Show nutritious FEED FOR STOCK when weather Is unfavorable anc too dry for other hay grasses alfalfa leads them all alfalfa is the greatest drought resist ing plant compared with any gras field or cornfield that has no alon alfalfa will produce more alous feed for animals on the tarn than any other crop can grow D not understand me as saying that heavy yields of alfalfa do not bequir abundant rainfall but when it cornel to withstanding drought or some kind of helpful crop when th weather is unfavorable and loo tor any other hay grasses alfalfa beadi them all it dry weather comes tor a season during the crop growing time every crop is damaged to some er tent if the meadows are maturing the dry weather spoils permanently the yield of hay tor the season short spell with water short works a hardship that other crops can nev er catch up on but alfalfa Is not an annual plant and Is cut several time a year so that there Is good anity to catch up on one crop what Is lost on the previous one in this section of the southeast we had an early spring drought with a short spell of rain in midsummer and then another drought writes J courtier of abiba county virginia in bleeders breeders Bre eders gazette alfalfa will not yield as it should but is irig other hay crops and stands ready and green where the other grasses an killed out three times our mower baa cut alfalfa from one beld while a clover field near it was hardi worth cutting once in plowing on land like that in our alfalfa field alfalfa roots five feet long have been pulled up na trogen is a needed plant food from which leaf and stem are made with the mixed grasses the only practical course is the decaying humus in the soil now humus does not decay much in soils therefore the leaf and stem food is cut down during a drought with alfalfa it Is different on the roots of alfalfa are count less little colonies of microbes mic robes whose work it Is to gather nitrogen from the air tor the alfalfa in dry weather there Is still an abundance of nitrogen in this way a fair supply of nitrogen is available regardless of the decay of the soil humus therefore the roots can find a email supply of other plant food and some little moisture down in under the soil and even after the top soil is dry a crop Is forthcoming what hope is etere tor farmers when dry weather continues as it baa contin ned tor the last few years surely with the old style of farming wo shall have to farm with scant returns but it a change can be made in which the rains of winter are captured by good cultivation of fields rich in humus early crops and big fields of alfalfa a good living will still be possible on the arm green alfalfa a a rich stock teed and green alfalfa au possible when the seasons are too dry for hay crops it behooves every farmer to establish on his farm thrifty fields of alfalfa |