Mountain Home maverick. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1906-1911, 1906-09-06
TURKESTAN Is
GREAT ALFALFA
GrOws in Semi-Arid Re-
aiOns Without Irrigation
and Makes Farmers
Rich,

SlOHCl Vi ~ dllOii LII iOe1iAO5 Aioo
experimental successfully with
Turkestan alfalfa in Nebraska. He
found that the Turkestan variety
sent forth deeper and larger roots
and thrived better without water
than other varieties. 1t was par
ticularly suited to arid or semi-arid
sections where water was found in
the lower stratas. The following
letter from Mr.. Egleston will prove
interesting:
l have been experimenting with
dry land alfalfa for the last eight
years, and was really led into it by
an accident. In 1896 l had garden
and a potato patch of about two
acres. In August a hailstorm came
along and beat it into the ground.
! happened to have little less than
bushel of Nebraska raised alfalfa
seed on the ranch that had been
there for two years and | never
knew where it came from, for l
had never sowed any up to this
time. When the garden was gone
| thought l would pillow it and sow
the seed just to see what it would
do. The land had never been irri-
gated, but had been used as gar
den for several years and had been
quite heavily MANFRED. The seed
came up as thick as it could stand
and the following season produced
two and half tons of good hay per
acre, and the second year about five
tons to the acre in two cuttings.
This land is still producing three
to five tons per acre each season
and has never been plowed since 1T
was first seeded. | Immediately
began to look around tor more
land that could be put into alfal-
ia, as soon as the success of this
first experiment was shown, and
the second year or in 1898, | pre-
pared six acres near the old garden
for feelings.
noticed that the agricultural
department. of Washington, d. c.,
had imported a quantity of dry
land Turkestan alfalfa seed and
Immediately wrote them, asking
for seed for one acre or more if
they could Furnish it They sent
me one pound of seed. | went out
near the center of the six-acre tract
that l had prepared for seeding
and drove down four stakes, max
ing square of about 100 feet, and
sowed the one pound of seed The
remainder of the six acres was sown
on the same day to Nebraska grown
seed. The seeding was done May
:. On Iuly the six acres was
moved, the plants being about eight
inches high, and the crop was al
lowed to remain on the ground as
IT fell from the mower. The fol-
lowing October thought l would
see how the crop had prospered,
and taking spade, went into
the field and dug up the roots at
several points. The Turkestan
roots were 80 to as inches long,
and just the size of lead pencil
in diameter at the surface. The
roots of the native alfalfa were 10
10 2 inches long and little larger
in diameter than knitting needle.
= The following season the Turkes-
tan alfalfa could be distinctly seer
as far as the field could be
seen-in contrast with the native
alfalfa that surrounded it on all
sides, by its dark, thrifty color anc
more rapid growth. l Immediately
decided the Turkestan was the kline
was looking for and wrote the de.
partment at Washington for more
seed, which they we're unable t
furnish, but they did give me the
address of the party from whom
they secured the seed, and ordered
1000 pounds from H. Durrschmidt
Teshkeect, Turkestan, Asia. TIL,
order was made about November
and the seed reached me the first
of the following June, and COS
about IA cents per pound landed a
Kimball, Neb. This seed was sowe,
the folio wing year and is now doinl
well
Last year ordered 5000 pound
more of the seed from the sam
place. now have $50 acres seede,
to the imported seed and have o.
acres prepared for seeding mex
spring, which will make 24O acre
all to imported seed. My land lie
along Pumpkin creek, is sand,
loan soil, eight to twelve feet deep
and underlaid with gravel in mos
places None of the land has eve
been irrigated and produces on
and half to four tons of hay pc
acre each year.
sow my seed just as early