The Grit-advocate., 1904-07-08
THE FARM And RANGE
Value Of Alfalfa.

sldUS. IL vas hAo~h Al oteCNC rOV d.
{. The Romans esteemed 1t highly as
forage for the horses OF their army
Its cultivation has been maintained in
Italy to the present time. From Italy
il was introduced into Spain. and from
there carried to Mexico during the
Spanish invasion.
The Spaniards also took 1t to South
America, where 1t now grows wild in
places.
From Chill it reached California in
1854. 1t rapidly spread eastward and
now is largely grown throughout the
humid as well as the arid states.
A Farm Writer Says.
The secret of its great success
would seem to be in its root penetrat-
ing power. Plants four or FIVE months
old are known to have roots five or six
feet long. and if there is any moisture
the root will penetrate the hardest
hardpan. 1t is common to find roots
on most any kind of soil, sandy loan
being the best. However. 1t will do
well on gumbo. on the highest bench
ands or on the lowest river bottoms;
II will come nearer making a crop on
gravelly land than any other plant. 1t
is about the last crop to be killed by
alkali. 1t will. after once well set,
come nearer making good crop with
ont water than any other one known.
ON the other hand it will stand more
water and oftener in the hot season II
properly put on and off than any other
plant.
If a farmer does not care for hay, it
is a paying crop to let it go to seed.
There is a great demand for the seed.
one can cut as much hay from one
crop of alfalfa as from any other hay
and still raise crop Of seed that is
as valuable as the average crop.
1t will produce from three to seven
tons to the acre.
1t will produce from five to fifteen
bushels to the acre.
1t is the nearest to balanced ration
of any crop grown.
It has more protein than wheat
bran.
1t will come nearer crowding out all
foul weeds and grasses than any other
plant.
Three hundred and sixty stalks
have been grown from one seed.
Unlike most other plants 1t does not
exhaust the soil, but enriches it. so
much 60 that grain yields nearly double
where alfalfa is plowed up.
The digestibility Of alfalfa is
changed less by the process of curing.
than that Of any other forage plant.
Dry alfalfa in the summer is as palat-
able to the dairy COW as green grass. 1t
contains largely the succulent qualities
OF green grass in June. keeping the di-
gestive organs open and active, and it
has cooling effect on the blood.
Fed to dairy cows alfalfa maintains
the flow OF milk equal to June grass for
nearly a whole year. 1t can be
chopped as fine as wheat bran and
mixed with corn meal to form bal
anced ration. Such mixture is worth
more pound for pound than the origin
al corn meal
Where alfalfa grows to perfection is
cows paradise, and such land is
certain to flow with milk and honey if
man does his part towards such a con-
summation. as it is the greatest honey
plant known. 1t is superior to white
clover, sweet clover, or buck wheat.
and under favorable conditions will
give honey from June to October.
One of the great attractions in the
horticultural exhibit at the Louisiana
Purchase Exposition at ST. Louis, is the
seedless apple. propagated by John F.
Spencer OF Grand Junction. Colorado
AS the tree is blossomess it is bound
to be free from worms and hardy
enough to withstand the severest frost.
The Colorado State Agricultural De-
partment is greatly interested in the
remedy which H. sedimayr of Denver
claims to have discovered for .tree
blight. He says that the disease is
caused by germ, which finds its way
to the sap beneath the bark and his
method Of curing afflicted trees in
wolves the injection of his remedy into
the poisoned wood by the use of hypo-
dermic needles.
Cows should be salted regularly. or,
better still, should have constant ac-
cess to salt. The practice Of sailing
them once week is not good one, as
the most of cattle will lick little salt
every day if they can get it. Thus pro-
vided they will yield more and better
milk than otherwise, and will also
maintain better degree of health. AS
salt provokes thirst, the milch animal
should have as free access to water, as
to the saline mineral, or the latter will
do her more harm than good.
Did you ever kill lady bug. or a
coccinellidae. to be more technical?
Well. you shouldn't do it. as the lady
bug is very serviceable insect. In
huge dust-colored volumes of reference
the insect is marked beneficial" and
makes its living upon other insects OF
a much less desil able character. One
of these Is the cottony maple scale, for
which the lady buy has a great fancy.
Mrs Shute. secretary of the State Hor-
tcultural Department is making war
on the maple scale. and she states that
lady bugs are of great value In Kidding
trees Of the pest. 1t is sometimes diff
fcult to get supply of bugs, but
where they can be procured persons
with infected trees should do so. Tho
hug can be recognized by its oval shape