The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1908-06-25
Success With Alfalfa.


1000 Acres and Will Double
the Acreage-At Another
Point An Area >of 5000
Acres Will Be Doubled
Every Farmer Should Give
Alfalfa a Chance.
Raleigh Progressive Farmer
There are many places in the Pro.
gressiVe Farmers territory where the
wonderful alfalfa plant is growing
luxuriantly. Is it growing on your
land and yielding it's rich increase in
three or four cuttings every year? II
not, give it II chance. Alfalfa has
changed the history of every COM
munity wherever it has gained a foot
hold True, after it gets thoroughly
started, it requires IA vast amount OF
hard work to keep it cut and hauled
out of the field us fast as it grows,
but to repay you for all this it will
round out the hollows in your horse
sides, it will put fat on the TANKS OF
your COWS, it will call for more milk
and butter vessels, it will hang meat
in your smoke-house and will lift
mortgages higher than Hannah. In
this issue an article tells how the
farmers of one Southern State are
doubling their alfalfa areas 5000 and
5000 at the cine. Why shouldn't
Progressive Farmer readers do like
wise? Give alfalfa chance; it is
we'll worth a great deal of effort
Alfalfa is spreading slowly in Mis-.
| sissippi, and not SO slowly either
In Clay County, near West Point, are
six adjoining farms with total o.
1000 acres at present, an increase O
about $50 per cent. in twelve months
There will be 100 per cent. increase
this year Ten or twelve miles far
Their north, near Prairie, Monroe
County, there has been an equally
great increase in acreage. At this
point there are something like 5000
screas, with the prospect Of the acre
age being doubled this year. The
first cutting has been running al
about / ton per acre, and the hay has
been selling readily at West Poinr
and Columbus at $15 a ton. 0
course, the hay is snppy now, and thu
present price would equal we'll up to
ward $25 this fall, when the ha,
had dried out thoroughly. The al
falf;, grower has the satisfaction
when he sells the first cutting, O
knowing that his profit has not We
we'll begun for the year, as he vii
have two or three or maybe fou
more cuttings during the year.
| SOME SPECIMEN PLANTS 81 Tt
A INCHES LONG.
A very. fine stool of alfalfa from tn
field of B. H. Strong, West Point. 3
inches long, found it's way to th
writer's office the middle of April; an
| the thrift it showed was pleasing
sight. 1t attracted much attention
About that time John Carpenter, c
Starkville, drove up, bringing wit
him some alfalfa full 80 inches long
ID. A. Saunders, also of Starkvillt
having heard Of the strong speci,ne
being in town, brought in a stot
:, that reached upwards of SO inches
Mr., Strong is noted for his success
with alfalfa. and naturally the Starl
Whites would like to show somethin
better than his specimen. When Nj
Saunders saw that the Carpente
sample exceeded his in length, h
made for the toll grass and cam
back with IL 44-inch specimen. An
. of the samples would be a credit t
the grower, and it is not know
whether any of the samples repr
sented the most thrifty stools Or tt
longest growth of it's grower. AS
matter of fact that is not importan
. Since few very superior specimen
do not represent the average of
field. 1t is a dense growth GOVERN
a field without skips that makes tt
big yield and the big profit. II
samples Of Messrs. Saunders an
Carpenter were from last years see'
ing. The Carpenter specimen We
, from hill land not noted for it's ricl
ness. The important point abor
all this is that alfalfa is not on
doing we'll in Mississippi, but is ais
beingplanted more widely. The emo
nous yield from the crop of sever
cuttings per year and the big price
the hay commands make the crop a
tractive.
, HOW IT'S GROWTH HAS SPREA
} The increase in acreage will natu
5 ally be greatest in the black prair
region of northeast Mississippi; b,
here and there i'm isolated spots
F., other sections are patches that gi,
, good promise. The prairie raise
r have practically nothing to fear fro
/ that alfalfa pest, crab grass; while
, various sections, where crab grass
menace, progressive farmers ha,
had to show energy to nerve then
selves to the point of testing alfalf,
when no one could hold out mo-
hope to them than that they had
fighting chance The history of a
falfa in this country has been thu
those who presumed to know, sal