The Parma herald. (Parma, Idaho) 1903-1917, 1908-12-19
ALFALFA FOR OREGON.
Is Proving Good Forage Crop for the
Milk Cow.

By James Dryden, Oregon Agricultural College
Corvallis
There is great deal of milk in the
ground that was not spilled and cried
over, but it is there nevertheless. At |
certain seasons of the year the Thous-
and-Headed kale pulls the milk out of |
mother earth and the COW pulls it out |
of the kale and puts it in the bucket. |
There is a period, however, during the |
summer when the cows go hungry and |
the milk languishes in the ground be- |
cause there is no green thing to pull it |
out and coax the cow to fill the milk
bucket.
Western Oregon is one of the best
dairy sections of the union. With mild
open winters in which kale hourishes
and furnishes green succulent food, the
dairy business thrives all the year
around with the exception of short
period during the summer. During
this period the land is out of commits
sion, the cows barely subsist on the
pasture fields and there is no profit to
the farmer. Forty-cent butter and a
scarcity of good fresh milk is the evil
dence of lack of green food.
What is needed in the valley is for
age crop that will utilize the soil and
furnish green food and pasture during
the dry season. Will alfalfa fill the
bill? If alfalfa could be raised extern
sively and successfully it would change
the face of nature and add immensely
to the value of the farms in the Will
lamette valley. 1t would increase the
dairy products and the poultry pro-
ducts; it would cheaper the production
of pork and beef and mutton.
Alfalfa has been grown for two
thousands years in the Mediterranean
region. 1t has been grown successful
ly in arid parts of America for half a
century. A gentleman travelling over
what was then regarded as land unfit
for settlement in Western Nebraska by
reason of its aridity discovered thrift
ty green alfalfa plant growing where
no other green thing could be found for
miles around. That was a demonstra-
tion that satisfied the gentleman and
he purchased large tract of land for
trifie. On the same land he has since
fed fifty thousand sheep in one season
on alfalfa. Alfalfa goes down into the
depths of the soil for moisture and
through wireless communication with
the atmosphere brings down from above
food which feeds the plant and enriches
the soil.
Since 1891 the acreage of alfalfa in
Kansas has increased from "a, 1888 to
615. 900 in 1906. A recent bulletin
from that state says of alfalfa: 1.-THE
steer feeders and mutton feeders Of
r Kansas, Colorado and Nebraska would
, be lost without it."
b At the Kansas station it is stated
5 "a gain of 800 pounds of pork was
9 made from a ton of alfalfa, and littl,
less than that amount of gain wa
made from an acre of alfalfa pasture.
Again, 1--WE found that 100 pounds O
!, alfalfa hay saved SO pounds of corn.
Figuring on the basis of these expert
ments it is stated that with green al
:, falfa producing ten tons per acre go,
l 900 pounds) it would produce 200
y pounds of pork, which, at cents pc
y pound would be worth $50 per acre."
Director Burkett, of the Kansas sta
ton, says: by promoting the sue
cessful production of alfalfa the sta
d ton has not only extended the domin
t. ion of an imperial forage crop, but i
so doing has discharged its own entir
d expense, and in addition has added mi
lions of dollars to the wealth of tn
- state"
n At the Ontario agricultural colleg
70 in ten years 80 cuttings, yielding owe
5 tons an acre, were made. An expel
iment showed this great soil enrich
ing qualities. Wheat grown after a
h falfa yielded 61.5 bushels per acre an
is after timothy sod AZ. l bushels. In tn
two succeeding years the alfalfa so
produced 30.2 bushels of barley and
bushels of corn, while the timothy so
:, produced 1877 bushels barley and IL.
bushels corn. The three crops on tn
alfalfa sod were worth about $50 Will
those on the timothy sod were wort
rs about $50.
At the Oregon Agricultural colleg
re alfalfa has been growing successful
for several years, and tests are bein
made by the agronomists with differer
:. varieties to determine which will su
n. the conditions best in this state. tt
station men are glad at all times
answer questions in regard to its cult
d. walton.
Is A few miles from Corvallis Mr..
id H. Hamlin cut this year 200 tons of a
falfa hay. 1t yielded about 21S tol
to the acre in two cuttings. Befo
or seeding to alfalfa the land had bee
40 cropped out" In fourteen yea
," fourteen grain crops had been tak'
from the land, and Mr.. Hamlin e
M plains that on richer land the yield
lot much heavier. He further explain
90 that the oldest stand yields the bes
showing that it takes several years I
certain classes of soil for the alfalfa
.v make good growth.
- 1t looks as though an alfalfa car
paign would be worth millions to tn
i'll state.
Q. What is meant by $50 per cent