Willmar tribune., 1908-12-23

ALFALFA EXPERIENCE.
Judge Humphrey Tells Of His Success
with Crop.

Judge Humphrey Tells Of His Success
with Crop.
Among the successful growers of al
falfa in Illinois is Judge J. Otis Hum
phrey of Sangamon county. Speaking
of. his experience with the crop at the
Tazewells county farmers, institute re.
Gently, he said:
Il tried for three years to grow al.
falfa and it died out every time, but
l don't say that crop can't be grown
simply because failed in producing
it. The scientist is among us, and he
Is the only man who actually knows,
and he has finally taught us how to
make alfalfa grow. ~-
"Then I agreed to follow the exact
advice Of DR.. Cyril G. Hopkins of the
Illinois agricultural experiment sta.
ton, got soil from an old alfalfa field
(soil from a sweet clover patch will
do the same) to inoculate the ground
with bacteria. The land was rich as
cream and thoroughly tiled. put on
bone meal, lime and manure and
plowed it under. "
AFTER working the ground into the
best order ever saw a field, l had it
worked just as much more. 1t was
narrowed until there was not clod
In it. And I have not had a particle
Of trouble since in growing alfalfa.
'You may SOW alfalfa any time from
May to August, and if you will do it
right and follow the right you can grow
alfalfa anywhere in the corn belt, and
the crop is worth $50 an acre. l SOW
one bushel to five acres; that is IL
pounds to the acre. .5-....
I have never had q complete stand
at first. If I had ten per cent. of al
falfa on the ground, would 60 on
and make stand of it. l disk all the
bare places in the field and wherever
the stand does not satisfy me, setting
disks almost straight. never killed
my alfalfa by disking it. I disk, resow
and harrow these bare places. have
done this the first week in June, the
middle of July, the last week in Au.
gust and the first of October, and al.
ways with good results. .s
| row have five fields of alfalfa, and
for the last six years have cut about
four tons per acre Of this marvellous
crop.
In my judgment, alfalfa is the most
marvellous food and forage plant, con
tanning the most Of the elements thai
sustain life Of any in existence.
Corn, wheat and oats have no power
to get nitrogen from the air, but al
falfa is the greatest nitrogen.dxine
plant on earth. It secures from the
air four times as much nitrogen as
red clover. But It will also make you
money while it is storing nitrogen fol-
you. l believe that alfalfa, one yeal
with another, is a better money-makel
even than corn.
All animals on the farm from chick
ems up will eat alfalfa; the pigs thrive
on it; sows will go through winte
on it; it is good for the mares; wean
ling colts fed alfalfa and shelled oat
come out fat in the spring and she'
off in March. 1t supplies more greer
feed for the hogs than anything else
and this is a great prevention of ho!
disease. ! have tried it, and l thinl
know about it. I would not give
ton of alfalfa for two of timothy. Yo1
cannot feed horse anything in tn
world he likes so we'll as alfalfa. Pu
corn. shelled oats, a bran mash and a.
falfa in his manger, and you will Sc
that he eats the alfalfa first. I don
know any animal that will not leav
every other food to get alfalfa.