The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1913-06-26

ence, and to the scientific and proper
laying out of the fields. The build
ings for cattle, horses and hogs are
of practical sort.
Among the many improvements is
silo and modern dairy barn with
cement floors, and managers, fully
equipped with steel stalls and
modern system of ventilation. The
we'll arranged milk house OF the
farm contains a power separator,
churn and other dairy conveniences.
The place is operated with a view
mainly to the production OF milk
and pork. Dairying and the breed
ing of fancy Hampshire hogs are
specialties, and the hog breeding
feature has given the judge repu-
tation among the leading breeders
of the state.
The farm has one Of the leading
herds of Hampshire hogs west OF
the Mississippi river, and a large
business is done in that line. The
dairy herd consists largely of Guern-
seys, and practically all the milk and
cream is used in Creston.
Judge Maxwell is primarily man
who farms because he likes to. New
good income on the investment, and
it is operated in practical way and
as business proposition. The OPP
we'll and Spangler.
Southern Iowa farmers are begin
ming more and more to see the value
of alfalfa as forage crop, and, &C
cording to statistics issued by Iowa
State College this spring, there is
hardly a county left in that portion
of the state in which material ad-
vances in acreage of the crop have
not been recorded.
Alfalfa but recently has been in
troduced in Iowa, and Union county
is among the leaders in the growing
of the legume in that portion OF the
state.
In other portions of the state
business interests OF towns have tax
en- up the matter OF securing TOR
the crop proper recognition by farm
ers. Last week a bank at Cambridge
in Story county offered to furnish
half the seed necessary for the
seeding of the first patch this sum-
mer. The crop preferably is planted
in July or August, on ground that
has been enriched by fertilization
and inoculated with covering of
soil in which red clover has been
raised.
Alfalfa is a native of the valleys
| of central western Asia, and it has
been cultivated in Europe for more
than 1000 years. Though the le-
| gume is comparatively new in Iowa,
it is by no means new to the United
States, since the time it was first in
troduced about the time of the
Spanish conquests in Mexico and
South America. 1t came to the
United States first, probably from
| Chile.
The plant is described as an up
right branching perennial one to
| three feet high, with triple-parted
leaves, and purple, pea-like flowers
which grow in long loose clusters.
The roots form the main portion OF
the plant, sometimes descending in
to permeable soil to a depth OF ten
| to twelve feet.
The crop grows best on, rich,
sandy we'll drained loans, of a cal
careous nature, and does not sue
coed on damp soils or tenacious
clay. Two years are required prop
erly to establish the field, but when
once established the plant endures
for years.
Chemical analysis and digestion
experiments have demonstrated that
the feeding value of the legume
compares very favorably to red clov-
err, both as to green fodder and hay.
1t also has proved a satisfactory
green crop for pigs.
The principal diseases to which
the plant is subjected are leaf spot
and root rot. The leaf spot is due to
a fungus which is found in nearly
every community in which alfalfa is
extensively grown. Sometimes seed
ling plants are attacked, but more
often the fungus occurs on the
leaves of the older plants.
It may be recognized by the oc-
currence of minute brown spots OF
irregular shape upon the green or
discolored leaflets. The disease
readily survives the winter, and in
severe attacks to prevent spreading,
the plants should be covered with
straw and burned.
The root rot is caused by fun
gus which attacks the plants at the
crown, follows the root down and
for some distance and ultimately
killing the plant. The disease spreads
in a single season, bares places fifty
feet or more in diameter. Alfalfa
also is attacked by parasitic flow
ering plant known as dodder
In Iowa alfalfa as yet is in such
experimental stages that the diseas-
es of the plant are scarcely known.
That which is grown, largely in all
sections of the state, is matter of
experiment, and therefore it is more
assiduously cultivated and cared for
than it otherwise would be.
| The Blue Grass Harvest.
| nj ], Of hllnuro &C