Lovelock tribune. (Lovelock, Nev.) 1898-1912, 1910-05-26
NATIVE
OF PERSIA in
ASIA
Interesting Facts Regard
ing L0velOck's Princi-
pal Product

Alfalfa or lucerne, botaniollay
known as Medicago sativa, is ma
tive OF Asia, coming from the region
OF Persia. II belongs to the pea fam
lily which also embraces the clovers.
field peas, vetches, soy beams. COW
peas and esparcette. As for age all
these leguminous plants are character
lied by their high protein contents.
They differ from other field crops in
that they are able to utilize atmos-
pheric nitrogen, Alfalfa was intro
duced by the Spaniards into Mexico,
Chile and Peru and 1t is chiefly from
these countries that II found its way
into the western United States. where
it is generally known by the Spanish
name alfalfa
The cultivation OF alfalfa for sew
eral hundred years IN arid America
has produced a somewhat distinct
type known as the "Amerlcan or
western alfalfa. That type suc.
ceeds 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
familiar. Besides this type four
others are found in the United States
The Turkestan type outylelds it at
higher attitudes and in the more Sc
we're climates to the northward. The
taller but less hardy types, the Ara
bian and the Peruvian, are better
adapted to the southwest. Another
type the German. has oity lded the
l"American in some OF the eastern
states.
While we recognise five fairly dis
tinct regional types OF alfalfa in the
United States, all belonging to the
same species, there is but one named
variety, the Grimm alfalfa. That is
a hardy sort grown to some extent
in Montana and North Dakota. We
know that there are many different
agricultural varieties of the various
recognized types. In almost any al.
falfa field may be found individual
plants differing one from another in
one or more particulars such as habit
or growth, form and size OF leaves,
density of foliage, succulenoe OF stems
and color OF flowers. There are also
differences as regards drought resls-
tance, vigor of growth, resistance to
heat and cold and seed production.
Some of the experiment stations of
the different statei have undertaken
the selection and breeding of alfalfa.
The Wyoming Plant and Breeding
company at Worland is growing 10
varieties Fourteen types and varie-
ties have been started at the auxiliary
station at Caldwell, Idaho. among
them a yellow Siberian alfalfa.
Besides the common alfalfa the
Turkestan is handled by most seeds
men and the GRIMM alfalfa may be
procured from certain firms. The
ordinary alfalfa is sufficiently hardy
and succeeds practically throughout
Idaho. At the higher attitudes the
Turkestan and the Grimm may do
better, but at elevation of $500 and
under those varieties have no ad-
vantages over the common sort; IN
fact, it is superior of them in pro-
ductiveness.
"Dry y.land alfalfa is merely the
common alfalfa which, through con-
tinuous culture without irrigation on
arid land, has acquired more or less
drought-resisting qualities.
In most OF the arid states alfalfa is
chiefly grown with irrigation. While
drought-resisting and adapted to arid
conditions it responds to irrigation as
no other forage crop does. Vast areas
of sage brush lands are being brought
under cultivation and large percent
age of these lands will and ought to
be devoted to the culture Of alfalfa.