Turner County herald. (Hurley, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1911-03-30
PLANT WIZARD THE AGR,CuL.
TURAL COLLEGE GIVES &
OUTLINE OF PLAN
TO IMPROVE THE ALFALFA
The Legislative Appropriation of One
Thousand Dollars Year Will
be Apportioned as Pro.
vided by Counties

pACoS w luo SldIe IQe IOllOWlnS IN rel
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 100000 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 1st and plants will
not be ready in any quantity until
next year. However, a few thousand
plants can 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 yield averaging one-half
ounce OF seed per plant, so 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 alfalfas which brought over
as agricultural explorer for the Unit
ed States department of agriculture in
the course Of my three trips to ST.
IBERIA. IL is desired to test these
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
3. On alkali lands.
4. On gumbo soils
s. On fields subject to overflow and
fornttion of ice crusts, which condi-
tione are found harmful to the old or
conhon alfalf:
On steep mountain slopes and
elsewhere in the Black Hills.
z. On extremely sandy soils where
trouble Is experienced from the wind
blowing out the top crust.
Tb-ese problems occur to me as l
dietikte this letter, but there are, no
dod5t, 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-
tion 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
il 1t could grow alfalfa.
A few plants can be spared for 9TH
er 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 altalfas
which brought over, will ultimately
make alfalfa culture possible clear up
to the Arctic Circle on this continent
1 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
l prefer to get the experience from
as many different places in the state
as possible.
The question of the palatability OF
these new alfalfas is one 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 al
falfas, l have no fear on this score.
The taste of the rich milk, cream and
butter made in 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.
1.-The alfalfa plants grew fine and
thrifty all summer. trimmed the
plants sometime in September and
had q bushel basket of hay which l
dried In the barn. It tasted very Bit
ter to me. 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 I do NOT 1iko tho taste NJ
alfalfa. l brought home an alfalfa
Mitchell-South Dakota is without
q bloodhound. The hound which
State Fire Marshal Craft bought a
year ago, was poisoned by some per-
son throwing the animal some meat
containing poison in midday. The
hound cost the state 5000 and 1t has
been the means Of tracking down sew
eral criminals in various parts of the