St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1907-06-01
SOUTHERN
AGRICULTURE
ALFALFA THE BEST PAYING.
Adds Nitrogen to the Soil and Makes
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
Its value, the proper method for grow
Ing 1t, 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 it's value,
and the practicability of growing it
In any state in the Union.
Briefly, think that there is no state
where it may not be grown, nor where
1t will not pay as well or better than
almost any other farm crop.
During a recent trip through the
south I was greatly impressed with
the possibilities for money making, in
a great many ways, and one of the
principal ones through this plant. All
over the southern states there is land.
much of it naturally drained and on
limestone soil, that today may be
bought for from SIS 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 800 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
$l4. The land that this is grown in is
anything but high priced, even at $50
per acre 1t will nearly pay for itself
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 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, I do not need to mention, either,
that while any other kind of meadow
requires renewing every few years at
the best, alfalfa should not be pIowed
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 more 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 clio.
yers and different sorts of hay, in |
Guiding ourselves, consider one ton of
alfalfa hay worth at least 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 iss easy to grow we
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.