Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1916-10-10
Alfalfa Varieties Ms
Muse b Adapesd 70
Climatic Conditions

Tho Increased interest In varieties Of
alfalfa and the need Tor the farmer "a
fnow whether q certain variety ID
suitable for his neighborhocd have led
to the publication Of United states de-.
partment Of Agriculture farmers bulls.
tin 767. Commercial Varieties Of Al
talfa' In this bulletin Of twenty
tour pages, the authors. r. A. Oakley
and n. L. Westover. of the bureau lof
plant industry. discuss in detail the
characteristics and habits OF the nine
fairly distinctive commercial strains of
alfalfa now recognized in the United
States, together with their adaptation,
t" climatic conditions. Some give the
best results In the north and north
west, while others succeed only in the
south and southwest where the winters
are mild. Wherever possible, the au-t
thors have indicated methods OF dis
tinguishing the seed OF one variety
from another.
Common alfalfa" is a term that ID
used to include all Of the alfalfas that
are not clearly Of hybrid origin or that
do not have distinct and uniform
varietal characteristics, suoh as the
Peruvian and Arabian varieties.
Numerous strains are coming to be
recognized In the common Rroup.
They are often designated by the geo.
graphic name OF the locality where
srown. as Kansas grown alfalfa, Non
tana-grown alfalfa, and many others.
or by some term descriptive OF the
conditions under which the CROP
has developed. such as dry-land al
falfa, irrigated alfalfa, and non-irri-
gated alfalfa.
Strains developed in the south
usually produce larger yields than
those developed in the northern states,
but they are less hardy. The "dry-
land" alfalfa seed offered on the mar
ket has 30 far failed to show any
noticeable superiority in ability to re-
sist drouth over that grown with an
abundance OF moisture.
The commercial Turkestan alfalfa
has been tested quite thoroughly in all
parts Of this country. and In nearly
every case has proved Inferior to
strains.
The leading commercial strains OF
variegated alfalfa are the Grimm, the
Baltic, the Canadian variegated, and
sand iucern. With the exception OF !.
sand iucern. they have been found
more resistant to cold than other
commercial varieties or strains and are
therefore recommended for sections
where winter killing occurs frequently.
Peruvian alfalfa is not resistant to
severe cold and can be grown success
fully only where the winter tempera-
ture is comparatively mild, as in the
southwestern states. Under favorable
conditions 1t out yields any other
commercial strain.
Arabian alfalfa is not a satisfac. !.
tory variety because Of its tendency to
tie short lived
AS result Of numerous expert
mental tests the adaptation Of the
various varieties and strains Of alfalfa
have been quite definitely determined.
1t is highly advisable that the
farmer should learn 70 distinguish
good from poor seed. Plump seed Of
an olive green color ALMOST Invariably
terminates well while shriveled or
brown seed generally terminates poor
Is. The presence Of any appreciate
quantity Of weed seeds or other Inn
purities indicates poor quality Of
seed. ~ :
Owing to the fact that Alfalfa does
not produce seed satisfactorily under
humid conditions, there Is little use in
trying to grow 1t for seed In the east
ern states.
Breeding work with alfalfa offers
great possibilities, but the time and ex-
pense involved are SO great that
farmer can not afford to undertake II.