The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1906-01-20
Cultivation of Alfalfa.

A Lecture Delivered Before the Southern Mary
land Farmers Institute, by Charles A. Council
man, of Glyndon, Nd.
Alfalfa has been cultivated since the early
days of civilization. 1t was grown by the
Egyptians, the Greeks aud the Romans, and
by the latter spread over a large part of Eu
rope. The Spanish monks when they came
to give the Mexicans benevolent assimila-
ton brought alfalfa with them, and around
those old adobe missions which they estab-
lished more than 300 years ago it can be found
growing today. About 1866 to 1860 it was
carried up the southwest coast to California,
and from that State it is rapidly spreading to
the Middle Western States. 1t is now making
the arid regions OF Nebraska, Kansas and Col
orado blossom like the rose. 1t enables the
farmers Of those States to market the grade
Whiteiace, the Angus and the Shorthorn steer
in "A months in symmetrical 1,500 Founders
by feeding balanced ration of Is to 20 pounds
of alfalfa hay and 40 to 80 pounds of corn 81
lage, the entire ration being produced upon
their farms. Alfalfa is the chief of the legu.
minous plants and is greatest of them all as
soil improver.
FIFTEEN YEARS EXPERIENCE.
have had Is years experience with alfalfa
as a source Of protein for our dairy herd of
Guernseys and Grade Guernsey, during which
time we have had in our valley three of the
dryest summers known in many years, aud
during these hot, dry times in former years,
without alfalfa, the dairyman would be at his
wits end to keep the herd to its flow of milk
cows fighting flies, with intense heat and
everything in the grass line burned up except
the alfalfa fields whose long tap roots were
reaching down ten to fifteen feet to subterra-
mean moisture and bringing to the surface
and giving our herd, in these times, green
aud succalent ration-rich in protein as only
the kings of the leguminous family could do,
and so firm is my faith that alfalfa is one of
natures choicest gifts to the Southern Mary
land landowners that it is my only reason for
appearing before you and urging you to incor-
poTate It's culture in your system of farming.
Your most desirable soil for alfalfa is your
river bottom lauds-that will grow ten to ff-
teen barrels Of corn 10 the acre and will pro-
duce, when once established in alfalfa, four
20 FIVE tons to the acre, and give you four cut
tiugs annually. 1t yields its greatest crop on
a soil formed from decomposed limestone or
mari foundation. The gravelly clay lands also
bring fine crops and will give three cuttings
yearly. The preparation Of the soil for a field
Of this valuable plant requires some labor,
energy and expense, any Of which you should
not spare, as il outlines the work for your
lifetime and your children who come after
you. Il viii prove you savings bank, and
IN few years you can draw upon it for the
remainder Of your life, aud then leave your
farm uuhuri to those who follow you. For a
field once established in alfalfa, you viii find
is value, and viii never plow It up.
now TO PREPARE \ FIEID.
In preparing a field for alfalfa try to select
the best field on the farm. and during the fall
and winter haal wha, manure was made aud
try 10 cover the field and let the rains wash the
manure in, and about the middle Of May to
the frs, OF June plow the field as deep as |
car, aud if there IS any hard pans in the field
I run bull tongue IN a furrow behind The
plow. as these hard pans must be subsoiled-
II you have a suhsoil plow so much the better.
Harrow your field and level up all the dead
burrows. then lime the field, as iuG when
lime is applied to stiH clay soil it renders it
more friable and easier to take moisture and
cogrects any acjiiiy Of the soil. Some Of your
lands are SO sour that the legumiuous plants
will not grow unless you lime the land. |
theu harrow the field down to fine seed bed
aud le, il remain. so you viii germinste all the
weed seeds that may be in the ground, and IS
soon as the weeds commences to show harrow
again, and repeat the narrowing several times
at Intervals during the summer. These FIRE,
qaen, harrowiuzs will kill al the weeds aud
conserve the moisture. Abou; the middle OF
August harrow aud roll the field down to a
fine seed bed and drill into the acre about 200
pounds Of 2-S-4 fertilizer, with 500 pounds OF
alfalfa bacteria soil from an old field of alfalfa
that has been established for several years;
then take a Thompson wheelbarrow sower aud
SOW 10 10 - quarts Of alfalfa seed to the acre,
cover lightly with a weeder or light smoothing
harrow.
The young alfalfa plants will commence to
make q show in 10 days, and if you happen to
have seasouable rain the field will make a
heavy growth before frost. Keep all stock of
the field and let i, go into winter quarters with
| a good cover. The next season your field viii
be established and will give you three to four
cuttings. In sowing your alfalfa bacteria soil
! for inoculatiou care should be exercised that
| the soil does not dry out before it is narrowed
! or Incorporated into the soil. If you canno
obtain the alfalfa soil bacteria you can Obtain
| from the seed stores material for inoculatiu.
the seed, with full directions as sent out by th'
/ Department OF Agriculture, and | have seer
some fine stands by this method of inoculation
/ but nv experience is the soil bacteria is al
ways sure.
GREAT VALUE OF ALFALFA.
The great value of alfalfa hay is the largt
amount Of protein it will furnish the animal
and in the hands Of skiIlful feeder the resul
will surprise you The feeder, to get the bes
results from alfalfa, must understand the com
pounding of a balanced ration. The chemis
will tell you that all food for man or beast i
made out of three classes Of substances, VIZ
Protein, carbohydrates and fat The protein
goes to build up the bone, muscle, brain ant
nervous force of the animal; the carbohydrate:
furnish heat and fat, so necessary TO anlma
life. The protein is the muscle former, an'
contains the nitrogen; the fat and the carbo
hydrates are the fat formers, and contain tn
starch, sugar and the vegetable fiber Pro
fessor VOLTS feeding standard for every l,O0l
pounds of animal weight is two and one hal
to three pounds of protein and l23 to l,
pounds of carbohydrates and fat. A nutritivt
ratio of 5 to of of about fifty analyses o
alfalfa show an average of y pounds of pro
tein to every 100 pounds of hay; the best whea
bran on the same analysis shows about L
pounds of protein. Fifteen to 20 pounds o
alfalfa hay, cut just as it comes into bloom
ard nicely cured with the leaves in blossom
on it, and 80 to 40 pounds of sweet silage
composed of corn and cowpea, cut onefourtl
| sc an ;rcb long will make n cow do her best