Soils and crops of the farm . purpose itis sown alone in August or September and harvestedin the following May. Yasey says itdeserves a trial in the dry climates ofthe West. Alfalfa or lucerne {Medocagoaativa) has probably been used forhay longer than any other cultivatedplant. The ancient Ghreeks andRomans used it. It is now culti-vated in Southern Europe. It was introduced into NorthAmerica under the French namelucerne, by the first colonists. Itwas tried over and over again in theNew England and Atlantic statesduring the 150 years that elapsedprior to the Revolution. It was ^^^f^y^^finally
Soils and crops of the farm . purpose itis sown alone in August or September and harvestedin the following May. Yasey says itdeserves a trial in the dry climates ofthe West. Alfalfa or lucerne {Medocagoaativa) has probably been used forhay longer than any other cultivatedplant. The ancient Ghreeks andRomans used it. It is now culti-vated in Southern Europe. It was introduced into NorthAmerica under the French namelucerne, by the first colonists. Itwas tried over and over again in theNew England and Atlantic statesduring the 150 years that elapsedprior to the Revolution. It was ^^^f^y^^finally abandoned. Darlington wrote in 1859 thatalfalfa could not be profitably grown where red cloverwas successful. Later experience has not disprovedthis assertion. Each has its place. It was introduced into South America under theSpanish name, alfalfa, where it now grows wild ex-tensively. It was introduced into California fromChili and has become the principal forage crop of thePacific and Bocky Mountain states. Six tons of hay. 224 THE SOILS AND CROPS OF THE FARM. per acre daring a season is not infrequently re-ported. This history of the plant is a fair indication of itsadaptability. It is particularly adapted to warm, dryclimates and dry soils with deep, porous sub-soils. Thesub-soil is more important than the surface soil. The roots grow deep. Sixteen feet deep has beenreported on trustworthy authority. The compact,yellow clay sub-soil which underlies much of themiddle, northern and Atlantic states is fatal to the suc-cessful growth of alfalfa- It is only waging a fruit-less war against nature to attempt to grow it. It is not as hardy as red clover. It stands droughtexcellently and is adapted to irrigation. Much of itin the West is grown in this way. It should be sown in the spring after all dangerfrom spring frosts are past. When sown broadcastthe best results are obtained by sowing on well pre-pared land without graic, grass or other forage are inclined to appea
Size: 970px × 2576px
Photo credit: © The Reading Room / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, booksubjectagriculture, bookyear
