The Helena independent., 1894-12-12
NOTHING LIKE TO IT.
40 a Mortgage Litter and a Calamity Killer
Alfalfa Is Just the Thing to
Race,
-
MONTANA RANcHERs GROWING IT.
An Interesting Article by Alfred Rasleot, OF
Stuart Deer Lodge County, ina
Kansas Report.
MONTANA RANcH5Rs GROWING IT,

mers and ranchers OF Montana have
given more attention 10 alfalfa growing
than ever before. It's importance and
value ls becoming recognized and In
the Yellowstone, GnllRtln and Bitter
Root valleys Il Is now being quite ex-
tcnslvely raised, Alfalfa is a pnrtlcu-
larly valuable crop to Montana farmers.
StoCkmeu are beginning TO learn that
they cannot trust to the ranges for sutii-
Client food for their horses and cattle
In severe winters. They have been
looking about for a long time for some
cheap product, easily raised. that can
sustain stock when grazing Is lmpos-
sible and in alfalfa they have found
what they need.
/ l. ID. oDonnell, n prominent farmer
and stockman, OF Billings. has been
experimenting with alfalfa for some
time. He has met with great success
| In Its production In an address before
/ The state farmers convention, held at
Bozemau last spring. he recommended
Il as the best hay for horses and cattle
! Since that time many Gallatln county
| farmers have put in few acres OF al
falta and the yield in that section has
been tremendous and OF the best quail
! ity. During the present year Director
| ). Nj. Emery. OF the state experiment
station raised several small lots OF the
clover with a view Of determining un-
der what conditions 1t can be most sue
cessfully grown
The report Of the Kansas state board
Of agriculture FOR the month OF Novem-
Der is devoted entirely to the consldera-
ton OF alfalfa. Ii is an exhaustive
treatise of $50 pages. In Ii is an inter-
esting article on alfalfa by Alfred Rasl-
cot. of Sturat, Deer Lodge county. Mr..
Raslcot says:
Alfalfa is the most valuable crop
that Is raised in Idaho or Utah for hay,
growing on any kind of land but that
which Is low and wet. yielding five to
| seven tons OF hay To the acre. and pro-
| viding excellent feed for all kinds OF
farm animals. For about twenty years
nave grown from twenty To fifty acres
on second bottom" and upland clay
SOIL with gravel below and water at
| depth varying from sixteen to one hun
dred feet on different localities. We ir-
| rigate from streams, flooding the land
and turning the water off as soon as The
land has been all covered. applying once
for the first cutting and twice for each
succeeding cutting, whenever the
ground is dry
THE first year on new land requires
fully one-third more water than Is
needed afterward. Before seeding, the
ground should be mellow, then harrow
ed with the back part OF the harrow or
| brushed, and seeded with fifteen to
| twenty Ia 20 ~. h.t ~
first and middle of April The plant
VIII usually run out the weeds. and on
that account no special treatment is
needed The first season will produce
small crop OF hay, but no good seed
Unless water Is allowed to freeze on the
land. alfalfa does not winterklll here
and Mt two or three years of age 1t is
at its best. continuing vigorous for ten,
| twenty or thirty years without seeding.
The first cutting of the season yields
about two and half or three tons to
the acre. the second about two 10 Two
and half. and the third one to one and
a half tons. The hay is cut when the
plant has been In bloom eight or ten
days, allowed To lie for twenty-four TO
| thirty-six hours, and treated as red
clover Is. The second crop Is always
the best for seed here. The cost In the
| stack, on $25 land, irrigation costing
80 to IS cents an acre. is 81 ton. To put
this up in 100 0-pound bales costs 81 80
n ton. on the ground II sells for 81 TO
So a ton. while the seed brings SO, 81 and
| IS a bnshel An ordinary yield of seed
Is 300 pounds to the acre, and this Is
| threshed with the same machine used
for grain, at cost OF about one-fourth
| of the seed. The straw Is worth about
| one-fourth as much as the hay. We
consider alfalfa hay. for cattle. sheep
and hogs. far superior to clover. but for
horses timothy is best. will keep fat
steers and sheep all winter. providing
they are under shelter, and is excellent
for milch cows
alfalfa will fall behind red clover for
green manure, as it Is almost impossible
10 plow It under and keep n there. IL
the crowns are turned under, where
there Is any moisture at all, they Will
grow again; and. II turned under deep
Il Is almost impossible to get them killed
out. ! plowed piece Of heavy soil for
potatoes. 1t took two years To get rid
Of the plants. and not a crown ever died
that / did not pull out where the sun
| could dry IL. 1 have seen several pieces
started on the high prairies, but never
saw any one make "A success OF II yet,
but. in all that | have had an oppGr-
tunlty 10 learn the particulars, the man
was more To blame than the plant or
the land. some Of the land never having
been plowcd more than two Inches deep.
alfalfa Is destined 10 be the most re-
liable plant that has ever come into the
state for different reasons; The hot
winds have never been able 10 make
IL drop leaf during these two years OF
almost continuous dry wenther; II will
kill out any weed I'm existence and keep
out any that try IN get foothOld The
: man who has his land all set 10 alfalfa
win not lose much sleep on account Of
the Russian thistle, There are 80 many
channels through which he can turn his
crop into money that he has a great
. advantage over the wheat grower
a leading agriculturist says: Find
: what suits your locality and stick to 1t
! have boon eight years finding this out,
p ana nm going 30 pat cyery foot Of my
p'poo iu alfalfa as fast rs ] am able
AlflM ig tho way put'i II Is a mort
L 4 q NNasN LII