Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1913-01-10

( women naturally excel in certain de-
partments and their methods can be
adopted by others with profit The la
dies present evinced much enthusiasm
in taking up Mrs. wades ideas.
At the close Of the afternoon session
the exhibits that had been donated to
the institute. including bread, cakes,
butter. corn. small grain. etc, were
sold at auction, President George
Buck proving an auctioneer Of consid-
erably more than amateur calibre, and
something over SIS was realized.
TELLS OF ALFALFA.
At the morning session, Lindsey
Reese Of Pana spoke on The Use of
Limestone and Alfalfa" supplement-
ing his lecture OF the day before on
the maintenance Of soil fertility. Al
falfa, he said, is the key to permanent
soil upkeep in Illinois. Some striking
arguments were advanced along this
line.
i Mr.. Reese said alfalfa is the best
ipaying crop known TO the farmer, and
there is more land in Illinois on which
this plant can be grown than in Okla
homa, Kansas and Nebraska together.
However, soil here needs a little FIX
ing" II must be inoculated, where
western lands do not require this pro-
cess. The speaker predicted that
within a few years alfalfa will revo-
lutionize the stock raising business in
this state. So remarkable are its pos
sibilities that the people are not yet
prepared to believe the truth.
Alfalfa is the oldest forage plant
known to man. II was raised in Per
p sia farther back than history takes
us and was introduced into Greece 500
years before the dawn OF the Chris
tian era. The horses tat the Roman
armies used in conqusring the world
were fed on it, Alfalfa meadows in
Mexico have been cut three or four
times a yea for 800 years without re-
) seeding Fields in The state @; New
York have been Welding for SO years.
and there are fields in Illinois that
; have produced for 20 years continu-
, ously. AS 4 forage feed, the plant
Slduus lar dutdu Oh ali OJUtTS.
WORTH 800 PER ACRE.
Mr.. Reese said he is growing alfalfa
that yields him regularly 800 per acre
and cited al instance in which one
grower realized 1920 an acre from pas.
turing hogs on ii. cutting one crop OF
hay. Another grower in Illinois meas.
ured the length OF the plants cut a
i single season. There were four cut
2 tings and the aggregate length was IA
+ feet
5 Mr.. Reese said he plows six or seven
j. inches deep in preparing his seed bed
i for alfalfa. The blowing is done in
D the spring and the land is then har
e rowed or disced every two weeks till
/ the latter part Ct July or the early
o part of August BY that time the
c ground IS perfectly pulverized and free
Q from weeds.
Three hundred poi nds per acre Of
J. top soil that has grown alfalfa or sweCt
clover is then sown by hand and disceL
, under Immediately. an exposure Of &
G few minutes TO the action OF the SUI
r killing the bacteria Then TWO or more
r tons Of ground limestone per acre art
6 scattered over the field and about q
pounds Of alfalfa seed per acre sown
r This is narrowed in. This method, IN,
u speaker said. has never failed Will
e him TO get stand. Ordinarily, no croI
g is cut the first year After two year,
o the disc should be freely used to keeI
s. out blue grass and TO mulch the sur
Y face This is done after the first cut
s ting is taken on.
Il Nothing except accident should eve
d make it necessary TO reseed in the life
n time OF the ordinary man. A heav,
IS sleet when the plants are growing ma,
smother them or late cutting followed
by a hard freeze is sometimes fatal
2, but ordinarily the crop should yiel
e three cuttings a year indefinitely.
n Mr.. Reese said alfalfa will grow o.
D. almost any kind of soil. but good drain
e age IS OF first importance and there
% fore if he were planting it here h
st would pick cut high ground.
p COLT PRIZES AWARDED.
k. Just before noon, the colts enteret
ID in the competition for prizes wer
10 brought out and judged There wer
$ dozen animals exhibited and prize
Of were awarded to the following owners
Id First. J. W Bailey.
lie Second. F II Edwards.
N Third. Howard Sheesley.
n Fourth. F. II. Edwards.
l. Fifth, Ben Boilman.