| Show Bulletin of Interest of-Interest to Farmers The Des Dea Moines l Iowa Capital Capital Cap- Cap ital tal contains an interesting interesting- sum sum- sum sum-I miry of a bulletin by N E Hansen Han Han- Han I sen eu now professor of horticulture I st sture ture ure in the South Dakota State College of Agriculture just issued issued is- is sued by th the department of agri- agri culture Following are a few interesting paragraphs parag from the article If Jf the alfalfa and clover plants that Prof Hansen b has s brought rought from far off Siberia withstand the cold of the northwestern northwestern northwestern north north- western winters as he lie expects them hem to do his d discoveries eries will result in the saving of millions of f dollars to the American farmers farm farm- ers who have suffered great losses from the winter killing of if the common alfalfas He Ie I-Ie expects the hardy Siberian plants slants to assure annual crops of alfalfa and clover on the prairie north northwest west that will that will vill Bol solve Bole e eone one of the greatest lus inthe in inthe the he successful cultivation of that hat re region Telling of his first expedition expedition tion iou to Siberia for the government govern govern- nent ment Prof Hansen Iansen says The writers writer's first journey to Siberia was vas a ten months' months tour from J June ut e 1897 1397 to March larch 1898 thru eastern European Russia Turkestan Turkestan Turk Turk- estan western Chi China a and Si- Si I jeria As Aa a result of this journey journe jour- jour ne ley ney Turkestan alfalfa a aas ivas vias imported Imported Im im- ported into the United States for or the first tithe time The exportation exportation tation of Turkestan alfalfa both botho to o North orth and South America has las since assumed large pro pro- portions as asit it if has has' been found in ill n c certain t i-t in localities to td to be more resistant to cold and drought than th the ordinary alfalfa now in n cultivation tion which was eras brot by br t the i Spaniards front North Africa to South America p perhaps perhaps per per- haps laps three centuries ago and andla later ater la to California The remarkable fact developed developed devel devel- that duce alfalfa and one clover er grow nearly if not quite at it the thc northern 1 limit of cold This point is is in latitude latitude 68 degrees witha with a r rl recorded minimum temperature ure o of 90 degrees below v rero ero In n tins r region ion the subsoil remains remains re re- mains permanently frozen It is of great interest to note th that f nature has furnished fl d two legumes for this extreme north region The mastodons of i a Former age have ha been succeeded d dby by the hardy breeds of catt cattle e and reindeer kept by t ati untie native e tribes and exiles The time available as os well as his o oWl preference l made the writer gather seeds in latitude farther south front froni 50 f to 55 degrees north wh where re with hot and dry dr summers th there re is much less snoW snow at the time of the to v lo lowes st temperatures res the mercury iii if ti tithe the thermometers Sometimes Illes freezing with no snow on the gr ground nd From hrom a study 01 ox tile uie Climatic and soil conditions which the seeds were gathered in Siberia Siberia Siberia Si Si- beria there are excellent reasons reas reas- reasons ons for believing that they wilbe will wil willbe willbe be found valuable for the colder an and dryer re regions ions of the north north- west They are not intended for regions where no trouble has been experienced from winter winter winter win win- ter killing of alfalfas and clovers under ordinary conditions For such regions ious the writer would woul say Let well enough alone r In n discussing the future o of alfalfa in America Prof Hansen Hansen Hansen Han Han- sen says From Front a personal persona study of the n on four continents the thought has come very strongly to the writer writ writ- er that no one alfalfa has al althe all the good points needed for our OUI our future n agriculture All of them in the light of the mutation of elementary elementary ele ele- theory theOl are collections species species species' varying widel widely in ill important characteristics This opens a a vast ast field Held for the plant breeder The rue elementary species which are the time best for each particular le rehn ll may be isolated by selection This however er is work for the plant breeder and not for forthe the thc farmer |
