Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1905-05-04

IMPORTANT
CROP
viii Become Well Established
All Over willamette
Valley

Alfalfa is one of the most valuable
of fodder plants Where it grows nc
product of the soil is more profitable
IL was for a long time thought that
alfalfa would not do well in the viii.
lamette valley. Late experiments are
so successful however, as to warrant
the belief that the old idea was wrong
and that alfalfa can be grown to al.
vantage in this region. In recent in
terview DR.. James Withycombe diree.
tor of the experiment station, o. A. c.,
said regarding alfalfa:
"The experiment station at Corval-
lis has practically demonstrated that
alfalfa can be successfully grown in the
Willamette valley. We have been ex-
perimentiug with it for FIVE years and
find that profitable crops can be grown
on heavy clay soil without irrigation.
"In the spring of 1900 two acres
were sown. The first season no live
stock was permitted TO pasture on t..
To subdue weeds the field was moved
about four times during the first sum
mer, and the weeds were left on the
ground as a mulch. The next season
three crops of green forage were har-
vested making about eight tons an
acre and fair fourth crop was pas.
tured with sheep.
'The third season four crops Of green
forage, aggregating little more than
eighteen tons per acre were harvested,
and a good fifth crop was utilized as
pasture. Last season was abnormally
dry, hence only three crops Of green
forage were harvested which made
about twelve tons an acre, but there
was an excellent fourth crop for pas
ture. Thus IL will be noted that this
field OF alfalfa in three years yielded
ten crops Of green forage aggregating
thirty.cight tons an acre, besides fur.
nishing good pasture each fall. To re.
duce this green forage to curcd.hay
basis we should subtract go per cent.
This green forage would represent a
little more than fifteen tons OF cured
hay an acre in the three years crops.
"This season we began cutting the
first crop of green forage on the Goth of
April and at this date the alfalfa is
eighteen inches high aud will yield ap.
proXimately from six to eight tons of
forage an acre. The alfalfa on this
piece is utilized as soiling crop for
dairy cows and furnishes nutritious
succulent feed from April TO Novem.
berS The soil Of this field is o gray
clay loan of about the average charac-
ter of the wheat land of the valley. II
is not arti6eially drained but has a
good natural drainage. From the re.
suits secured from alfalfa on this piece
of land il would indicate that large
of the Willamette Valley
land win produce profitable crops of
alfalfa, provided il is naturally or arti'
fcially well drained. Perhaps the best
soil is the sandy loan river.bottom
land, where the water table is not
nearer than four feet t0 the surface of
the soil during the growing season. Mr..
Richard Kiger, few miles north of
Corvallis, has large acreage of alfalfa
ON this class Of land, and in one field of
fifteen acres that was seeded fifteen
years ago the alfalfa at the present is
eighteen inches high, thick and luxuri.
ant
"The work of the college with al
falfa has been good object lesson to
many farmers, with the result that
Benton county has probably a larger
acreage of alfalfa than all of the other
counties in the valley combined. Al
falfa should prove TO be a good crop
for the hill lands. II roots so deeply
that no ordinary drouth in Western
Oregon will affect il. 1t is useless TO
sow alfalfa on low, wet land without
first understanding it. In fact, alfalfa