The Tupelo journal., 1907-05-17
SOUTHERN
AGRICULTURE
ALFALFA The BEST PAYING.
Adds Nitrogen to the Soil and Makes
II More Fertile.

It More Fertile.
The interest in this plant, not only
In the western states and in the fer
tile section of the north, but all over
the south, is so great that everybody
who has had any experience with it
is simply flooded for information as to
It's value, the proper method for grow
ing it, and its practicability. For this
reason the writer wishes to give a
very brief talk on the subject, hoping
that it may be helpful to some. Here
| wish to tell something Of its value,
and the practicability of growing it
in any state in the Union.
Briefly, l think that there is no state
where it may not be grown, nor where
1t will not pay as we'll or better than
almost any other farm crop.
During a recent trip through the
south | was greatly impressed with
the possibilities for money making, in
a great many ways, and n of the
principal ones through this plant. All
e the southern states there is land,
much of it naturally drained and On
limestone soil, that today may be
bought for from IS to $50 per acre,
Much of the cheapest of it is on lime
stone soil, and is even now growing
as much or more alfalfa than in Ohio,
that we can grow on our 500 land
The market for the hay was even
better than we have. AS a single in
stance a friend, J. Innes Thornton, of
Watsonia, Ala, has 200 acres in a
body that averages him four tons per
acre, as well as we can do here, and
he secures $14 per ton for the hay,
with no trouble at all to find a mar
ket. This year the hay is worth much
more, but the average is from $13 to
$14. The land that this is grown in is
anything but high priced, even at $50
each year, and to my mind is really
worth a good deal over 500 per acre.
Does this possibility suggest anything
to you; When this cheap land can be
made to produce in this way, more
than paying for itself, may be, each
year, is there not a good prospect
for prosperity, spelled with a capital?
Probably l need not mention the fact
that whereas cotton, tobacco, corn,
Or any grain eXhausts the soil, and
compels the heavy use of fertilizers,
alfalfa adds nitrogen to the soil, and
gradually makes it more and more
fertile, the longer it is left in the
more fertile the soil becomes. Proba-
bly, | do not need to mention, either,
that while any other kind of meadow
the best, alfalfa should not be plowed
up oftener than once in from six to
twenty years.
A word as to it's feeding value. 1t
analyses practically as rich as best
wheat bran. By the analysis it is
worth much per ton than any
other grass or clover, excepting the
little white clover, which is not cut
for hay. Furthermore, it is very pala-
table, so much so that cattle will
leave corn to eat it. Men who have
fed large quantities of the other clo-
vers and different sorts of hay, in
Guiding ourselves, consider one ton of
alfalfa hay worth at least a half more
than any other form Of hay found in
the United States. This applies wheth-
er fed to cattle, horses, sheep, swine
or poultry. For pasture we do not rec
ommend it, except for horses and
hogs. Where it is easy to grow we
consider it a bonanza, and where it
is difficult to grow we think it worth
any amount of work in making con-
ditions proper SO that it will succeed.
-Chas. B. Wing, Champaign Co., Ohio.