The enterprise. [volume] (Harlem, Mont.) 1899-1926, 1909-02-03
ALFALFA
BOOSTERS
WANT AN ALFALFA CONVEN.
TION--.W. M. WOODBRIDGE
OF HINSDALE MAKES
SUGGESTIONS

The following letter from w. M.
Woodbridge ofHinsdale, on the growing
of alfalfa, will be of inte rest to
farmers in this section of the state
The subject of most Importance
to this valley at this time is that of
alfalfa gre wing in all it's application
and bearing as related to other
branches of agriculture. In the vi
cinity of Chinook are men we'll quail
flied to present various phases of this
subject in an able and interesting
manner, probably much more so than
some of the Institute people them
selves. One difficulty is to get
these men to express themselves at
public meeting, and at a short ses-
sion like that recently held at Chi
nook there was no chance for discus
sion which after all is the most vital
part of any Institute work.
There is probably no single crop
that will do so much for our better
ment as alfalfa. The question of
how to best produce the best seed
and hay, value of crops to follow
when crop rotation is being practiced,
sugar beets which must for, best re-
suits follow alfalfa, insects injurious
to both the plant and the seed, such
as the grasshoppers, dairying as a
means to dispose of large quantities
of alfalfa hay, sheep and beef fatten-
ing during winter, hogs, alfalfa meal
and it's production, seed aud it's pro-
duction and yield and best methods
of marketing the same, and many
other phases connected with this
plant, require careful consideration
and could be assigned to individuals
locally who have known ability in
that direction.
1t is now generally admitted that
so long as we farmers continue to
grow blue joint hay, we can not ex-
pect to get anywhere, that blue joint
must be abandoned, and alfalfa, and
possibly other tame forage crops sub
stituted. Then will follow sugar
beets on small fraction of our alfal-
ia sod, possibly ten per cent of such
land. The question of adding and
mainining soil fertility deserves care
full consideration
| have had this matter under con-
sideration for some time, and recent
ly met and discussed the matter
with Director Lin6eld of our State
Experimental Station. He fe in
with the idea. So let the people of
the Milk River Valley meet in Chi
nook in, say two days session, to
thoroughly thresh out this alfalfa
question in all it's details. Let our
local people be assigned places on
the program and let us invite Profess
sor Linfeld over to help us, also Pro-
fessor Elliott, and let Professor Lin
field try and secure the presence of
Mr.. |. ID. O'Donnell of Billings and
some other prominent feeder, possi-
bly, Mr.. George l. Allen of Living
ston who might tell us how he has
been able to capture all the prizes at
the Chicago Live Stock Internation-
al Exposition during the asst two
years on eleven months old baby
beef, making them average l,lOO
pounds at that age and on that hay
only.
Our soil is naturally adapted to the
growth of this valuable forage plant.
Its more general cultivation and con-
version into either wool, mutton,
beef. pork, or butter would mean
hundreds of thous sends of dollars tc
the business interests of this valley
At present Chinook is the center o.
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