The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-11-23

Of over SOL an acre was secured, and this
with the hay figured at only $12 per ton.
Had the hay been sold at present prices
the second years profits would have
easily reached $100 an acre. The third
year the field was pastured with hogs and
the following year the land plowed up
and planted to corn. This year was un-
favorable for corn, yet yield of over 54
bushels of shelled corn to the acre was
secured. This yield was three times as
great as any that had ever been secured
from this same land previous to the plant
| ing of the alfalfa. Following the corn
the field was planted to cotton, with the
| result that yield of over 19 bales We're
| secured from the 20 acres, and this with
| out the use of a pound of any kind of
fertilizer.
| In Illinois it has heen found that alfalfa,
| through its roots, will add 160 pounds of
atmospheric nitrogen to acre in one
year. With a much longer growing sea-
| son 1t ought to do even better in Ala
| bama. In southern soils, which are al
most universally deficient in organic mat
ter, the vegetable matter added to the soil
| by the decaying roots and fallen leaves
of a crop of alfalfa is probably of as
| much, or even greater value to the soil
than the atmospheric nitrogen which is
fixed in the soil by the plant.
Profits in Alfalfa
county farmer who netted over s51 an
acre from his alfalfa, figuring the hay at
only S12 per ton. If we deduct $11 an acre
for rent of land, depreciation on imple-
ments, etc, we will still have a profit of
$40 an acre. This represents s per cent
interest on land valuation of $500 an
acre. Had the hay been figured at it's
market price the net profits would have
been more than doubled. On this same
basis the tiled drained land, previously
mentioned, which this year produced over
seven and half tons of hay to the acre,
pays per cent interest on a valuation of
over $500 an acre. figuring the hay at the
present market price 3ut, let us get
down to the average yields, or say only
two tons to the acre. A yield as low as
this will pay per cent interest on land
valuation of 800 an acre, after rent of
land and all the costs of seeding and
| saving and marketing the crop have
been deducted. Innumerable examples
might be cited to show the profits that
come from alfalfa growing, but time pre-
| vents mentioning more of them here.
| Now just a few words as to what the
| growing of alfalfa means to the farmer
| who can grow it, either for his farm
needs or for the market
| 1t means better, thriftier and more eff
! cient work animals on the farm. Where
alfalfa hay is fed during the working
season the grain ration for the work
| stock may be reduced to at least two
thirds of what it would be were grass
| hays being fed. Many farmers have
| worked their horses and mules through
| two and three months of the summer on
alfalfa hay alone and had them keep in
| good condition.
| Alfalfa on the farm means cheaper pro-
| duction of beef and pork. Beef producers
| claim that they are able to put fat cat
| tie on the market 20 to 80 per cent cheaper
| where alfalfa forms a part of the ration
| than where corn alone is fed. Hogs pas
| tured on alfalfa can be fitted for the mar
ket at much less expense than when fed
| on grass pasture and corn alone.
| Alfalfa is also the most valuable of all
| forage crops for dairy cattle
| Alfalfa distributes the farm income
| Where alfalfa is grown for the market
it distributes the income from April to