The Oakes times., 1911-02-09
ALFALFA SHOWS
A WAY OUT |
Increased Cost Of Living
Has No Terrorsf for Man
! Who Raises II

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Who Raises II
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i . st. Paul, Dec. 10, l9lO.-Professor d. n.
Willard, Development Agent of the
Northern Pacific Ry., sat down to a sur
prise banquet in Billings, Montana. the
other day.
"From Soup to Nuts" alfalfa was
strong on the bill of fare. Alfalfa feed
chicken, with alfalfa dressing had the
corn feed product painting for wind.
Alfalfa bread, cakes and cookies brought
the blush Of shame to the kinds TINT
Mother used to Make.'' Alfalfa tea.
daintily brewed made the guests smack
their lips and empty the urn in hurry.
Here is Professor Willard's report of the
"sumptuous repastn:
It was the writer's good fortune to be
a guest at luncheon given by the Com
mercial Club of an enterprising city
located in the midst Of one OF, the great
est alfalfa growing districts Of the
Northwest Billings, Montana-on the
menu of which was printed in conspicrl.
GUS type the words Alfalfa is King
and the luncheon was in real fact a sdin-
ner of alfalfa" There was roast spring
chicken--alfalfa fed, with alfalfa dress
ing. That the chicken was good all can
truthfully vouch who partook of it.
That the fowls were alfalfa fed the
writer is not inclined to doubt, for he
/ knows that alfalfa is good and 5prac-
tical feed for poultry, and he has the
word of reliable men that these birds
were fed and fattened on alfalfa There
was alfalfa bread-actual loaves and
slices of fresh, sweet and palatable bread
resembling somewhat in. color bread
made from ordinary graham or whole
wheat flour, having pleasing nutty
flavor, and the statement is made on
good authority that but slight amount
OF wheat flour was admixed to give a
hinder effect, rendering the texture a
little more elastic and less crumbly.
There were cakes and cookies, having
much the color and texture Of common
brown cookies, good, sweet and eatable,
and made entirely from alfalfa flour, as
vouched by. the chef who originated the
recipes ana prepared the luncheon There
were , a1alfa ia biscuits, light in texture
o,:nc oellcate ana palatapie, made with
s,ignt aamix5nre Ie o1 Wheat M hour. Finally
Inere was ai1ai1a tea-the actual fluid
Dle"ed rom tne leaves OF the alfalfa
plant One was not compelled to drink
tMs II one did not wish tot was
explained by the host that it was not
cialmed 70 pe substitute Tor any other
beverage for human use, though it has
been demonstrated that it has great
value as stock food and would prob
any , nave Tor ii human 2 III, use But it was
introduced INTO the luncheon merely to
l.
ph1y what use could be made OF 1T as
a commercial &C stock food;
III IS no Joke. Alfalfa leaves when
ground and baked in the ordinary way
make a palatable article of food and, if
lst, u nourishing article of diet. If it
had not been frankly announced, few:
II any, OF the fifty or more guests would
ever have suspected that they were eat
ing hay, and no one could have found
any valid ground for complaining that
his dinner was not good or that it did
not set well" on his stomach
The honor of originating salfalfa
-four belongs to DR.. w. x. Suddnth az
Billings, an enthusiastic grower Of
alfalfa. and the honor of being The ORIG
inator of alfalfa bread and cakes 80 far
as the writer has been able to learn
belongs to- MIR. Charles Mul1emer. Gbe;
Of the Grand Hotel, BILLINGS.
DR.. Sudduth has been for Years a Snrhc
tical grower and feeder Of alfalfa. So
far as the writer knows he is. the, orio
inator of s.alfalfa tea" as a stock food.
The Doctor stated that he had found
the proposition highly profitable ono
for growing pigs. The following fio,,res
are quoted from memory. but fhev can
he verified by anyone, interested Nv
addressing Dir. w. K. Suddutb. Rill;nos
Montana. He stated that he fed, exciu-
sively alfalfa tea, with a sufficient admix-
ture OF bran or shorts to make thin
mash or soup, to growing pigs. from the
\ time they were weaned till they were
seven months old, at which age they
Sweighed 1855 pounds each, and he further
Stated that the total cost of producing
sthe PorkersSvas about $500 per cwt..
The profit Of such a scheme of stock
feeding needs no argument. The Htea"
was breWed by simply boiling in large
vats and drawing off the liquid.
In an informal toast at the luncheon
referred to, the writer stated that he had
never viewed with. alarm the cry that
the human race is rapidly approaching
an era OF food shortage due to the ex-
haustionasof OF the resources 5of the soil,
but that when he saw such "a demonstra-
tion OF what can be done in the prepara-
ton human food from one of the
greatest staple crops Of the Northwest,
and tasted the products, his optimism
received rec, sd a# great nplift, and If the
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