Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1888-02-14

since made its cultivation general through
out the north, as 1t hiss been for centurie
In the more southern portions of Europe
Inc Following is the article slluded to:
HE NEW GERMAN FORAGE PLANT.
our Lorthern stare hace ndsdos are lIkelI
loon 20 near much Of the n German forage
plant, snoHn as "asperset," which ia said Il
be especially adapted 20 dry and barren
regions, where rainfall is scarce and irrigation
, mot easily obtainable. This plant, which IL
| saio 70 grow better without irrigation than
| with IL, Is green the year AROUND, and 1t IL
Claimed for 1t that Is makes better food for
| cattle than any plant known. The Rovernmen!
woild do well 10 cause Inquiry % be m ide in
Germany regarding this plan and TO have the
Consul st San Frsnnisco report on the expert
pent about TO be made with the asperset in
the state of NeVSda.
The propar spelling Of the name Of the
plant Is esparcette, not "Asperset" It is
also called "sainfoin," and is known by
both names Unfortunately, as well in
Germany as In France. In some parts Of
the latter country, 1t Is sometimes named
"bourgogne."
In Webster's dictionary, this plant is
referred to as follows:
| "EspSrcette," kind of sainfoin.
| "Sainfoin," S leguminous plant culsi-
waited for forage.
The Latin botanical name conferred
upon esparcette by Linneus, the great
fisher Of the science of botany, IS:
! "Hedyssrum Onobrychis," rather too
much OF jaw-breaker for common use in
| our popular vernsculsr- Although bear
ing several names, there are really no dis
tinet varieties of esparcette known 10
botanists.
The word sainfoin is from the French;
sain, healthy, foin, hay, healthy hay or
ha0 oh mil ~ At
| this plant has been held for ages by that
people. The plant belongs to The botani-
cal family OF leguminous, or papillonace-
Gus vegetables; so named, because the
| flowers Of many varieties classified with
| the species, like for instance, the garden
pea are supposed to bear some resemb-
lance to 8 pspiiio, butterfly. Red clover,
alfalfa, peas, beans, with many other veg
etables Of known economic value to man
kind, are ranged by scientists In the same
family or species.
Esparcette has been cultivated for CEN
turtles in Central and Southern Europe
as 8 forage plant, especially for It's hay,
as 1t is not well adapted to p.sturage.
Its culture is not confined to Germany,
although the "Mexican Financler" calls
1t "German forage plant" On the
contrary, it is probably much more ex-
tensively grown in France and in Switzer-
land, and also in Italy and Spain, in
which latter two countries droughts pre-
vail more frequently than in the others,
as they also do in the southern part of
France. am unable to say whether 1t
is cultivated to any extent in Great Brit
| ain or not, although scarcely think 1t
probable; and am certain that it does
not succeed in Northern Germany, or
| higher north in Europe. Esparcette viii
probably flourish in any latitude where
the thermometer does not descend to
zero Fahrenheit, and wherever it finds q
congenial soil. On the homestead farm
in the old country, on which was born
and grew up, 1t WAS together with slfalfa
raised as regular forage crop. Alfalfa
is known to the Germans and French as
"luzerne." The name "alialfa" WAS
most likely given to this variety of clover
in Chill, where IL WAS no doubt intro
duced centuries ago by the old Spanish
oDquistadores, and from whence itcame
to California.
l have made repeated attempts to raise
both espareette and alfalfa on my farms
In Illinois and MiseoLr, but have never
succeeded In carrying the crops through
the winter. Hard frosts invariably
killed both kinds. Wherever the climate
will suit alfalfa, 1t will be found con-
genial to espsrcette.
It Is . matter of surprise to me that
ssinfoin has not long ago been intro
duced, and cultivated extensively in many
sections OF the south, which must IN
questionably be well adapted to It's
growth. am of the Arm belief that in
many localities In Texas, where the
northern grasses fail to succeed on &C.
count of the heat and other causes espar-
cette, after its culture rs understood and
properly managed, will prove lucrative
and very valuable crop. The hay cured
from 1t is Of al excellent quality, and de
cidedly superior to the hay made from
alfalfa, especially for horses. In curing,
the leaves do not drop as easily and as
much from the stalk as those Of alfalfa
are apt to do. The hay, where both
plants are grown, sells for higher price
than alfalfa hay. Where 1t is raised in
Europe, alfalfa is used mostly for soiling,
or stall feeding; that Is to s6y, it is
moved and fed green to the animals.
Espar;ette Is more commonly dried aud
cured into hay. In France and Germany,
the hay Of red clover and alfalfa is not
generally fed to horses, not being con-
sidered as desirable IS other hay for that
purpose.
The valuable qualities Of espsrcette as
q forage plant may be summed up as fol
lows: 1t does not require q soil as deep
or as rich as alfalfa. 1t will grow well
and produce on an aversge Two good
crops Of excellent hay annually, weighing
from one and half to two tons each per
acre, on rather inferior or mediocre
sandy and gravelly soils, and thrives par
ticularly on cGlcareous soils, ST. ongly i'm
pregnated with lime, as well as on alka-
line ground, although it does not take
kindly to heavy argillsceous or clay land.
Il enriches the ground fully as much and
in the same manner as red clover, when
1t is ploWed under. It's long, woody
tsproots enable it to endure protrscted
drouths better than even alfalfa, or any
other forage plant. 1t does not require
irrigation; 81 least, have never seen or
heard Of esparcette being irrigated in
Europe, although its yield may very
POSSIBLY be increased by irrig alton, fact
which can be easily ascertsined by ex-
pertinent. On the other hand, it must De
said that 1t does not yield as many cuts
each year as alfalfa, seldom, as stated
=