The circle banner. [volume] (Circle, Mont.) 1914-1939, 1923-01-12
REMARKABLE SUCCESS OF FARMERS OF
NORTHERN MONTANA lM GROWING GRIMM
ALFALFA FOR SEED; is GROWING GOLD
By Murray d. stebbins

I'VE are in the market for car
load or more of northern Montana
alfalfa seed We want to buy direct
from the growers in order to be sure
of getting genuine northern Montana
alfalfa seed. If we can get in touch
with some seed producers or an or
ganization of seed producers in nor
thern Montana, we would be greatly
pleased"
Numerous inquiries of this kind
from the northern United States and
Canada every year for the past sew
eral years has inspired the writer to
double his efforts in encouraging
production of alfalfa seed in northern
Montana. BY this article the writer
hopes to prove the value of alfalfa
seed production to the northern Mon
tana farmer and rancher.
History of Alfalfa in North Montana
The introduction of alfalfa into
northern Montana was about 1895.
In 1899 there were about 1000 acres
of alfalfa in northern Montana and
the greater part of this acreage was
around Chinook in the Milk river val
ley. BY 1907 the alfalfa acreage had |
spread to the entire length of the |
Milk river valley and a small acreage |
on the Missouri river. Still the total !,
acreage was small, for the fields were
only few acres in each.
The first record we find of alfalfa
is the Persians using it for horse
feed in 400 B. C. We next hear of
it being introduced in the year 100
into Italy. This wonderful forage
plant, as its name means when trans
lated, the best forage, was introduced
into Spain in 500. From Spain into
Mexico and thus to the United States
in 1854. Two hundred years ago the
colonists made repeated attempts to
establish it. These attempts were h
not successful because of winter kill
ing and lack of lime in the Soils AL
falfa was only grown in favorable /
parts of the United States with much /
success and for that reason not much ;
thought was given to it until 1900 &
when Professor w. M. Hayes of the {
Experiment station of Minnesota 8
started some studies on alfalfa and {
in 1903 that state issued press bull i
letin, No. 20 in which we find the t
first mention of Grimm alfalfa. b
In this bulletin we read that O
Grimm alfalfa was introduced into f
Minnesota in 1857 by Wendelin
Grimm, an immigrant from Boden,
Germany. He brought with him fif-
teen pounds of alfalfa seed and sowed 6
it in the spring of 1858. Just how I
well this first seeding of the "Ewiger 4
Klee," or everlasting clover, as he =
called it, succeeded, is not definitely y
known, but at least enough of the d
plants survived to furnish seed for y
future sowings and in 1867, $50 II
pounds were threshed from three II
acres. Mr.. Grimm's neighbors were Q
trying to grow alfalfa with common y
seed from other states but in nearly q
every case suffered winter killing. In
1904 the United States department {.
of agriculture became interested in a.
this hardy alfalfa and purchased Il Il
some for distribution and in 1905 an
other lot of 1000 pounds was pur- W
chased for distribution to different az
parts of the United States for test. ~
The trials were exceedingly pleasing, e
as we all know, and thus was made a.
available to agriculturists the hardy 81
Grimm alfalfa, the value of which is
ncalculable.
North Montana Seed is Hardy M
The reason that alfalfa seed did in
lot come into more general use ear in
Ter was due to the fact that hardy Be
strain had not been produced. For TIL
ign seed, southern seed, middle so
Western seed or extreme western seed me
IT seed raised in favored localities so
would not live through the winter. ma
finally, after 46 years of careful sell laI
ction under severe conditions, a see
ardy strain was developed Expert DIT,
nents have shown since that this tiv