The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-01-08
The Merits of Alfalfa.

Alfalfa, or lucern (Medicago satfva) Is
wonderful food plant. No other plant
grown In the United States or Canada will
furnish so much valuable food for so long
term of years without reseeding, says
Prot. Shaw in American Agriculturist. It
is a perennial and can be grown with
more or less success in every state of the
Union and in number of the provinces
OF Canada. But it has especial adaptation
for those states where the temperatures
are too warm and the conditions are too
dry to grow clover at its best Speaking
In a general way, the highest adaptation
for alfalfa culture is found in those states
that lie south of the Missouri river in
Guiding the lands drained by that river
and west from the Mississippi where it is
Joined by the Missouri. Next to these
states in adaptation may be placed those
areas that lie south Of the Ohio and be-
tween the Mississippi and the Atlantic
And after these in adaptation come va
rious localities In the other states where
the measure of success attained in grow
ing the crop is usually more dependent on
soil conditions than on those which relate
to climate There is probably no state in
the Union in which alfalfa may not be
successfully grown.
The soil best suited to alfalfa will be
measurably dependent on the moisture
that can be furnished to 1t in the form Of
ram, through surface irrigation or from
subterranean source. Loose, sandy loan
soils rich in certain elements of plant
food, particularly lime, phosphoric acid
and potash, are usually regarded as the
most suitable for alfalfa. These soils
should be deep in character and
should lie on sandy or gravelly subsoils.
that is to say, subsoils which consists Of
fine gravel intermixed with sand When
water cannot be supplied from bitches or
from subterranean source, and when the
summer climate is dry in character il will
be found that alfalfa will grow best in
soils that are undertake with mild, porous
clay subsois, which the roots can easily
penetrate.
Preparing the Soil.-When alfalfa Is to
be laid down for term of years. il is
important that the land on which IL is
sown shall first be well cleaned either
by summer following it, or what would
be better by growing some crop on 1t that
is given clean cultivation. 1t is also i'm
portant that the ground shall be plowed
deeply In preparing it for the alfalfa
Sdbsoiling the land will usually be found
good investment. But this should never
be done by running the ordinary pillow
twice in the same furrow, except in soils
that are as rich in available plant food
in the under furrow slice as in the upper
one Otherwise the plants from the newly
sown alfalfa may not be able to get food
enough to produce a vigorous growth when
they are young. But when alfalfa is sOWn
along with other plants to provide pasture
it is not so necessary to have the land in
such perfect condition of prepare ton
The time for sowing alfalfa varies much
with the locality 1t should not me sown
in the winter or in the summer In the
northern half of the republic it is usu-
ally sown in the early spring, as soon as
the ground has become warm, and the dan
ger from severe frosts Is past. In the
Southern half thereof it is own in the
autumn and aN in the spring. When
sown in the autumn sufficient time should
be given to the young plants to make
enough growth TO enable them to pass the
winter safely, with its frequent periods Of
trying temperatures,
When alfalfa is grown to furnish hay,
thick seeding Is recommended, not less
than twenty pounds per acre, and in some
instances more than that amount. that
the stand of the hay may be of fine
growth. This will reduce the waste IN
feeding the hay. To provide seed or win.
ter pasture, It should be sown less thick
", about fifteen pounds per acre is CON
sidered sufficient. When sown along with
clover and timothy, the following combl-
nation Is a good one:
Per acre
Alfalfa ....'''''''''''..'''.'..... pounds
Medium clover .......................2 pounds
Mammoth clover .....................2 pounds
Alslke .........s'.....s......... pound
timothy .''ss''...................3 pounds
Total ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. pounds
Alfalfa may be made to furnish excel.
lent pasture for horses, cattle, sheep and
swine, but the pasturing must not be done
in an indiscriminate manner 1t ought