal
seed II, and leave field as q legacy G
\ value to those who follow after US.
Il IRRIGATION.
Spring rains, as rule, answer unit
within week of the first cutting, when
thorough irrigation Isl desirable, thong
often first crop is cut without othe
moisture than the natural rainfall. Irri
, gste Immediately after crop is remove,
from the field. Flooding is avoided i
California as much SIS possible II tn