The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1911-05-24
JarviS' Plan Of
 Raising Alfalfa Colonel Has Great Luck With it on His Berlin Farm Feeding Value Much Greater Than That of Other Grasses How He Prepares the Soil and
 Cures the Hay

Colcnel Charles M. Jarvis of Berlin has given much thought to the culti- vation of alfalfa and its adaptation to New England farms. The "New England Homestead'' recently issued an alfalfa number, which contained much of interest relating to the sub- ject. One of the most readable of the papers is that by Colonel Jarvis, which is reproduced here in it's entirety. It is worthy of careful perusal by per- sons engaged in agricultural work, coming, as it does, from a Connecti- cut man qualified to speak intelligent ly upon the subject. Colonel Jarvis writes:
 Alfalfa is a legunlinous plant, much the same as our ordinary clover. Once thoroughly rooted it will last without replowing from 10 to 100 years. It is adapted to nearly every soil found in New England. except our low be secured in New England will run from three to five tons of well u-cured hay per acre. Where the land is ir- rigated, the yield can be very much increased. W. J. Spillman, hgros- toloeist of the United States depart ment of agriculture, says:
 Alfalfa is the oldest plant known to man, it is the most valuable forage plant ever discovered. We are now growing it successfully in every state in the Union. Two weeks ago I se cured picture of a field of alfalfa in 69 years ago. I know of another field in New York sowed 45 years ago, one in Minnesota that was sowed B years ago. In Wisconsin alfalfa yields three crops of hay a year, in Texas four and five large crops. In southern times in a year. Alfalfa does not ex- haust the soil. I have lived ten years in country where horses cattle, sheep. hogs and chickens eat alfalfa hay Or green alfalfa the year round. It is the richest hay food known.
 Can alfalfa be successfully raised in New England? To this question without any equivocation, yes; and if you ask me how I know it can be raised in New England - because I have done 1t. Tn my farm in Ber- lin. there is now over 60 acres of growing alfalfa. Forty acres of this has been growing from two to five years. On one small piece, not over ten feet in diameter on the poorest spot of land on my farm Ca gravelly hilD, alfalfa has been growing for seven years, giving a yield of not less than four to five tons alfalfa hay per acre each year, without one par ticle of manure or fertilizer of any kind having been put on that particu- lar piece since the day the alfalfa was first seeded. In addition to the forty acres. I have eighteen acres that was seeded last fall. making total Of fifty-eight acres. Of the forty acres some has been in two years, some three years, and some five years. On an average it cut four tons well-cur- ed hay to the acre during the past sea- son. One piece was cut four times. yielding about six tons well-cured hay to the acre. The balance was cut three times and yielded not less than four tons well-cured alfalfa hay to the acre. Some of the first seeding that has been nnowed now for five years I shall blow up the coming spring and reseed, because the grass has worked into it; and while some of our native grass might be all right where the al- falfa is pastured. yet I do not pasture my alfalfa and shall blow it and re- seed 1t. This does not mean that our native grass will run out alfalfa; it simply means that this small piece of about 1-2 acres was poorly plowed, poorly fertilized, poorly Timed and poorly seeded. and looks bad when compared with the other alfalfa so that propose to replow it, reseed it. taking advantage of my experience, as I believe. to make better looking field.
 I therefore say that I know alfal-