Insects.—The web-worm, army-worm and grass hoppers are destructive at times in the West. Mowing the field promptly checks the increase by reducing the food-supply. Fall disking is destruc tive to grasshopper eggs.
Literature.
Practically all of the experiment stations have issued bulletins on alfalfa-growing in their respec tive states. The following list includes only a few of the more important. Discussions will also be found in most of the more recent general works on agriculture and throughout the agricultural press : Alfalfa, F. D. Coburn, 1901; The Book of Alfalfa, Coburn, 1906 ; Lucerne Grass, B. Rosque, London, 1765; Compt. Rend. Acad. Sci. (Paris) 134 (1902), No. 2, pp. 75-80 ; Agricultural Gazette, N. S. W., 7, 1896 ; United States Department of Agriculture, Farmers' Bulletins No. 194, "Al falfa Seed," and No. 215, "Alfalfa Growing'; Canada, Central Ex perimental Farm, Bulletin No. 46 ; Pennsylvania Bulletin No. 129 ; Kansas Board of Agriculture Quar terly, March, 1900. The following bulletins of state experiment sta tions : Alabama, Bulletin No. 127; Colorado, Bulletin No. 35; Kansas, Bulletins Nos. 85, 114 ; Michigan, Bulletin No. 225 ; Minnesota, Bul letin No. 80 ; Mississippi, Circular No. 18; Maryland, Bulletin No. 85 ; Nebraska, Bulletin No. 35; New Jersey, Bulletin No. 190; New York, State Station, Bulletins Nos.
16, 80, 118, N. S.; New York, Cornell Station, Bul letins Nos. 221, 237 ; North Carolina, Bulletin No. 60 ; Oregon, Bulletin No. 76 ; Texas, Bulletins Nos. 22, 66; Utah, Bulletins Nos. 48, 58, 91 ; Wiscon sin, Bulletins Nos. 112, 121.
Alfalfa in the Central West.
By F. D. Coburn.
The appreciation and increased sowings of al falfa, within recent years, in the states and terri tories west of the Missouri river, and especially in the plains region eastward from the Rocky moun tains, have constituted one of the phenomena of American agriculture. Typical of this has been its advancement in Kansas, where, prior to 1891, no official cognizance had been given it as one of the state's products, and where, in that year, the official enumerators discovered a total of but 34,384 acres. In 1906, there were 614,813 acres, and two counties (which in 1891 had together but 800 acres) had, combined, an acreage of more than 40,200. and twenty-five counties had more than
10,000 acres each.
The aforetime theory that alfalfa would not thrive without irrigation, or unless planted on soils that were proved to be adapted to the growth of corn or cottonwood trees, has been found to be entirely fallacious, and, instead, alfalfa is growing with more or less prosperity on much of the wide diversity of soils the western half of the continent affords, however unpromising their appearance, whether river "bottom" land or the high plateaus GO to 100 feet above available water, gravel, desert sand or richest mold. In fact, in many places sup posedly least encouraging, and even on rough lands far removed from any accessible water-supply, it grows with a persistence that almost tempts one to class it as a weed. Owing to its yields of sev eral profitable cuttings in a season, its unusual protein content, extreme palatability to live-stock of nearly every class, and its longevity, aside from its nitrogen- gathering qualities, the extent and penetration of its root-system and the soil-improv ing effect as fertilizer and renovator, it is rated as by far the most desirable forage plant in cultiva tion. In California and elsewhere it has produced in a season, under the most favorable conditions, when irrigated, six to nine cuttings, and in Okla homa, without irrigation, has yielded nine cuttings, averaging one and one-half tons per acre of cured hay. The hay is a large factor in live-stock-rais ing, and it is coming to be shipped extensively in bales to distant markets, even so remote as Hawaii, Alaska, and vari ous transoceanic points. Mills are established in vari ous parts of the country for grind ing the hay into meal, which is eco nomically trans ported and affords convenient mate rial, used with most wholesome results, for balancing prop erly the rations of milch cows, horses and poultry. In many parts of the Central West, by seeding to alfalfa, lands have been doubled and trebled in value, and in numerous instances its being planted on them has converted lands before regarded as practically worthless into highly profitable invest ments.