The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1926-02-25
BLUE VALLEY FARM SERVICE
By M. A. Nye
Alfalfa On Every Farm

stand why 80 per cent of the alfalfa
acreage OF this country should re-
main west of the Mississippi. l have
always had the highest regard for the
business sense of middle western
farmers as compared to farmers
elsewhere, but l must admit that l
am at loss to understand why any
farmer in and around the corn belt
should send his dollars to the alfalfe
growers way out west when this farm
er can grow not only as good alfalfa
but can also save money by growing
it himself, enrich his land, and have
more and better alfalfa for feeding
his live stock.
have been reading the story of
Joe Wing as told in his alfalfa book.
Being an Ohioan myself, l may be
prejudiced, but l like to think that
Joe Wing was the greatest apostle al
falfa ever had. In the book L IND
little incident related which may snow
why more farmers in the Mississippi
Valley don't raise alfalfa. This Incl
dent concerns Joe Wings first eXper-
fence in alfalfa. You know that as
a young man Joe left Ohio to find
fame and fortune in the West. 1t
was near Salt Lake City that he first
made his acquaintance with alfalf"
and, from the tirst, the young man
was impressed with the marvellous
possibilities of the crop. In those
DAYS alfalfa was called lucerne. Joe
fed this lucerne to an old cow on
his uncle's place, and she gave milk
abundantly. The pigs fed on this
plant developed handsomely and mul,
tiplied rapidly. The chickens thrlved
on it and the horses and mules rel
ished it. This lucerne once planted
produced many tons of hay each year,
increasing the fertility OF the soil as
it grew. Back home Joe had never
heard of it, but before very long he
had become so impressed with alfalfa
that he had sent a package OF the
seed to his father in ohio to plant on
the farm.
A year or so later Joe came back
for a visit to the old homestead and,
where he had expected to Sc wonder
full plants such as he had known IN
the West, he was all but broken
hearted to find a few stunted little
plants sticking out of the ground.
But even as he stood there mourning
over his plants he saw his mother, S
flock of chickens approach the alfal1a
patch and begin an eager search 1of
leaves. One by one they picked these
off till nearly every plant was STRIP
ped bare, then they walked away. IL
was the middle of August, and ne al
so noted that the soil was very dry.
He put a barrel without top over
the plants to protect them from the
chickens and also spilled tuD 1ull
of water over the stunted plants. In
a few weeks when he was ready TO
go back to Utah and went to say good
bye to his plants he found to his de,
light that the stalk of alfalfa had
thrived from it's wetting and Its pro-
lection and had grown through the
ton of the barrel. Joe Wing then
knew that alfalfa would grow in Ohio
or any other place providing that 1T
was given the proper attention. Years
later, on his Woodland farm, Joe
Wing demonstrated just what alfalfa
could do to help the farmer make
money out of his soil.
I don't want any farmer to think
I'm advising him to keep alfalfa wet
or to put barrels around it to get
good stand. 1t is simply told to show
what little things can make the Oil.
ference between success or failure Oh
alfalfa.
Alfalfa is suited to most every
farm. The chances are that 1t WILL
grow on your farm without special
Preparation. On account OF the very
serious clover seed situation which
has shot the price of clover seed sky
ward and brought into the country a
lot of clover seed not adapted to
corn belt conditions, many farmers
are turning to alfalfa. Perhaps you,
yourself are planning to plant al
falfa this spring.
Most of us have but little time to
study the nature of alfalfa, but if
we are going to make a success OF
this wonderful legume and derive Its
blessings we must get to understand
it little better.
I've must be sure our soil is
not acid. .,
1--WE must seed it on land with
good top an under drainage.
3.-We must buy culture and IN
oculate our alfalfa seed.
Ave must buy gsod Grimm or
hardy seed. N~..
Owe must not Seeu ouI nurse
crop too heavy nor seed our alfalfa
too deep.
Glen G. Hays.
Radio Farm School.
r.
Many New Alfalfa Fields In State
This Spring-Alfalfa will make its
appearance on many Minnesota farms
for the first time this spring, it is
predicted by the Blue Valley Cream
ery Institute. High prices of red
clover seed and the risk of planting
poor, unadapted European seed, will
turn many farmers TO planting alfalfa
in place of red clover.
Between 1O0,O00,000 and no.
100000 pounds of clover seed are
planted in this country every year,
hut only two-thirds of this amount
was harvested last year." according
to the Institute. Farmers who have
been depending upon red clover as
their legume plant are therefore
faced not only with sky-high prices
for seed, but also with the risk OF
planting unadapted, imported seed in
their fields. And rather than take 2
chance on the success of their crop,
o1fo1fo AIthnnOrh