The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1911-06-22
ALFALFA
Letter From Manager Zlmpel-
mann.
NE REPLIES TO COMMUNICATION
Vigorously Defends Alfalfa as crop
Etc. Etc.
ALFALFA

Port Conway. Va. June 10.
To The Free Lance
In your issue of the l1th | no
tice an article headed The Alfalia
Crops" and signed "A Member oil
the Party
We had supposed this to be "A
business visit by neighbOrs and as
lin has been our aim and policy TO
| give an such visitors the Oeneilt
of our experience as we'll as of eN-
lueriuents conducted on the side. III
/ formation was freely given The writ
er Was very outspoken before these
visitors as being very much opposed
Ito write-ups OF the farm ana meth-
Iods employed here and belieN-
ing that the visit had been made Tor
Information. not criticism. contesses
to being mildly surprised when his
Attention was called TO the arllcle
referred TO. hence feels Justliled III
/ making "A few corrections OF state
ments made therein which might De
detrimental TO Virginia farmers VINO
contemplate raising alfalfa some oil
these statements are conclusions ar
rived at haphazard aud might b. as
misleading as some OF IN Ar'lV'tS
which \ Member OF the tait! 81
Vigorously condemns.
I'm IN. first place the Experimental
| plat is not conducted under the
supervision of the L. 5. department
of Agriculture That Is Mr. JACK
own idea and his individual mlt'a
was and is the Starting point Inc
departmrnt has made use OF the eN-
periments and has be afforded
ever, facility ana assistance IN con
iauctiug the INVESTIGATIONS. Inc
bull.nn referred 10 has been pre-
par,d bv Mr.. a h. Cron. Of the De
parlment of Plant Industry. ana Is
chiefly devoted 10 the bacterial no.
duits ON tine plants from the vaii-
GUS plots There are Ole hundred
and twenty different plots aud the
uodulcs vary from a half dozen on
a pant TO Veral hundred.
{. cond Time only can tell ~hfth-
er more than > tons Of lime are
useless waste At least Ne are
NOT Vet ready To condemn. while We
mi-lt not recommend the use oil
i4r-er amount OF line.
We sc farmers spend more mon
ev or fertilizer on common farm
GROSS which Yield but one harvest
diam ua do for alfalfa and Yet
rhtss men o4Ik 80 doing hitie
asork cog spending little money ON
q ...nt that would be remuneratiNv
ior years 10 come.
While lev farmers would b" Will
ins to maxi q specially o. alfalfa
.roWms. many arr anxious 20 raist
.are,r tracts 10 carry their stock
thrauah the winter ia better con
ditIol The dread OF that ".niiidl
cost would dWindle away ID COM
pauson were made as 10 machinery
needed 90 produce most amy crop.
for every farmer has mower ANA
has rake and doubtless also owns
a wagon.
Third We are not aware that
we had any alfalfa mot worth cut
ting unit We saw your article. eN-
cepi whsr- We showed these parties
field seeded last fail where the
catch was very poor. The seeding not
having wiihsfood the great droulAt.
On this field We only cut f."
patches where the seeding had lived
and made comp ratnvly good
growth The rest OF the yield had
been plowed. turning under what al
falfa there was with The weeds 10
enrich the land which will be re-
seeded this fall
Fourth I'm reply 10 your CORE
spondent's waiiiug cry about Alfalfa
STANDING in the way of crop rotation
ana must surely prove disastrous tO
the land. We would ask If he ever
removes an OF the timber from the
land and plants it TO something else.
50 when fresh trees come again they
may grow rapidly and luxuriantly?
Has anyone ever known permanent
grasses TO become poorer or the
lands exhausted by them? Think
Of the sod on the western prairies
Alfalfa. in many countries. goes
by the name of Eternal Glover and
if anything happened to field az
I ter being seeded down a few years
would not that field raise great
corn? Such. at least. is the eXper-
fence OF those who have been in the
/ business and they are not discour-
aged. they are cheerfully pushing
onward
The man unknOwingly. unwilling
i Is casting a doubt stands in the way
I Of progress just as much as the
knOcker
The watchwOrd of the present is
+ progress.
NJ Zimpelmann.