Alfalfa is now being recognized as a desirable crop
in humid as well as in irrigated sections, and it is probable that
alfalfa will soon become the chief hay crop of the United States.
Originally, lucern came from the hot dry countries of Asia, where it
supplied feed to the animals of the first historical peoples.
Moreover, its long; tap roots, penetrating sometimes forty or fifty
feet into the ground, suggest that lucern may make ready use of
deeply stored soil-moisture. On these considerations, alone, lucern
should prove itself a crop well suited for dry-farming. In fact, it
has been demonstrated that where conditions are favorable, lucern
may be made to yield profitable crops under a rainfall between
twelve and fifteen inches. Alfalfa prefers calcareous loamy soils;
sandy and heavy clay soils are not so well adapted for successful
alfalfa production. Under dry-farm conditions the utmost care must
be used to prevent too thick seeding. The vast majority of alfalfa
failures on dry-farms have resulted from an insufficient supply of
moisture for the thickly planted crop. The alfalfa field does not
attain its maturity until after the second year, and a crop which
looks just right the second year will probably be much too thick the
third and fourth years.
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