The Idaho recorder. [volume] (Salmon City, Idaho) 1886-1927, 1914-10-15
COMPOSITION BY A
LEMHI COUNTY PUPIL

't tuitoWiHk 10 Nilo piiAO SphpoSi-
ton on the subject OF Alfalfa" and
was written by Miss Ruth Pearson,
OF salmon. Miss Ruth is now pu-
Pill In the first year of high school,
hut the composition was written last
year while size Was an eighth grade
pupil
Alfalfa Is one of the oldest forage
plants known. Five hundred years
before Christ II ~as known and cul-
tivated In Persia. In the course of
years IL became distributed through
various agencies until today IL is
known In all parts Of the world where
huhsandry Is carried ON To any ex-
tent. It's adaptabillty is remarkable
as It thrives In parts of Siberia, on
the prairies of Canada, throughout
the United States, Mexico, Central
"a merica, Europe. Asia and A trica.
PLANTING.
Because OF the permanency of the
crop, special care must be taken In
the preparation of the seed bed. A
good coating OF barnyard manure
should he plowed under This im-
proves the condition of the soil. Five
or six inches of fall plowing is better
than shallow tillage in the. spring.
After the land has been narrowed
and surface evaporation checked,
preparation for the seed he'd should
commence. The ground should be
double disked 20 depth of three or
four Inches. 4 the disk is tapped
half on the strip of the preceding
ground, the center furrow will be
Allied and the land level
Alfalfa ought to he planted DIS soon
as the seed bed Is ready, which viii
vary In the different states, but gen
orally about the last OF April or the
tirst OF May Thirteen to nfteen
pounds Of seed Is sufficient quantity
when the land is well prepared. Seed
Ing should hest be done through a
grass Seeder attachment ON the drill.
This places the seed at the desired
depth which IN one and one half TO
three Inches. Seeding broadcast and
covering by disking is followed by
some farmers. When this is done,
one fourth moe. seed Is necessary ON
account of poor germination, due tn
uneven covering.
In seeding with nurse crop, the
Advantage Is IN getting crop from
the field before the alfalfa is start.
Ing. The nnsse-crop Il generally
made up OF oats, using SIXTY pounds
Of seed per acre OF spring wheat us.
ing ninety pounds During the dry
season, care must he taken To see
that the young alfalfa does not suffer
when the nurse crop is taken of.
The time AMI amount Of irrigation
water needed viii vary with the sea
SON. IL is usually necessary To nri.
gate Immediately after the removal
Of the hESt crop, and then after TAX.
lug OF the second, During dry
spring, irrigation msy 10 needed be
fore the tirst cutting, When this Il
done, 10 Usually interiors with the
curing of the arSt crop; bur has toe
advantage OF promptly starting a sec
end growth.
VALUE AS FOOD FOR STOCK.
Alfalfa il very necessary a. a food
for stock as u Is mostly comp oSsd oil
proteid. Resides this, IL Is well pro.
portioned In fats and carbohydrates.
Alfalfa Is chemical laboratory in
which nitrogen Is taken from the air
A tesh. forming food for grow
live stock, and As milk and egp
producer IL is unexcelled by any 9th.
eF large production. We do not ge,
our best returns where We sell u a,
hav The only thing TO do Is to feed
IL TO stock.
We must feed some Of the stock II
We wish to maintain the fertility Of
the soil and establish the best cror
rotation. Under average condition,
alfalfa ls generally credited with q