The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1912-11-05
Profits in Growing This Plant fol
Hay Larger Than in Growing
Corn.-Pays 6 Per Cent
on $1,000 Land.
ALFALFA AS FERTILIZER
Al an Average Of SIS Per Ton With
Five Tons to the Aero, Alfalfa o.
n euples an Important Place Among
the Foremost Farm Crops la
United States.
BY A. p. Grout, Pres. Illinois Alfalfa
Growers Assn.

National Crop Improvement service.l
About twenty years ago ] tried the
experiment of growing alfalfa in 1lli-
nois. ! sowed about two acres and
secured fair stand and grew fairly
good crop for four or five years. /
was almost entirely ignorant as to the
proper care and management Of 1t,
and after time the blue grass and
other grasses crowded 1t out and l
plowed 1t up, but Immediately re-
seeded the same ground with four or
five acres more.
Seeing the Need Of incubation.
/ again secured a fair stand; but
soon discovered that that part of the
field which had first been seeded in
alfalfa did much better than the
newly seeded part 1t was about this
time that l began to read about al
falfa bacteria and the necessity Of
applying inoculated soil, or the soil
from an old field where alfalfa had
been grown. I Immediately secured
. few hundred pounds Of inoculated
soil for use on my own field. The
effect was almost magical.
Discovering Another Point.
In the meantime it was discovered
that when the plant reached a certain
stage of development 1t should be
cut and If the cutting were delayed,
1t would be very detrimental to the
future growth Of the plant. Then the
necessity of cultivating the growing
fields of alfalfa became known, In or.
der to prevent the growth Of blue
grass and other grasses and weeds.
Fifty Acres of Successful Alfalfa.
have now more than fifty acres OF
growing alfalfa. ] experience no diff
fculty in securing good stand and
in growing large crops Of the richest
hay-food known.
Pays 6 Percent on $1,000 Land.
A careful record was kept Of four
acres for five years, Q9O5-1909) and
the average was found to be four and
eight.tenths tons per acre, field
weights. The lowest yield during the
term was 2.28 tons and the highest
1892 tons. This yield was made in
1906, in four cuttings. A total OF 96
tons of hay was produced on the four
acres in five years. The price Of al
falfa during this period ranged from
$3.50 to $22 per ton. Taking con-
servative average of SIS per ton, we
have the sum of 81, ,44O or $2SS for one
year, or $72 per year for each acre.
Deducting $12 per acre for the culti-
walton and care of this land and the
harvesting of the crop, for each year,
and we have $50 per acre, clear of all
expense.
feel very sure that for the past
few years my alfalfa has produced five
tons per acre, which at SIS per ton
land have never been able to buy 1t
at that price, returns SIS per acre.
But to be well within bounds We will
discount the amount one-third and we
still have left $50 per acre or five
per cent on a valuation Of $1,000.
Mr.. TuIlock's Yields.
These figures may appear large and
over-estimated and l will therefore
quote you from others who have had
experience in growing alfalfa. George
F. Tullock, Farmers Institute Direc-
tor from the Rockford District, said
in an address at the State Institute
at Edwardsville last year that yield
of five tons of alfalfa per acre was q
conservative estimate and that under
favorable conditions he had known as
much as six tons per acre to be
grown.
Mann's Yield, Tons for 10 Years.
F. l. Mann, another Institute direc-
tor, from Gilman, Iroquois county,
and one OF the best and most scien-
titic farmers in Illinois, says in an
article in the Orange Judd Farmer Of
May 6, 1911, 81 have grown alfalfa
for ten years, much of the time hav-
ing about twenty acres. The average
annual yield of hay is then about five
tons per acre. AS it is the most
profitable crop I grow 1t is my inten-
tion to increase the acreage in the
future"
Value of Alfalfa as Fertilizer.
Alfalfa has still another value. At
the Wyoming Experiment Station
an area of land was selected and
seeded one-half to alfalfa which was
allowed to grow for FIVE years, and
the other half was cropped with
grain and potatoes in rotation. At
the end of the time the entire area
Mo ~ al
crops. The yield of wheat on the al
falfa land was so percent greater
than on the other. The yield of oats