The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-03-29
Letters to the Editor.
Alfalfa.
Montgomery County. Ala. R EN n No Q AfnaL oc tnnn


 R. F. D. No. 2 March 26, 1903 Editor The Advertiser:
 A little more than one year ago I read an article in The Advertiser on Alfalfa. l began at once to collect information about the plant. and from March 9th to 23rd, 1902, planted twenty acres. Of this held fully four acres died out very quick iy as the soil was not suitable. As to to the merits of this wonderful clover, l prefer not to say much as even the most conservative statement would sound incredible.
 I began feeding it to my work horses on March 1lth and in a few days cut off the grain ration just one half l cut days ration each morning and allow it to wilt during the day and at night fill up my feed boxes, and frequently the horses will leave oats untouched, until every blade of the Alfalfa has ben eaten My stock are brood mares and are now pulling Hancock disc blow, cutting from to 12 inches deep in stubble soil. the very hardest of farm work. and contrary work horses. I have failed, so far, to detect the slightest evil results to my mares who go direct from the barn to a four-horse blow after eating great baskets full of this marvellous clover.
 In the past year I have collected quite library on Alfalfa. that embraces the experiences of successful growers from Maine to California. in the shape of pull letins, books and personal letters. Some of the statements, of even such men as pr. w. c. Stubbs of Louisiana and Pro lessor F. D. Coburn of Kansas two of the most noted chemists and agricultur- ists of the world, are almost beyond be- lief. In order that the uniniated may form some idea of what they are ex- pected to believe l will quote just a few extracts from my literature:
 The roots of alfalfa has been known to go 125 feet deep in the earth" Ot S. Exp)
 -Four thousand pounds of pork raised on one acre"
 Ten shorthorn milch cows fed nine months on two acres. without other feed ,
 "ln Sonora Mexico a field has been cut for sixty years and now in splendid con- dition," U. s. Bulletin No 31.)
 Alfalfa hay is complete substitute for such substances as wheat bran and cotton seed meal" (U. S. Bulletin 31. p. 16)
 Alfalfa does not develop a full, growth under four or five years, hence my sx- perience is very limited and especially so as my crop had five months drought last summer.
 It has been green the entire winter, but was completely killed down about five weeks ago so the present growth which will average four r to IS inches high Is about one month old
 Most of my field is a barren. rotten limestone hillside. where but little vege- tation has ever grown.
 The popular idea of Alfalfa is that 1t Is the same the common Melilotus that grows wild all over the prairie country While the two unQuestonably are of the same family the difference Is quite as great as Johnston grass and sorghum
 The object of this communication is not to instruct. but to invite any one in- terested to visit my farm and see for themselves how valuable crop can be grown on a worthless plot of land have not used an ounce of fertilizer Of any kind A gentleman from the famed Kentucky blue grass region came out yesterday and declared the alfalfa the most wonderful growth he had ever known.
 Some idea of the feed value of alfalfa can be gotten from the undisputed fact that one ton of Alfalfa hay Is worth about two tons of the very best timothy and will grow from four to twenty tons to the acre.
 I have no hay to sell, and don't see how a farmer could afford to sell it and buy grain.
 Judging from my very short experience |atA A1fRlfa have not the slightest