Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1913-10-24


horse even when doing heavy work. many of them
oeer results than when they using other kinds of hav
hoe who are successful feeding hay to horses in
heavy work usually let the hay mature before
cutting than when is intended for or young stock
t. Alfalfa is just beginning to be used for sage and no
doubt will ultimately into general use for that nprnos
o. Alfalfa makes excellent soiling crop
HOW TO GROW ALFALFA
Varieties
Notwithstanding the fact that the cultivation of alfalfa
oates back far written history perhaps less is definitely
known regard to its varieties almost any of our more
important cultivated plants The reasons for this are probably
twotod First the breeding of alfalfa presents rather unusual
technical difficulties and second the practical growing of
aa Ior seed requires especial attention Details
the average farmer is not inclined give result we find
anaa seed more less expensive and many nat
ualy would grow the crop hesitate at the initial cost
Investigations of the past few by the u
1ah INDUSTRY and many of the Experiment stations
the existence Of large number of promising varieties of
alla1a Last year several very promising were
covered by plant explorers dry regions northern
Africa where they being cultivated by Arabs Some of
These undoubtedly VIII prove OF great promise to in
scmard regions number of very promising varieties
the yellow alfalfa edcago facata discovered
III lurkesan and Siberia recently of them enduring
IRENE drouth and others cold species was found
growing as lar north the sixsecond degree of latitude
where the minimum temperature reaches as minus
ninety degree Fahrenheit This is region where the subso
is frozen the year around.
OF the State of Washington species adapted
Hundreds of thousands of dollars spent trying to
harness the power great order to convert free
nitrogen OF the air commercial form sold
fertilizer BY alyng ourselves with alfalfa have power
to dry conditions OF interest capable
OF enduring low temperatures yet nasmuch cold dry
ness have physoogcaly much the effect upon plants
OF these varieties may prove valuable to
Probably of the varieties cutva
ed IN this country at the present time the
However, it difficult indeed obtain seed of the Grimm
variety at the present time between the Grimm
of the other varieties produced hee known as
the Ontario Varegaed has proven very excellent variety
in that region.
1t almost useless in the present stage Of knowledge
OF alfalfa varieties to recommend definite varieties state
where agricultural conditions diverse those Wash
mgon About all that be said Of the present
time is that seed produced region similar
it to be grown WILL the whole better than
ported from another locality where conditions may radically
different That seed produced In the semiard region of
Adams county, for instance will probably do better that
region than seed imported from Illinois, Ontario Germany
Fortunately most varieties which appear upon Washing
ton markets will produce paying properly handled
Seed
The great problem with the farmer present
variety Of seed to purchase but whether the seed and
of good vitality Tests Of samples of alfalfa
by the Department Of Botany of the State College of Wash
ngon reveal the fact that much of the seed of low vitality
than third of being below the legal standard of
eighty per termination and many of the samples
ming below seventy per cent This of serious One
variety said have been imported and sold extensively
Eastern Washington the past spring had very low percent
age of viabe Seeds samples of it running low
fftyseven per On of the fact that this seed
bright color and gave unusually high purity test
the dealers able to dispose of large quantities of it.
is quite probable that this seed three years old
These carried by the Department of Botany at the
State College also reveal the of number
weeds For instance of all the samples of alfalfa
amned-
ID per contained kind only of nOxous weed seed
17B per contained two kinds of noxious weed seed
3012 per contained three kinds
13 per contained four kinds
Is per contained five kinds
81 per contained six kinds.
43 per contained more kinds
Thus it will be that considerably than third
of this contained four kinds of nOxious weed
seeds the total number of samples examined there
upwards of two dozen nOxious weeds For instance 81
per of the alfalfa seed samples examined contained Eng
lish Pantan 80 per contained Green FOxta; 81
Mnstard 13 contained DOdder and