The Roswell daily record. [volume] (Roswell, N.M.) 1903-current, 1907-05-25
was the response.


ley. 1t is interesting to note that
wherever n finds farmers IN the
Arkansas Valley growing alfalfa, he
finds busy bees by the thousands help
ing to pay taxes and buy shoes for
the children by diligently gathering
tine sweetness from the alfalfa bios
sons. In Wyoming, Colorado, Okla
homa, Western Texas, New Mexico
and Arizona, alfalfa is making fast
progress capturing the territory once
controlled by the cactus plant, sage
brush, prairie dogs and gOpAers.
1t has been found by experiment
that alfalfa is one of the very best
feeds for ostriches. In Arizona alfal-
ia is cultivated for this yer purpose.
One acre of alfalfa in Arizona will
maintain four ostriches without their
receiving any additional feed. When
pastured on alfalfa these valuable
birds are always healthy. 1t is assert
ed that a troop of more than one
hundred ostricAes were kept on al
falfa in Arizona for three or four
years without a death.
Alfalfa sown in September a be
harvested the next summer, the yield
being from three to four tons per
acre; the next years cutting will av-
erage from five to six tons per acre
At harvest time the price of alfalfa
usually does not exceed eight dollars
per ton, but the farmer who holds
his crop until winter receives from
ten to thirteen dollars per ton. Ac-
cording to the testimony of the gov
ernmental authorities, the cost of pro-
duction, including taxes, water rent,
growing, harvesting, baling and plac-
ing on boar the car amounts to about
four dollars per ton. Land with a good
stand of Alfalfa readily sells from one
hundred to two hundred and fifty dol
lars per acre. The demand for alfal-
ia, which this year far exceeds the
supply, comes from Eastern owners
of highly bred horses n cattle and
from all OF the cities and towns OF
the West as well as from mining and
railroad camps and the thousands of
isolated stock ranches scattered over
the arid sections. During the Spanish
American war hundreds of thousands
of tons of baled alfalfa were bought
by the United States government for
shipment to the Philippines.
Alfalfa is either stacked or baled
in the field after a sun-curing of "a
hours. In the higher attitudes it does
require ''tedding' or turning as
in the making of hay in h Middle
and Eastern States. In certain local-
ties mills have been established for
the grinding of alfalfa, the stalk and
leaf forming what is known as alfal-
ia meal, a very profitable food for
sheep and cattle.
The Agricultural Press on Alfalfa.
To complete the value of the forego
ing general article on alfalfa II to
illustrate the important position it
holds with the western farmer, we
herewith reproduce some extracts
from timely articles on alfalfa taken
from authoritative agricultural jour
nails. The first extract, describing the
breeding of the alfalfa plant, makes
interesting reading for h biologist
less than the farmer, and strik-
ingly illustrates the scientific revolu-
ton being made in modern agr1cul-
tural methods:
The Scientific Farmer (Delver)
Study of the Alfalfa Fiower
Bv F. Knorr. Assistant Agronomist,
Agricultural College.
the first essential in breeding
plants of any kind is the study of the
we must acquaint ourselves
With the reproductive organs, how the
flower is p~ollenated, and the condi-
ions required for the production OF
seed.
The alfalfa resembles that of a pea
1ut is more minute. h nature OF
he flower, however, is different The
flower can and does pollenate it
self, where as the alfalfa requires
nat an insect generally a honey or
yumble bee) should ~polle1ate the
lower.
The alfalfa flower is. a thing of in
construction. The keel holds
within itself very securely the an
hers and the style, with the stigma
Midway down the keel and inside OF
he flower is a very small point which
f touched but lightly will release the
lnthers and the style from its hold
his is termed exploding" When an
tries to secure the nectar from
he flower it usually touches that
At the next flower that is Wis
ted the same operation is repeated.
rs the stigma is slightly mucilagn1n-
nus. some of the previously deposit
d pollen upon the insect adheres to
he stigma and thus ~pollenates the
h explosion may be caused
" artificial means.
By the nature of the plant it is ap
parent that the method of breeding
his plant is a rather difficult prob
After we have selected u ideal
liant how can we proceed to propa-
rate it? The following means have
themselves: Enclose the
,lants with a cloth covering and i'm
Prison a number of bees; these, in Or
Ter to secure nourishment, will be
compelled to wor on the flowers and
hus pollenate them. This method,
However, is not practical, as the flow
season extends over a period
If more than two weeks.
By making cuttings is the second
method that is suggested. By this
one plant may very readily
,e increased to several hundred spe
linens. The equipment required for
starting such cuttings would be a
greenhouse. This would make the
york very expensive and, besides that
t is very doubtful if by this method
plants can be improved To propa
ate plants by cuttings is merely bud
election; these cuttings have within
the mixed blood lines of the
types of alfalfa. h mixture
brought about by the pollena-
ion of the flowers by the insects
When these cuttings develop seed,
hese seeds will have a tendency TO
airy and give us a variation of plants
instead of a true type !
The only method that we can fol
DIV in breeding alfalfa is hand pol