The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1911-01-10

Place for Crop in Northwestern
States Not Understood.
Now Ascertained That II Can Be
Grown With Reasonable De-
gree Of Profit In North
western States.


The place for alfalfa in the north
western states Is not we'll understood.
says Dakota Farmer. Until recently
the belief was almost universal that
1t could not be grown In Minnesota.
the Dakotas. and on the bench land
Of the mountain states with any con-
siderable degree OF certainty or profit.
1t is now being ascertained that 1t
may be grown satisfactorily on much
Of the land in Minnesota and the Da-
kotas. 1t is also being ascertained
that It can be successfully grown on
the bench lands of the northwestern
mountain states.
While alfalfa can be grown in many
areas of the eastern Dakotas and in
Minnesota, It will never occupy 30
important q place relatively as In
areas farther west. This arises from
the fact, first, that It Is less needed
as q forage crop In the areas first
named. and second, because in these
It Is more likely to be injured by the
winter season. This does not mean
that 1t is much liable to be destroyed
by the winter, but 1t does mean that
1t will in some instances be thus in
jured by tho severity of the cold
when suddenly exposed by the re-
moval Of the snow. Such winter kill
ing ia very infrequent In areas farther
west.
In the areas first named clover In
several of its varieties Is a sure crop,
and where 1t is, 1t Is probably more
valuable than alfalfa. all things con-
sidered. 1t comes much more fire.
quently into the rotation, and where
two crops Of common red clover can
be grown in succession in one season,
the yield will probably be as much as
from two cuttings of alfalfa. In such
instances the value of the alfalfa Ia
largely dependent on the superior con-
tinuity in its growth. The clover
lands are also more easily broken
than the alfalfa lands when this may
be desired.
The fact remains, nevertheless, that
che western half Of both Dakotas and
the bench lands Of Montana. Wyom-
1uk anu OtuCI ulOuILdlA oldIC6, Ad Q
much less adaptation to the growing
of clover, than to the growing Of al
falfa The former calls for more
moisture to grow them. at their best
than the latter The aim should be,
therefore. to make the alfalfa plant
one of the chief forage crops that will
be grown in all these areas. Too
much must not be expected from the
alfalfa. During many seasons there
will be only one cutting. During other
seasons there may be two.
It was thought at one time that the
under the conditions that are now be-
Ing considered. It was thought that
these areas were too cold and too dry.
1t Is now being ascertained that 1t is
not too cold. The people of the Cana
dian northwest are now beginning to
get busy growing this plant. 1t Is
also being found that alfalfa can be
established on land where the normal
rainfall runs between IL and Is
inches per year. These results are
being accomplished with such alfal-
fas as we have. Others are being
introduced which may prove more re-
sistant to cold and drought than the
varieties we now have. Professor
Hansen of the South Dakota expert.
ment station comes to US with the
tidings that in Russia, alfalfa Is sue.
cessfully grown In some of It's va
rieties farther north and under more
severe conditions than are found In
these northwestern states.