The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1908-07-23


To increase the supply or beef and
thereby lessen its cost to the Ameri.
can householder is one of the princi-
pal objects underlying the efforts of
the Department of Agriculture to Sc
cure proteid that will thnive in the
semi-arid regions of the Northwest.
Beef and beef products have reached
the highest prices recorded in twenty
years. and the dealers say that this is
due to scarcity of cattle.
The beef market at present is be-
Ing supplied by corn-fed cattle, which
always bring the highest prices.
Grass-fed cattle are not as good In
quality as those fed on corn The
beef secured from the cattle having
proteld foods included in their fare
Is considered the best. and despite
the contentious of vegetarians It Is
generally conceded that the human
body must receive it's muscle max.
Ing food from meat containing pro.
teid.
1t is to increase the supply of this
kind of beef by increasing the proteid
belt in the West that the Department
of Agriculture has again sent Neils
F. Hansen, of Brookings, s. d., to
make a thorough investigation of the
plant life of Northern Russia and 81.
beria Professor Hansen is pioneer
worker for the improvement of the
plant life of this country and is con.
sidered as great an authority on the
nlQnt lffo nf ~.
Luther Burbank on tropical plants
and fruits.
Professor Hansen will visit the sec.
tions of Northern Europe and Asia.
where climatic conditions are similar
to those of the semi-arid lands OF
wyoming. Colorado. Montana and
the Dakotas. In these sections an
attempt was made to raise alfalfa.
which has been so successfully cult.
waited in the more Southern States.
After some time these efforts an.
peared to be successful, and prospect.
i've settlers soon filled this new graz.
ing country. but in the last two years
the crops have been poor and farmers
have begun to leave these semi-arid
sections. where cattle are fed on grass
that withstands the cold. snowless
winters and dry, hot summers that
prevail there.
Ii an alfalfa or clover can be found
which will withstand these climatic
conditions a hundred head of cattle
could be grazed on the land now re.
quired by ten. The cattle raised in
this section are now sent TO Illinois.
Indiana and other Eastern States to
be fed on corn before being ready for
market
On his previous expeditions Pro.
lessor Hansen found fields Of alfalfa
on the steppes of Russia, thriving in
a climate that corresponds with that
of the Western lands, which It is
hoped will be reclaimed through his
efforts. He has found that these
fields of alfalfa are hundreds of years
old. and that the individual plants
instead of biennial, live for a genera.
tion or more. One of the most i'm.
portant results of the successful in.
PRODUCTION of this northern alfalfa
would be the fertilization of the soil
which would make possible the rails.
ing of wheat and other crops where
little of value can now be grown
Secretary Wilson first sent Profes.
sor Hansen on an expedition for the
Department of Agriculture in 1897.
Since then he has made trips trien.
nially for the department, and as a
result of one of these introduced for
the first time into this country the
Turkestan alfalfa, which forms one
OF the principal crops in the States
bordering the Tooth meridian.