Imperial Valley press., 1914-03-05


could not help itself by moisture. The
crowning need of the whole arid re.
gion west of the Rocky Mountains had
been supplied through the optimism
and enterprise of a few California
pioneers.
The Mormons of Salt Lake were pio-
neers in irrigation on the Pacific
slope, but they had no alfalfa until
they saw the California demonstra-
tion and profited by it. Then alfalfa
followed irrigation water in Colorado
Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Nevada
Arizona and New Mexico-not in the
order named, perhaps, but all of them
following California and Utah. Then
came the movement eastward from
the Rocky Mountains-Kansas and
Nebraska first, and then the whole
sweep of the Mississippi valley; then
TO the Atlantic slope from New Eng
land to Georgia. Everywhere the inn
oulse came from what people east of
The Sierra Nevada had actually seen
rr heard about as done in California.
IN many cases, no doubt, eastward
moving Californians personally pio-
0eered the alfalfa movement in dis
tant states. l remember that the
demonstrations in Nebraska and Vir-
~inia were first made by eX-Califor-
mans.
1t is apparently a striking event
n plant movement-this progress of
alfalfa eastward across the United
States. The course of economic plants
beginning in prehistoric times has
heen westward-not only from the ira
iitional birthplace of the race in Asia
Minor as commonly recorded, but from
china westward into India and thence
westward in the movement of the
Aryan races. And yet, stemming this
tide, alfalfa moved eastward from
California. A few other things have
lone this in the past, and many others
will do so in the future as there is
'ealized in California the center of a
1ew and unique American civilization,
# which the potentially is now dis
,ernible; a Pacific American type of
hought and action, of which the foun
lations were laid when the whole
world came to California seeking gold
IN 1S49.
And while all this is true, it is,
If course, fact, that the plant known
n Europe as "lucerne" reached the
Atlantic coast many times no doubt
0rior to the introduction of Chile cal
falfa" at San Francisco. The names
apply to the same plant, but "lucerne"
made no appreciable stand on the At
antic coast, nor did it move west
ward therefrom. 1t rested under con-
lemnation for inferiority to red, white
and other clovers. In 1871 this wri-
ter was secretary of the Central New
York Farmers club of which Mr..
Campbell, owner of the New York
Mills herd of shorthorns, was presi-
lent, and at a meeting of the club
some one asked Mr.. Campbell what
lie thought of the plant "lucerne,"
which had recently been received from
Europe. 81 am going to plow it up"
aid Mr. Campbell, "it is not as good
red clover" Mr.. Campbell could
grow a shorthorn COW which sold at
auction for s4O,600, but he could not
see value in alfalfa. This was evil
IDENTIFY the conclusion of others, for
the plant as introduced at Atlantic
parts never established itself 1t was
not until the same plant proceeded
eastward, clad in the panoply of its
western victories, that it could COM
nand intelligent trial and fair judg
-nent. Now it is engrossing attention
everywhere, even in the states where
the last generation condemned it as
Alfalfa made its first enduring stand
on American soil in California, and
the California demonstration of its
value lies in the foundation of the
present popularity of the plant be-
cause of its usefulness in stock grow
ing and feeding enterprises in all
parts of the United States. In the
middle of the last century California
gave the world more gold than it pre-
viously possessed, but it made a
greater contribution to American de-
in the gift of alfalfa be-
cause alfalfa will grow each year in
volume, value and potentiality
throughout the continent.
But though California experience
has thus aroused the present interest
in alfalfa on this continent, and
though great value will be derived
from the plant here and there its
public service will, in the nature of
things, be greater in California than
elsewhere California cannot distrib
ute her deep free soils nor her ampli-
tude of heat nor her freedom from
frost which insure eight months in
the year of alfalfa growing and hay
making. To reach the fullest benefits
of the plant. the California climate
is indispensable.