The New era-leader. (Wagner, Charles Mix County, S.D.) 1911-1912, 1911-03-31
HANSEN AT WORK
PLANT WIZARD OF THE AGRlCUL.
TuRAL COLLEGE GIVES
OUTLINE OF PLAN
TO Improve THE ALFALFA
The Legislative Appropriation Of One
Thousand Dollars a Year Will
be Apportioned as Pro-
vided by Counties

Brookings-Prof. Hansen Of the
agricultural college has issued 20 the
press OF the state the following in ref
erence to the legislative appropriation
and the methods to be employed In
developing alfalfa culture under the
provisions OF the bill:
The appropriation by the last legis-
lature of $1,000 90 for the next bien-
NAL period makes an average of about
twenty dollars for each county for
each year. This money will not be
available until July LIST and plants will
not be ready in any quantity until
next year. However, a few thousand
plants q be spared this spring, the
plan being to send ten plants to each
of the first ten applicants in each
county. The names of the others will
be placed on the waiting list for next
year. All applicants must agree to
follow instructions as to planting and
care Of plants and to report results
of trials when requested. We have no
seed to spare this spring. Applicants
should describe the soil and location
and state whether they wish plants
or hay or pasture.
Last year l sent out some plants
for the first time. In spite of the
dry season some reports from various
places in both North and South Da-
kota show a yield averaging one-half
ounce of seed per plant, SO l am hope
full that some of these new alfalfa
plants will turn out to be good seed
ers. They have seeded at ~Brookings
very freely the past three seasons. The
seed terminates here very prompt
ly when sown.
The plan is to test the most promis-
ing alfalfas, which are not now han
died by seedsmen, in all sorts Of soils,
especially the new South Russian and
Siberian a~lfalfas which | brought owe
as agricultural explorer for the Unit
ed states department of agriculture in
the course of my three trips to ST.
IBERIA. 1t is desired to test these
plants in a limited way under all sorts
of conditions, for example:
1. On ordinary good grain land,
both for pasture and for hay.
2. On rolling, dry. stony upland or
sheep quarters"
8. On alkali lands.
4. On gumbo soils.
5. On fields subject to overflow and
formation of ice crusts, which condi-
tons are found harmful to the old or
common alfalfa.
6. On steep mountain slopes and
upland pastures in forest reserves and
elsewhere in the Black Hills.
Z. On extremely sandy soils where
trouble is experienced from the wind
blowing out the top crust.
These problems occur to me as l
dictate this letter, but there are, no
doubt, others to be considered. There
are many problems connected with
alfalfa growing and it would be OF
great advantage to South Dakota to
secure an absolutely hardy founda-
ton for our alfalfa industry both for
a hay crop on good farm land, and
also to make alfalfa common as a
wild pasture plant on all the rough
lands now practically worthless for
cultivation. Even rough land would
be worth one hundred dollars per acre
if it could grow alfalfa.
A few plants can be spared for 9TH
err states, especially North Dakota,
Minnesota and Montana, but only aft
er the South Dakota demand is met.
1t may be of interest to know how
far north they will grow. My own
personal opinion is that these alfalfas
which I brought over, will ultimately
make alfalfa culture possible clear up
to the Arctic Circle on this continent.
! have the utmost friendly feeling
for all who do not agree with me on
the alfalfa question as We will prob
ably agree in due season. Meanwhile
| prefer to get the experience from
as many different places in the state
as possible.
The question of the p~alatability OF
these new a~lfalfas is me that is GER
tainly important, but having seen
stock over many thousands of square
miles in Siberia, grazing and keeping
in good condition on these various A.
falfas, l have no fear on this score.
The taste of the rich milk, cream and
butter made in a large measure from
these alfalfas in Siberia, as we'll as
the kumiss made from mares milk by
the knights Tartars, still fingers in
my memory.
A correspondent writes concerning
some alfalfas sent him last spring.
THE alfalfa plants grew fine and
thrifty all summer. l trimmed the
plants sometime in September and
had a bushel basket of hay which /
dried in the barn. 1t tasted very bit
ter to me. l tried it on one OF my
horses, he ate it greedily as long as
it lasted" In this matter it seems to
me that the horses opinion is worth
much more than the mans opinion
Personally, l do not like the taste OF
alfalfa. l brought home an alfalfa
Mitcheli-South Dakota is without