The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1910-06-28
VALUE OF ALFALFA
Some Notes on Its History,
Growth, Seeding and Handling.
VI All Crops In Irrigated Territory
IL" Chief Ono, and a. a Forage
X ExceIs Everything In
Yields and Cost.
by PROF. ELIAS NELSON,

ny PROF. ELIAS NELSON)
As forage alfalfa excels all crops
IN yield, cost OF production and feed.
ing value. OF all crops 1t is our chief
one. N' 'A'0'
Aiaiia or lucerne. botanically
SHOWN as Medicago saliva, is a ma.
i've OF Asia, coming from the region
VI PERSIA. 1t belong to the pea fam
lily which also embraces the clovers
neiu peas. vetches, soy beans. cow
peas, and esparcette. As forage all
.hese leguminous plants are character
ized by their high protein contents.
lhey differ from other field crops in
that they are able to utilize atmos-
pheric nitrogen. Alfalfa was intro
ouced by the Sapniards into Mexico.
ohlle and Peru and it is chiefly from
these countries that 1t found its way
ih'o the western United States, where
IL is generally known by the Spanish
name alfalfa.
Inc cultivation of alfalfa for sew
erai hundred years in arid America
mas produced a somewhat distinct
type known as the American" or
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
1
others are found in the United States.
Inc lurkestan type outyields it at
higher attitudes and in the more Sc
we're climates to the northward. The
taller but less hardy types, the Ara
oian 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
tlnct 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
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 il
one or more particulars such as habi
or growth, form and size of leaves
density of foliage. succulence of stem:
and color of flowers. There are alst
differences as regards drought-resis
. lance. vigor of growth, resistance tt
heat and cold and seed production
= Some of the experiment stations o
, the different states have undertaken
|, the selection and breeding of alfalfa
: the Wyoming Plant and Breedin,
: company at Worland is growing 4
= varieties. Fourteen types and varie
: ties have been started at the auxiliar,
-, station at Caldwell, Idaho, amonl
;, them yellow Siberian alfalfa.
a Besides the common alfalfa tn
o Turkestan is handled by most seeds
q men and the Grimm alfalfa may b
7 procured from certain firms. The OF
q binary alfalfa Is sufficiently hard
:. and succeeds practically Throughout
q. Idaho. At the higher attitudes tn
n Turkestan and the Grimm may d
n better. but at elevation of $500 an
under those varieties have no az
yantages over the common sort; i
fact. It is superior them in productive
te ness
v. "Dry-land' alfalfa is merely tn
ID common alfalfa which, through col
tinuous culture without irrigation
rs arid land, has acquired more or les
e. drought-resisting qualities.
I'd In most of the arid states alfalfa
chiefly grown with irrigation. Whl
US misunderstanding and adapted to ar
conditions it responds to irrigation
ly no other forage crop does. Vast ares
of sage brush lands are being orougl
ou under cultivation and large percen
ID. ege of these lands will and ought
wv he devoted to the culture OF alfalfa