Morris tribune., 1917-02-16
ALFALFA VALUES
TO Be DISCUSSED
Results Of Experiments at Uni
versity Farm to be Shown at
Farmers Short Course
By P. E. Miller .

strangers upon the western Minnesota
farm. AS the acreage is increasing
and as the value Of the alfalfa crop
is being more fully realized, the
questions concerning its most success
full produc lion and utilization are be-
coming more and more of increasing
Importance. The question of growing
and feeding alfalfa will be one of the
subjects to receive special attention
at the University Farm Short Course,
February 1924. The discussion of
the alfalfa question for western Min
nesota will be largely based upon in
vestiRatiOnal work conducted at the
Morris Sub Station during the last five
years.
The problem of seeding alfalfa with
or without a nurse crop has been dis
cussed many times and many opinions
have been expressed. During the
last two years the Morris Station has
seeded alfalfa using wheat, oats, bar
ely, rye and fax as nurse crops. Also
the time of seeding is still disputed
question. To procure accurate data
upon this question series of expert
ments were begun two years ago. AL
falfa is needed from April till August
every fifteen days and some valuable
and interesting results have been Sc
Cured. Experiments are being con-
Quoted to determine just how much
seed it is necessar to use per acre
and other experiments are being con-
Quoted with inocculatiOn cultures to
determine the benefit, if any, of inoc-
culating the soil before seeding to al
falfa. Many farmers are asking if a
good stand of alfalfa can be secured
by seeding in corn during the last cul-
tivation. Tests to determine this
have been conducted during the last
two years. All of these culture and
seeding tests will be summarized at
the short course next week.
An extensive series of fertilizer
tests with alfalfa were begun two
years ago using lime, PHOSPHORUS
(both acid and raw rock) potash,
gypsum and manure. The rich states
OF Iowa and Illinois are using thou
sands of tons of lime and PHOSPHORUS
each year on their alfalfa fields. Thus
far the FERTILIZER tests at the Morris
station do not show any appreciable
increase from the use of fertilizers.
The question of varieties of alfalfa
seed to use has also COM in for much
discussion. At the present time some
35 different strains and varieties are
in the trial g ounds and each season
very accurate record is kept of the
yiel- of each variety and the per cent
of plants that are killeN during the
winter. Much information is being
secured upon the question of just VIVA;
varieties are best adapted for planting
in western Minnesota.
But the question of production il
only one side of the alfalfa question
that is receiving attention at the
hands of the experiment station work
ers. The profitable feeding of alfalfa
to dairy cattle, beef cattle and hogs,
and the using of alfalfa as hog pas
ture, are all questions that much
work is being done upon.
That station now have five years
experience in the feeding of alfalfa
hay to dairy cattle. At the present
time feeding experiments are being
conducted with beef cattle, using al,
falfa and silage. Alfalfa is also be-
ing used in the wintering Of brooC
sows with excellent results. Last
summer extensive experiments were
begun with alfalfa as hog pasture
using various methods of additional
feeding, such a. ordinary trough feed,
ing, self feeders, and no additional
feed at all. Additional lots of pigs
were fed in dry lots.
Farmers who are raising more live
stock each year cannot afford to b.
without good big profitable field o:
alfalfa. This crop should be thu
corner stone of the live stock industry
in Stevens county. 1t 10 the higbes
yielding forage plant we can grow
has the highest feeding value and cal
be grown successfully upon almos
every farm. These are the reasonI
why so much work is being done upol
the alfalfa question at the Morris Sub
Station. The farmers of this section
will have an opportunity to get th'
benefit of FIVE years of alfalfa investi
cations in western Minnesota at thu
Farmers Short Course. February 1!
to "a.