The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1902-01-19
More About Alfalfa.

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Accompanies ................. Miss Barnes
More About Alfalfa.
To the Editor of the Eagle:
After reading your editorial in yester-
days paper on alfalfa. / am prompted to
make some observations that may be of
interest to the people generally about
this valuable plant. The history of this
plant is given by Jerry G. Smith, assistant
Agrostologist for the United States gov
eminent, washington, D. c.. is, in its
essential features, as follows:
Alfalfa has been grown with more or
less success in every state and territory
in the Union from Maine to Washington,
and from California 10 Florida There is
not a state from which the report has
not gone out that alfalfa will, when
properly treated, become one OF the best
fodder plants 1t is the best hay and
soiling crop Of the west. In the south it
has been widely recommended as very
valuable addition TO the list Of forage
grasses and clovers. In the middle and
eastern states it promises to become
rival Of the better known and more widely
grown red clover.
The early Greeks and Romans called it
Iucern medical, or. in Latin, medica or
herba medica, because it was brought
from Media.
Alfalfa or lucern CNIedicago sativa),
has been cultivated as forage plant
for more than twenty centuries. 1t is
a native of the valleys of the central dis
trict of western Asia. having been found
in an apparently wild condition in the
-,
eral parts of Beuoochistan and Afghanis-
tan. and in Cashmere. It was introduced
into Greece at the time of the Persian
war. about 40 3. c. The Romans often
cultivated it as forage for the horses
of their armies. 1t was in especial favor
with them as a forage crop during the
first and second centuries, and its cul-
tivation has been maintained down to
the present time. From Italy it was in
troduccd into France. i was carried to
Mexico at the time of the Spanish inva-
sion. and thence to the west coast Of
South America. 1t was brought from
Chile to California in 1854, and from there
il rapidly spread over the arid regions
Of the Pacific Coast and the Rocky Noun
tains where it is now cultivated almost
to the exclusion of other forage plants.
Lucern was introduced into the state
of New York as early as 1920, or more
than thirty years before it was brought
to California; but it has never been so
extensively cultivated there as on the
Pacific Coast.
The western alfalfa grows taller than
the eastern lucern. and is said to with
stand drouth and freezing better. This
is probably because it has been so long
subject to the peculiar soil and climatic
conditions of the arid regions of Chile,
California. and Colorado, that it has be-
come thoroughly acclimated. Alfalfa in
the west very rarely kills out by winter
freezing, although the temperature in
certain regions in which it is largely
grown, is as low in winter as in the east
ern and New England states. In this
latter section the plant frequently fails
10 go through the second season with
out the freezing of the roots.
There is also variety known as the
T1rkestan alfalfa, which has recently
been introduced in this country by the
Agricultural department The ra'iety
grows on the highest table-lands of cen
trail Asia and is especially adapted TO the
sudden changes OF temperature which pre-
vail the re-intense heat in midday and
~. 90 - -
=, MA e..r,.,r =.
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arid portions of the west.
Alfalfa is deep feeder. The taproots
Is hose AMI ,,er,, 49,. - 80.
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''S gee" le-o'uea
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, = so'As ''aie'es
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reese ~ ''c'ies
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