Rocky Ford enterprise., 1907-06-21
OUR LOCAL sURBANk
Supt. Biina's Work In the Improve
ment Of Alfalfa Seed.

ment Of Alfalfa Seed.
Supt. BIina Of our local agricultural
station has in print very timely bulletin
on the subjset Of experiments for the i'm
provement Of alfalfa. beets and eanta-
loupss that our agricultural people would
do we'll 70 get and read. But lest they
should not SEQ the bulletin we make few
extracts in reference TO that all impor-
,ant plant, alfalfa. as likely to awaken
interest In what Is doing in the way Of Its
improvement.
Mr.. Blinn very trushfully says that tho
Importance OF alfalfa In its rs'ationto crop
rotation for maintaining fertility Is each
year more apparent. as tho yield from
land continually taxed with beets or other
crops Is eantrastsd with tho same crops
grown on alfalfa sod. Tho breaking up
Of tho old alfalfa folds and the seeding
down Of tho worn ou. land each yser. Is
creating 4 demand for alfalfa seed that
bids fair to exceed tho present rate OF
supply: for some reasons tho present yield
Of alfalfa seed. even in tho bost produe-
ing sections. Is not as good As In former
years; and consequently there has been
. steady advance In tho prics OF alfalfa
seed. This fact and the somewhat un-
certainty Of success In rs-sstablishing =
stand Of alfalfa seems TO deter many
farmers from adopting crop rotation
that goos Judgment would seem TO sug-
gsst that they should. Il Is with Wow
to increasing the yield Of alfalfa seed and
solving some Of tho difficulties OF alfalfa
growing. that we have undertaken this
line Of Investigation.
Mr.. Blinn's experimental work Is illus
tratod by photos in tho bulletin. which
greatly helps the understanding Of his
results. He says: Tho alfalfa seed nur-
ssry established In 1905 for the sslse-
ton and Improvement Of alfalfa was
given as uniform conditions As possible
- 70 care and irrigation: yet there ap-
psarsd marked contrast In the size and
early development. Of six rows Of Turke-
stan alfalfa In tho center Of tho plat as
compared with four rows Of native alfalfa
on each side. Tho Turkestan alfalfa was
up three inches high by April LIST, while
tho native rows had not begun TO show
above tho ground: many Of tho Turkestan
stools would measure six to eight inches
In diameter. while the native stools
would hardly measure three to four. As
ihey broso through tho surface Of tho
ground. Tho Turkostan was also char
aeterized by wide elover-lks leaves. as
compared with tho native, though this
character varied in individual plants.
Each stool in tho plat consisted Of one
plant, tho nursery having boon thinnod to
ono Individual to place: the rows were
20 inches apart and tho plants about tho
same distance in tho rows. Owing to tho
marked superiority revealed In tho Turk
os,an alfalfa, It seems advisable to begin
tho work Of seed selection with this vari-
oty. and as wo had secured a selection Of
seed from tho most promising plants In
tho native rows tho previous season. We
accordingly cut out the rows Of native al
falfa, and also eliminated all undesirable
plants in tho Turkessan rows. During
tho season close study was made Of tho
individual plants to determine tho var
iations desirable for seed selection. In
the plat Of over four hundred plants, six
teen were selected for their special char
.cteristics. Seed producing tandency was