Polk County observer. (Monmouth, Polk County, Or.) 1888-1927, 1907-02-01
ALFALFA IN THE VALLEY
II. E. LOunsbury Tells OF the Exc
perlments That Are Being Made
With This Forage Plant.

WIN AAAS H7Ota&C Et0hts
PORTLAND, Or, January &C. (To
the Editor. alfalfa growing in the
Willamette Valley is still in an ex-
perlmental stage so far as the possi-
bility Of producing it as commercial
crop is concerned. The same could be
said Of clover ten years ago, but it Is
now one of the principal forage crops
raised throughout the entire valley.
A few years later when vetch was in
troduced, it grew so luxuriantly as to
obtain popular favor and at once be-
come a valuable and common crop.
1t cannot be said, however, that clover
was altogether successful at the first,
and many failures occurred in various
sections Of the valley. causing feel
ing generally that the valley lands
were not adapted to the growing of
clover.
About this time the Oregon State
Agricultural College people advanced
the practice Of inoculating the soil by
taking soil from a field where clover
had successfully grown and spreading
it over the new land at the time Of
seeding, which plan was considerably
followed and resulted in solving the
problem of incubation. Now it is
considered that the soil Of the Will
lamette Valley has become thoroughly
inoculated with the germs requisite
for the production of clover and that
good crop can be raised without
difficulty in every section Of the
valley.
Tt is confidently expected that what
has already been accomplished with
respect to clover can also be done with
alfalfa. In the past few years enough
successful experiments have been
made by individual farmers to justify
the Industrial Department Of the
Southern Pacific Company in con
Guiding a year ago to give it a
thorough and complete trial, under
improved methods OF seed and soil
incubation.
A plan was therefore adopted OF
arranging to put in at least 20 expert
mental tracts of five acres each, dis
tributed in different parts OF the Will
Iamette Valley. The Railroad Com
pany offered to furnish the alfalfa
seed and land plaster and transport
inoculated soil from the State Agri-
cultural Farm at Corvallis free Of
charge. Under these conditions II
was an easy matter to find farmers
who were willing to cooperate to the
extent Of putting In the seed, furnish
ing the land and continuing the ex'
pertinent for period OF at least two
years.
The movement was given as much
publicity as possible through the
medium of the press and otherwise
The U. s. Department Of Agriculture
learning of it, came forward with an
offer to furnish sufficient lnoculated
seed for planting 40 acres in alfalfa
also inoculating material for an addi
tional go acres. The offer was ac
cepted and the movement was thereby
proportionally increased. Numerous
requests for seed we're received from
parties wishing to put in one, two oil
three acre tracts, and instead Of con
fining the experiment to twenty tracts
Of five acres each, seed was supplied
for 40 tracts ranging in size from one
to ten acres, total Of 142 acres.
OF the inoculated seed furnished by
the U. s. Department OF Agriculture
500 pounds was from Montana. 22C
pounds from Utah, 40 pounds from
Turkestan and 40 pounds from Argen
tine. The seed supplied by the s. z
Co. was from Utah.
All this seed was planted a year agC
last spring and the experiment ha'
covered one-half Of the period will
promise of great success.
In connection with the movement
invitations were extended to thos'
interested to send their names anC
addresses for pamphlets, bulletins anC
other literature that may be ISSUED
from time to time. The mailing lis
contains over 400 names.
A pamphlet entitled "Alfalfa in th'
Willamette Valley" was written b.
Hon. w. W. Cotton, General Attorney
for the Hartman Lines, who hat
made a careful study Of the sub1ec
from a practical standpoint, having
successfully grown alfalfa on hi'
Gresham farm.
Another pamphlet is now in th'
course Of preparation which will con
tain letters from the persons con
ducting the experiments, givinl
particulars as to when the seed wa
sown. preparation Of the soil, progress
- 4ha nIont how treated and it