The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1910-10-28
VALUE OF ALFALFA
Some Notes on It's History
Growth, Seeding and Handling.
Of All Crops In irrigated Territory
It Is Chief One, and 40 a Forage
Il ExeeIs Everything In
Yields and Cost.
,By PROF. ELIAS NELsoN.)

tBy PROF. ELIAS NELSON.)
As a forage alfalfa excels all crops
In Yield, cost of production and feed
ing value. OF all crops 1t Is our CHIEF
one.
Alfalfa or lucerne. botanically
known as Medicago saliva, Is a ma
tive of Asia. coming from the region
Of Persia. 1t belong to the pea fam
lily which also embraces the c%lovers,
field peas. vetches. soy beans, COW
peas, and esparcette. AS forage all
these leguminous plants are character,
ICED 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 S%apniards into Mexico,
Chile and Peru and it Is chiefly from
these countries that it found its way
into the western United. States, where
1t is generally known by the Spanish
name alfalfa.
eral hundred years in arid America
has produced a somewhat distinct
type known as the American" "
western alfalfa. That type sue.
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 outyields it at
higher attitudes and in the more Sc.
we're climates to the nDrthward. The
taller but less hardy types, the Ara.
bian and the Peruvian. are better
adapted to the southwest. Another
type, the German, has outyielded the
American" in some of the eastern
states.
While we recognize 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 il
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.
ralfa field may be found individual
plants differing one from another in
n or more particulars such as habit
or growth, form and size Of leaves,
density Of foliage. succulence of stems
and color OF flowers. There are also
differences a regards drought-resis-
lance. vigor of growth, resistance to
heat and cold and seed production.
D Some of the experiment stations Of
the different states have undertaken
the selection and breeding of alfalfa.
The Wyoming Plant and Breeding
: company at Worland is growing 40
varieties. Fourteen types and varie.
ties have been started at the auxiliary
station at Caldwell, Idaho. among
hem 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 or.
binary 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 adj
vantages over the common sort; in
fact, it is superior them in productive.
ness.
"Dry-land" alfalfa is merely the
common alfalfa which, through con.
tinuous culture without irrigation ON
arid land, has acquired more or less
drought-reslsting 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 a large percent.
age of these lands will and ought to
be devoted to the culture of alfalfa.