Arizona republican., 1900-08-25
FARMING IN THE WEST.
Kafir Corn. the Soy Bean and Alfalfa
 Discussed.

Colorado Springs, Colo, Aug. 23.-The Sessions of the National Farmers con gress today were marked with more than ordinary interest and took wide
 range. The moring sessicn opened with the reading of a paper prepared by Ba- ron Herman. agricultural attache of
 the German legation at Washington, on ''The Common Interest of Farmers Over
 the World" F. D. Coburn. secretary of agriculture of Kansas, followed Ba-
 ron Herman with an interesting paper
 on Agricultural Requirements in the
 West" Secretary Coburn spoke in part as follows:
 "A tremendous deteriment to the es- , tablishment and maintenance of a sue cessful agriculture over over wide areas of the trans-Missouri region, or the cen ! tral west, has been lack of knowledge
 as to what growths were adapted to the seasons, the climate, the attitudes and the soils; also an adherence b crops
 and methods perhaps most excellent
 elsewhere, but under conditions as diff
 ferent from those here as day is from
 night. Within the past ten years there
 have been introduced into the agricul- ture of the region mentioned at least three forage plants (two of them grains plants also) which are likely to change
 the situation to a wonderful degree, and
 open vast possibilities to those who
 coming after us would possess and ac-
 quire competence from soils which, per-
 sistently misunderstood, were unyield-
 ing
 They are Kafir corn, alfalfa and the
 soy bean: a trio doing much to revoIu-
 tionize mid-cOntinental agriculture and
 doubtless destined to transform large
 areas in this region, now affording |
 best but meager pasturage, into pros
 porous communities of farmers and stock growers, where live stock will not simply be reared for the eastern fatten- ing lots as they are now, but where
 they will be actually fattened for | slaughter for eXacting markets.
 "Kafir corn yields best on rich lands. ! and responds well to generaus treat ment. Its culture. however is not linn l ited to soils of highest fertility II is grown on stiff clays and on light sands; on river bottoms and on poor uplands , and will yield profitable returns on soils
 too poor for corn. Indian corn being so universally known as the great grain food. the value Of Kafir corn could not be more clearly expressed tl.an by com parison. Experiments show that busheI for bushel. Kafir corn does not have the feeding vale of Indian cOrn when ether is fed alone. but when some balancing food like alfalfa or soy bean meal is fed in addition the discrepancy is at once made good. This fact. together | with the difference in yield leaves the Kaffir corn with decided high rank
 In eleven years experiments with this at inc Kansas agricultural col. lego there has been but one failure to produce gran, and in no instance has the yield iu tha same year been eQualed by Indian corn; the Kafir corn on up- land limestone prairie made a yearly average of 46 bushels per acre, or 11.5 more than the corn, it's lowest yield be- ing 19 bushels in 1S9O and the highest 9S bushels in 1891. Kafir corn will pro- duce a crop of both grain and forage on much less rain than is required for corn, and is not affected so disastrously by hot winds. If rains fall it grows as the forest grows; if the heavens refuse to weep and the sun dries in a brassy sky the Kafir corn simply bides its time, retains its greenness, and when the rains come springs into new life.
 Alfalfa is inestimable to this or any other section or country where it can he grown, as a pasture or sOiling crop, or as cured hay. This perennial legume, with long penetrating roots reaching to great depths has thereby unusual pow CTS of resistance to protracted dry wea- ther, and is well adapted to he condi- tiOnS existing westward from the Ms souci. While the ideal situations for the best growth and yield of this plant are most commonly found in the val leys of streams, or under irrigation, eX- perience demonstrates that it can be grown profitably on much of the higher