The Central Nevadan. [volume] (Battle Mountain, Nev.) 1885-1907, 1901-03-14
kot Alfalfa

1879 Killed Oh pTooaOlt ndlI u ING
falfa of western Kansas. Nebraska,
Colorado and Wyoming. and many
fields in the central prairie states to
the eastward were badly damaged, but
the Turkeston alfalfa grown in the
states mentioned was not affected. At
the Wyoming Experiment station a
plat Of Turkestan alfalfa was exposed
for two weeks without injury to q tenn
perature of-35 degrees. the lowest
point reached being As degrees. In
California It was subjected without
damage TO a drouth which seriously in
5ured ordinary alfalfa. In view OF the
notable success of this plant In with
standing drouth and cold. 1t has been
decided to purchase a large amount OF
seed grown In America from our m
ported stock and distribute II widely
over the arid west until II has been
thoroughly tested under all the differ
ent climatic and soil conditions exist
ing In that region. From the results
already secured, 1t Is believed that this
one introduction will add millions OF
dollars TO the annual hay product OF
the United States.
At the Experiment station at Brook
ings, 8. D., with a minimum tempera-
ture last winter OF 40 degrees below
zero with the ground bare. common al
falfa was killed, while this alfalfa from
the heart OF Asia came through I'M
harmed. One OF the main instructions
OF Secretary Wilson in sending the
writer on this trip In 1913. OF nearly
ten months, was to secure, IL possible,
q hardy, drouth-resisting leguminous
forage plant, from the elevated table
lands Of Asia. Upon reach ng Russia
the government agricultural author
tiles at Moscow and ST. Petersburg tolG
me of this plant. I. Is distinct from
common alfalfa, which has come TO US
largely from Spain. Botanicaily, the
difference Is expressed by Russian au-
thorities In naming Turkestan Alfalfa
Medicago Saliva Turkestanica. while
common alfalfa Is called Medicago Sa-
tfva- learned, especially from Prince
Massalski, of the Department OF Ag-
riculture at ST. Petersburg. that II had
been found In pa allel expe inents east
OF the Caspian sea in the Merv GASES
in Russian Turkestan that the native
alfalfa was vastly superior to the COM
mon alfalfa, especially where there was
a lack of water, as 1t was able to give
satisfactory crops with a minimum
supply Of water so small that the Eu-
ropean tcommon) alfalfa persisted from
drouth.
Along the yolga river at the dry re-
gion experiment stations of eastern
European Russia, l found this plant
doing well, and when | got to the
desert and s~emi-desert regions Of Tur-
comania, Bokhara, and the Semi
retchnisk province OF Russian Turke-
stan, all east OF the Caspian Sea, I
made careful study OF the plant. Here
were camels by the thousands. and
clouds of dust often so thirk That a wei
sponge was found essential for rela-
tive comfort in breathing. ! was so
pleased with what was seen OF this
plant, that | did not stop until fully
! 5000 pounds of the seed was secured.
chiefly from the cotton-growing sec
LlUld dL1OuS lut odiAo, Vi hdNAFC nv
hammedans. The main a for
making the overland journey OF over
1000 miles Il 300 by wagon. 700 by
sleigh) from Tashkent. the capital o.
Russian Turkestan. to Omsk. In ST.
IBERIA, via Kuldja, In western China
was to trace this plant to its northern
limits, which was found to be near
n---I L. Cth0.fa hnfttAdA H.
grees 10 minutes, longitude. 70 degrees
east of Greenwich.) Kuldja, In Sur
garia, western China. is In latitude 43
degrees so minutes. longitude, 81 de-
grees 20 minutes east, and was the
farthesf point reached In my journey
(about half way around the globe).
Seed was secured from eight different
sources, but, Of course, only small lots
could be obtained from the places VS.
tied in the overland journey. The in
teresting, and to me the most surprls-
ing fact, is that the alfalfa which
proved so hardy at Brookings was
from the cotton section Of Turkestan,
SO that the plant stands cold as well
as drouth. This indicates that In this
plant we nave an dlIdlld lHdL Will De
hardy to our northern borders and
probably north into Canada. II Is
gratifying to the writer that the rough
Journey in Asia, in which the shadow
Of the death angels wings fell upon
him more than once or twice. has APP
parently resulted in giving the north
west, as well as the southwest, the
hardy forage plant desired by Secre-
tary Wilson.
1t will be we'll to note that I have no
seed Of Turkestan alfalfa to sell. or
give away. All the seed was dist III
uted from Washington. and the Tn ted
States Department of Agriculture takes
care of all applications. To those who
lost their alfalfa fields last winter II
will be good news that there Is In OK
istence an alfalfa harder than the one
now cultivated in America. which was
brought over by the Spaniards. The
original home Of the alfalfa from
Spain. In southern Europe and Asia
appears to have been warmer and
--ta-- 49, 49, . a