The Wichita daily eagle., 1904-05-08
REAL VALUE
IN ALFALFA
Secretary Thoburn Discusses
Condition of That Crop.
CASH PRIZE OFFERED
Tbcro IL ~ 0oo,ro - CO. Aoro
There Is a Desire to See Acre
age Increased.

! Guthrie, o. T., May THAT the farm
ers OF Oklahoma are. becoming alive to
/ the Importance and value of alfalfa is
I becoming every day more apparent. 1t
seems probable that Oklahoma's alfalfa
acreage will be nearly doubled during the
| present year" Such is the statement of
| Secretary Thoburn. of the territorial
board OF agricultural. today. Continuing
he said:
Not only the farmers but the business
men are becoming interested in seeing
more ground planted with alfalfa. AS
an instance of this might cite the case
OF the bank Of F. c. Finerty Is Co, of
Cordell. Some weeks ago the manage
ment offered a cash prize for the best
signed statement giving actual facts and
experience in the production of alfalfa
in Washita county. The bank has since
issued neat folder giving statements of
ten farmers OF that county each of whom
has made a pronounced success with
alfalfa"
Mo. o. S. Petty. of Corden. makes the
following detailed statement which should
be of interest TO every farmer in Okla
homa:
~ own a second bottom fran on Boggy
creek in Washita county. and have 20
acres of alfalfa. acres Of which is three
years old and the rest two years Eleven
acres of the latter. on same quality OF
land is as good as the three year old The
fve-acre tract / pastured heavy last year
till April 10, then took stock of and cut
two crops of hay, securing about IL
tons per acre at each cutting, or about
10 tons altogether. ! cut ten acres, in
Guiding the above five acre tract. from
which 1 threshed 30 bushels of seed The
hay threshed 1 fed but could have sold
it for $3.50 per ton. The hay l sold at
$500 to $500 per ton loose in stack at
home, and $500 tone FOR baled.
The net results ON the i've acres
would be as follows:
10 tons OF hay at s6 per ton ........s 90.
10 bushels of seed at IS per ton 80. 12O
p. tons threshed hay at $3.50 per
ton ..................-.--... 6.2S
Total .......................... 216.25
Making s43.2O per acre.
Il mean to SOW % or 80 acres more
this spring. / consider spring sowing
the best. Pasturage on my alfalfa is
valuable inasumch as it furnished pasture
from four TO six weeks earlier than
prairie grass"
Mr.. A. D. Campbell, also of Cordell,
writes of his experience as follows:
Il have been raising alfalfa for eight
years, and now have thirty-two acres on
my Cavalry creek farm, of which ten
acres was sown last year. and has never
been cut. From one twelve-acre tract
cut 2S tons at first cutting last year, and
the second cutting produced 80 tons. and
third cutting IS tons. then pastured the
fourth growth. On a five-acre tract,
eight years old, the first cutting last
year made ten tone, second crop twelve
tons. and the third crop was cut for
seed, and threshed about 1712 bushel.
worth IS per bushel. and five tons Of
threshed hay which / sold for So per
ton 1 sold the first cutting, which was
slightly damaged by overflow. for s. per
ton, the other cutting drought Sc TO
s. per ton. lose. The market value OF /
S1903 crop from the fve-acre tract:
10 tons first cutting at s. per ton g so % I
y tons second cutting at S6 per ton 81 % 4
tons threshed hay. 50 per ton ..... 1900 /
l713 bushel seed at IS per bu ........ 1000 /
Total receipts from five acres $3.50 90 |
or $3.50 per acre In intend to have 100 /
acres OF alfalfa eventually on my farm.
do not pasture alfalfa under two years
old