Smyrna times., 1902-02-26
FARMERS
AT SMYRNA.
Joseph E. Wing on Alfalfa Growing.
CONTINUED FROM FIRST PAGE.

part: l was born and raised in the |
State of Ohio on farm of 1913 acres
which my father owned. When a
young man went West and started in
as herder on a cattle ranch. There
1 first learned of the wonderful alfalfa,
it being used as feed for the cattle
when the grass crop was short and also
during the winter months. Being pro-
NOTED and securing an interest in the
business, studied more about this
plant, and felt convinced that it was
destined to become one of the greatest
feeds known to the farmer and stock
to my father and he planted it IN a
small lot near the house. After some
time l made visit home and viewed
with much expectancy the develop
ment of the new plant. Imust confess
that l was disappointed, as it did not
seem to thrive as we'll in Ohio as in the
far West, but after a little investiga-
tion found that the chickens had eaten
it off and there was no chance for it
to grow. Covering a small space of it
with a barrel l soon found that it
would grow as we'll at home as it did
on the ranch. In few months after
this was called home by the infrma-
ties of my father and was given charge
of the farm. 1t was clear of debt, but
the year before only 800 had been the
gross sales of the products raised.
You may imagine that 1 was disap-
pointed and lOnged to return to my
home in the far West, but circum-
stances compelled me to stay in Ohio.
With my fathers consent L began ex-
perlmenting with alfalfa and as the
land was low and damp and poor, 1
thought the outlook was not very
bright. 1t may as we'll be understood
you cannot raise alfalfa on wet lard,
neither can you get satisfactory results
on land that is not rich. 1t was not
long after my return home that my
father died, and the responsibilities of
the 1893 acre farm fell on me. 1 con-
tinued to ditch and put in tile to drain
the land and then enrich it with a lib
eral supply of manure. AS 1 woald
spread the manure could picture to
myself the nice rich earth it would
make and the bountiful crop of alfalfa
that would be harvested.
Experience in Raising Lambs.
I soon began to turn my attention
to the raising of lambs and very quick
ly saw that there was money in this
industry if it was properly managed.
You do not have to keep them long and
they will increase in weight very rap
idly. My principal feed at that time
was wheat bran and oil meal, with a
small quantity of rough food, the bran
and meal containing large quantities
of protein, which makes bone and en-
larges the frame, so that the animals
can hold the new flesh made. 1t was
not long before lambs began to go
down in price, and as 1 had gone to
considerable expense in building sew
eral barns to house the lambs and store
the feed, failure stared ne in the face.
Then L began to experiment some
more. 1 found that by using alfalfa
instead of the meal and bran I had cut
down the cost of raising the lambs
from $6.25 to $500 per hundred
pounds, and the animals that were
sent to the city markets brought me
as good price as those fed on meal
and bran. Notwithstanding the
taunts of my neighbors went into the
business more extensively, and at the
end of few years my mortgage had
disappeared and 1 had a comfortable
bank account besides. After all these
experiments, which have proved more
than successful, I am convinced that
alfalfa will produce more clean cash
than any other crop the farmer can
raise, barring the peach crop. In con-
nection with the feeding of alfalfa tc
the stock you must bear in mind that
the manure of an animal is valuable in
proportion to the richness of the fo od
fed. Ensilage is all right, but it con
tains in 10 tons 215 pounds of protein
while 8 tons of alfalfa contains SSC
pounds. Alfalfa contains four times
as much protein as corn.
When to Sow Alfalfa Seed.
Great care should be taken in pre-
pairing the ground for sowing the seed
1t should first be thoroughly drained
and the low places tiled, then heavily
manured and crop of corn taken off
In the spring plow deep. The groun,
should be narrowed several times tC
kill the weeds. Late in July or earl,
in August drill in two bushels of barle,
to the acre and SOW fifteen pounds O
alfalfa. Sometimes when it gets to tn
, height of several inches the rust an
} pears. Cut it with a mower and thi
? will disappear in the next growth. Th
I II L