The Black Hills union and western stock review. [volume] (Rapid City, S.D.) 1904-19??, 1909-11-12
ALFALFA IS KING
Supreme as Nutritious Feed for
All Farm Animals.
so-caIIed New" Glover is as Old as
Human History and Grew In Gen.
trail Asia, Where Races of Eu-
rope Originated.

4
In the farm world the question OF
greatest interest In recent years has
! been the feeding value of alfalfa. In
spite of much incredibly and some
prejudice the plant has fully proven
its superior proftableness to the
farmers of the western states, where
| irrigation is practiced.
AS a highly nutritious feed for
horses, cattle, sheep, hogs and poul'
try--as pasture-as means of CIV
ing fertility to the soil-alfalfa has
within few years succeeded in many
states of the Union to the rank of
fodder king. And its realm increases
every year.
This so-called new" clover is as old
as human history. 1t grew in central
Asia, where the races of Europe orig
mated. The ancient Greeks and Ro-
mans knew and valued it. The Moors
introduced it to Spain; hence its
Arabic name, alfalfa, meaning the
Eest fodder" The Spaniards brought
1t to the Pacific coast--one debt at
least which America owes to Spain.
Even on the Atlantic coast, where it
Is most positively looked on as new"
1t has been cultivated in a small way
for $50 years In New York. Pennsyl-
yania and the Carolinas.
Once successfully planted. alfalfa
grows with wonderful luXuriance, and
as many; as II cuttings of it in one
season are made in California. 1t
Will grow In most soils-on the sage
brush desert of Nevada or the clay
and gravel OF New York. 1t is grown
in almost every state and
territory of the United States-Maine,
New Hampshire and Alaska being all
that are left in the experimental"
stage. And it will grow season after
season-one field in New York was
soWed Do years ago.
The Wisconsin experiment station
says that one acre of alfalfa yields
as much protein (the milk and meat
producer) as three acres of clover or
nine of timothy or IL of bronze grass.
Alfalfa is worth SIS to $35 on the mar
Ret and $35 to $50 as feed for stock.
Land in Nebraska and western Kan
sas that few years ago was con
sidered barren is paying SIS to $25
an acre in alfalfa. Alfalfa land in
the south rents at $12 to SIS an acre.
All kinds of stock relish and thrive
On alfalfa hay. Feeders in the west
claim to be able to put fat cattle on
the market 20 to 80 per cent. cheaper
with alfalfa as balance of feed, than
on corn alone. Careful feeding tests
at the Utah station yielded this re-
suit: To produce 705.6l pounds of beef
here are required 1O,OS3 pounds of
shredded corn fodder, or 1860
younds of red clover hay, or 9,575
pounds of timothy hay, but only 1882
of alfalfa hay.
The Kansas agricultural station re-
ports case where dairyman main
tanned ten mich cows for whole
summer. without any grain, on two
acres of alfalfa, cut and fed to them
fresh three times day. Cows pas
tured on alfalfa improve in the glossy
condition of their hair and in yield Of
milk. Raising and feeding alfalfa is
said to. add 10 to 80 per cent. to the
profits of dairying over the use of
any other feedstuff that can be raised
or bought.
The alfalfa plant has an extraor-
binary root development. The roots
strike from five to 20 feet deep,
with innumerable branch rootlets.
perforating the soil in every direction.
They store up nitrogen, the openings
in the soil giving passageway to the
air and rain.
In the west and southwest alfalfa
has been powerful mortgage raiser"
In California, Montana, Colorado,
Kansas and Nebraska it has helped
greatly in solving the problem of
cheap meat production. Where irri-
cation is practiced, six or more cut.
tings are the rule and nine are com
mon.