The Black Hills union and western stock review. [volume] (Rapid City, S.D.) 1904-19??, 1909-11-19
ALFALFA AS FORAGE
ExceIs All Other Crops in Yield,
Production and Value.
Comes from the Region Of Persia and
Belongs to the Pea Family-In-
troduced into South America
by Spaniards.
fBy Elias Nelson, Irrigationist)
lRY ELIAS NalSan IrriQatinniSt

fBy Elias Nelson, Irrigationist)
tBy Elias Nelson, Irrigationist)
AS forage alfalfa excels all crops
In yield, cost of production and feed
ing value. OF all crops, it is our chief
one. Not only that, but it is the ba-
sis of agriculture, for by no other
means than the culture of alfalfa can
we so cheaply make our soil highly
productive.
Alfalfa, or lucerne, botanically
known as Medicago saliva, is native
of Asia, coming from the region of
Persia. 1t belongs to the pea fam
lily which also embraces the clovers,
field peas, vetches, soy beans, cow
peas, and esparcette. AS forage all
these leguminous plants are charac-
terized by their high protein content.
They differ from other field crops in
that they are able to utilize atmo-
spheric nitrogen. Alfalfa was intro
duced by the Spaniards into Mexico,
Chile and Peru, and it is chiefly from
these countries that it found it's way
into the western United States, where
it is generally known by the Spanish
name alfalfa.
The cultivation of alfalfa for several
hundred years in arid America has
produced a somewhat distinct type
known as the american or West
ern" alfalfa. This type succeeds in
the middle Rocky mountain region
from Texas to South Dakota eastward
to the Mississippi river and beyond
and in the Pacific northwest. 1t is
the alfalfa with which we are famil-
Jar. Besides this type four others are
found in the United States. The
Turkestan type outyields it at higher
attitudes and in the more severe eli
mates to the northward. The taller
but less hardy types. the Arabian and
The Peruvian, are better adapted to
the southwest. Another type, the Ger
man, has outyielded the American"
in some of the eastern. states.
Not only does the farmer desire to
get seed of good vitality; but he also
wants it free from weed seeds. Most
of the weed seeds may be separated
by proper cleaning.
In most of the arid states, alfalfa
is chiefly grown with irrigation.
While drought resisting and adapted
to Grid conditions it responds to irri-
cation as no other forage crop does.
Vast areas of sage brush lands are
brought under cultivation and large
percentage of these lands will and
ought to be devoted to the culture of
alfalfa.
The purpose of leveling and grad
ing is to SO fashion the land that wa
ter may be evenly distributed over it,
Often, however, some extra leveling is
advisable to do away with bitches that
would otherTisR be required and that
would cut uD che land in. irregular
shapes.
1t is a great mistake not to level the
land well in the first instance so that
crops can be readily irrigated, for if
1t is done properly at the outset it
is done for all time. On the other
hand it is also mistake to grade ex-
cessively when there is no real neces-
sity.
The best time to level is in summer
or in fall, as the soil is dryer then, and
hence not SO heavy to move, and there
is no trouble about pudding the soil.
In the spring when the soil is moist
or wet. leveling cannot be done SO adj
vantageously.
The location Of the bitches is de-
termined by the lay of the land and
the system of applying water to be
installed. In general we may say
that it is desirable to run the bitches
+ at right angles to the line fences
whenever the lay of the land will per-
NIT it. Such bitches of course will
not have a uniform grade. When
bitches are located in that way the
fields are rectangular and hence all
farm operations can be more easily
performed. Often it may be we'll to
make fills so as to make bitches
straight rather than following curved
lines.
On many farms the lay of the
land is such that the bitches can
not be run at right angles to the line
fences but must conform in meas.
1re to the contours, making irregular
shaped fields unavoidable. Under such
conditions make the bitches on a
grade of from 80 to Is part Of foot
per 100 feet.
AS a general thing we should figure
to irrigate with the general slope Of
the land as by SO doing water can be
more evenly and expeditiously dis.
ttributed over the land. AS re.
CARDS the location Of the bitches and
the details Of the system OF applying
water each farm is problem In itself.
Where the whole farm has one gen.
eral slope, it is a simple matter to de.
termine where the bitches should 90.
Often, however, there are various
slopes, and the system OF bitches must
be constructed to suit.
Weeds.
Certain weeds are prevalent in alf-
alta fields. The chief ones are dod.
der, sweet clover, Russian thistle and