Durant weekly news. (Durant, Choctaw Nation, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 190?-1944, 1914-09-18
Turkestan Alfalfa Seed are Found
TO be Inferior.

Turkestan Alfalfa Seed are Found
TO be Inferior.
Washington, d. c., Sep. IA
warning to the alfalfa growers to
avoid the use OF the Turkestan alfal-
ia seed is contained in Department
Bulletin No. 1873, of the U. S. Depart
ment of Agriculture, which is to be
issued shortly under the title of
Commercial Turkestan Alfalfa Seed.
Specialists OF the department. have
been investigating the comparative
merits aof the different kinds of al
falfa seeds and have reached the con
clusion that there is nothing to rec
ommend the Turkestan variety for
general use in this country II is,
they say, particularly unsuited to the
humid climate of the east, which. as
a matter Of fact, uses most of the
Turkestan seed imported to this coun
try. This seed is also not sufficient
ly hardy to warrant its general use in
the upper Mississippi Valley where
hardness is an important factor. The
investigators, however, are carful to
distinguish between commercial Tur-
kestan alfalfa and special strains of
hardy alfalfas that have been de-
veloped from certain introductions of
seed from Turkestan. Valuable va
rieties of alfalfas unquestionably ex-
ist in Central Asia. bu. these at pres
ent are only fitted for experimental
work in breeding.
AT the present time approximately
one-fifth of the alfalfa seed used in
the United States is imported of
this quantity. practically all-95 per
cent at least-in the past twelve
months has come from Russian Tur-
kestan. In the European market,
commercial Turkestan seed is the
cheapest available. In this country
its wholesale price is less than that
of domestic seed. In spite of this fact
however, a mistaken belief in its SUI
perior qualities has resulted in rails
ing its retail price to point fre-
quently above that of the domestic
seed. No such preference is shown
in the alfalfa growing section of Eu-
rope. The French seed is commonly
considered the best, with the Italian
next. and Furkestan last.
Under these circumstance very little
French and Italian seed finds its way
to the United States, the bulk of the
importations. being as already stated
the cheap commercial Turkestan
Fortunately. the growers who de-
sire to avoid this variety can readily
identify it by the presence of the Rus
sian knapweed seed. These seeds are
not found anywhere except in the
commercial Turkestan seed, and hire
they are practically always present.
Russian knapweed is in some ways
similar to quack grass, Johnson
grass and Canada thistle, spreading
both by seeds and underground root
stocks.
The seed are somewhat larger than
alfalfa seed and cannot all be remov-
ed by any practical method of ma
chine cleaning. Their chalky white
color makes them especially conspic-
lous. and their symmetrical form.-
slightly wedge shaped, distinguishes
hem from the notched seed of other
species often found in varieties of al
'alfa from other sections. The knap
weed seed however. are not usually
ound in large quantities. and any
OF of alfalfa. should therefore, be
Examined in bulk. The examination
II small sample is not sufficient to
ihow whether the alfalfa comes from
or not.
I