The Globe-republican. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1889-1910, 1894-03-16
Alfalfa in Western Kansas.

that it regards the alfalfa lands of west
iern Kansas as among the most valuable
in the West or in the nation. We ar
rived at the conclusion after q careful
personal inspection of the alfalfa lands
of the state and especially those along
the Arkansas valley. As We have fire..
tquently stated, alfalfa lands are those
that have an alluvial soil, with a reliable
underflow Of water, ten, fifteen or twen-
ty feet below the surface, and no clay,
rock, gumbo OF coarse gravel on the sur
face. With view of obtaining further
particulars with reference to the alfalfa
lands of western Kansas. we have re-
quested Mr.. j. H. Churchill, of Dodge
City, Kansas, to give US chapter from
his own experience as an alfalfa grower,
which he has cheerfullv consented to do,
and which is in substance as follows:
Ihave been a grower of alfalfa for feed
for horses, cattle and hogs, and have
sowed for several years. Have written
many papers on the subject for cur agri-
cultural meetings for the past five years,
and yet, it seems to me, that the half has
never been told. 1t is the one crop in
western Kansas along the Arkansas and
in other valleys and on irrigated upland.
We have had failures of wheat, corn aud
other grains as in other states somes
years. but the growers of alfalfa have yet
to meet their first failure. Last year,
the driest season since the signal service
was established at Dodge City seventeen
years ago, our alfalfa fields in the valley
without irrigation were cut three or four
times, producing on the average five tons
of dry hay to the acre, worth at this
writing eight dollars per ton. The aver
age yield of seed per acre in Ford cOun-
ty in 1898 was six bushels per the acre,
for the first shipment of which We Sc
cured $3.50 per bushel aud the last car
load S.. The seed, hay and straw on
this land last year averaged $4,000 per
acre. Alfalfa straw from which seed
has. been threshed is now worth four dol
lars ton. l feed it to milk cows, horses
and cattle with the best results and pre-
fer it to prairie hay. While there are
many ways of making living in the
state of Kansas, have chosen this cone
of growing alfalfa in combination with
raising cattle and hogs. Many of my
neighbors are laying the foundation for
a fortune in this section by following the
same method. The alfalfa lands are by |
no means all in cultivation, and alfalfa |
lands covering the underfiOw of the Ar
kansas river can be purchased at reason
able prices, but it is my belief that it
will be taken up and sown to alfalfa
rom Dodge City to the state line within
he next three years. One of the best
evidence of the value of these lands is
he fact that city merchants are buying
Is an investment, while many farmers
rom the east are moving in to become
permanent settlers. Alfalfa seed once
;Own, is sown for life time. 1 am in
ormed that there are fields in Switzer-
and, Italy, France and Chilli that have
,een in alfalfa for hundred years with
tut re-sowing. and if that is the case in
his country it would be good thing to
lepend upon in old age. In writing
bus in answer to your request l should
perhaps state that have no alfalfa land
o sell and have nothing but the best in
erests of my brother farmers at heart.
write for business and not theory. My
experience has taught me that no pro-
,ressive farmer in Kansas or any other
tate where it will grow can afford to be
without field of the purple-blooming
liant.
1t may seem to our readers that MIR.
Churchill has Over-drawn the picture.
is but just to say his conclusions are
q every respect confirmatOry of our Ov q
piNOn in investigating this subject
ersonally. The fact that impressed us
most was that upon which Mr.. Churchill
las not touched, namely, that alfalfa is
ne of the very richest of foods in nitro
en- or flesh forming constituents. In
his it equals and in fact surpassed red
lover. The Arkansas valley is likewise
q the corn belt, where the carbonaceous
lements of food in the shape of corn and
traw can be grown as cheaply as any
here in the world, therefore the farmer
Tho wishes to have balanced ration
an find the materials by growing alfalfa
5 cheaplv and conveniently as these can
e found in any stock country on which :
he sun shines. The Indicator has not {
alfalfa growing in sections '
here clover growing is success, for
easons which it has frequently stated,
amely, that perfect curing of alfalfa i
ay requires climate too dry for the F.,
rowth of clover and therefore on a 6
hole clover growing and alfalfa grow ,
,g cannot succeed together. There are ,
andy lands with an underflow of water ,
, the clover growing sections where it 8