Yerington times. [volume] (Yerington, Nev.) 1907-1932, 1912-11-02
QUEEN OF FORAGE.
Mason Valley the Natural Home of
This Wonderful Plant.

of w. J Luethe, in the Farmer am
Stockman, published in Des Nome:
Iowa. 1t shows what value is place.
upon the plant i'll that country ant
how much pains farmers take TO pro
duce it. even going to the trouble ant
expense OF inouculating the new sol
where alfalfa is to be planted witt
soil from growing lields of the plan
at much trouble and expense TO ge
the required bacteria in The new sol
If the farmers of the middle Western
States go to so much expense ano
trouble to raise this crop does 1t not
show what value they put OH it, And
does.it not show what a wonderful, adj
vantage the soil of our valleys has
over that OF other States. Here al
falfa grows with very little care and
attention, the soil being the natural
one for it
THAT alfalfa stands first as forage
plant is now an established fact Its
great value to farmers both as iced
for form animals and for its beneficial
effect upon the soil can no longer be
disputed. The only difficulty which
now remains is to get farmers to rec
ognize this fact and to disseminate
knowledge concerning its growth and
proper management.
Its value as a food for farm animals
IL WITHIN
hairs BREADTH declared Prof. X. A.
Moore. Of the Wisconsin College Of
Agriculture, in d recent bulletin, OF
being equal, pound for pound, to wheat
bran. All OF the common feeds raised
on the farm are low in protein con
tnet and the dairyman or stockman
is obliged to pay high prices for feeds
in protein as oil meal, oil cake, etc,
in order to secure a balanced ration.
If his land is suitable for alfalfa this
is by far the cheapest method OF pro
ducing protein. 1t yields over three
times as much digestible protein per
acre as oats, nearly three times as
much as clover and nine times as
much as timothy Its high protein
content is due to its ability OF taking
nitrogen from the air.
Alfalfa belongs to the legume fam
lily. to which the common red clover
also belongs. Like other members OF
this family it is able, through the &c
tivity of certain bacteria, to use the
nitrogen free in the air to build up
plant tissue These bacteria occupy
small nodules on the roots and arc
always necessary for successful alfalfa
growing. The roots grow to depth
OF five feet or more, which makes the
plant able to stand severe dr3uthS
The abundance of root growth makes
the soil porous and friable and when
the plant is killed, furnishes great
deal of humus and fertility to the soil
1t requires a sharp plowshare to do
good work in alfalfa sod.
The beginner should SOW only one
or two acres at first and study the con
dtions of the farm in relation to the
plant. A gentle, well-drained slope OF
rich clay loan on top OF gravel or
limestone is an ideal location, although
it will thrive on nearly all types OF
soils if other conditions are favorabel
Low places where water will gather
should be avoided, as the alfalfa plants
suffocates very quickly il submerged
under water or ice If the soil shows
any great acidity it is not suitable for
alfalfa An abundance OF such plant
as sheep sosrrel and mares tail" usu
ally indicates soil acidity.
A very weedy field is also undesir
able Land that has been well cult
waited during the summer should be
plowed seven or eight inches deep in
the fall and narrowed about once a
week the next spring to kill the weeds
and preserve the soil moisture. If the
seed is sown about the first of June
without a nurse crop. light yield
can be obtained later in the summer
if weather conditions are favorable In
no case, however. should alfalfa be
cut after September in Wisconsin
for its growth will not be sufficient to
protect it during the winter The best
results have been obtained by sowing
tweny pounds of seed to the acre,
without a nurse crop. 1t can be sown
with a grass seeder and covered by
using slant-tooth harrow once after
seeding Usually it should be sowr
less than an inch deep, because tho
young plants are quite delicate.
Very good results have been obtain
ed by sowing alfalfa about the first
of August on land where an early
crop of peas or potaoess has beer
grown This method would give farm
ers an opportunity to try an acre o.
so this year providing it is not too dry