Evening Republican, Volume 17, Number 267, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 8 November 1913 — Alfalfa the Coming Hay Crop in Jasper County. [ARTICLE]

Alfalfa the Coming Hay Crop in Jasper County.

The indications are that the acreage of alfalfa in Jasper county will be increased considerable in the next year. Some small plats were started in the late summtor and are going in the winter in good shape. Pullin Bros., of the Iroquois farm, have lately received a shipment of 1,500 pounds of the seed. Where the land is well prepared and a special drill is used this anjount Would be sufficient for 100 acres. They expect to use about one-half of it and the remainder is for friends, mostly near neighbors who, having seen yields of four to five tons produced per acre for several years, have b come convinced that one and a half tons per acre of timothy is an unworthy crop from land having a valuation of SIOO to $175 per acre, and they are correct in this conclusion. Furthermore, the feeding value of timothy is rated at $9.80 per ton, and alfalfa at $22.40. At this calculation which is from government' authority, one aftfe of average alfalfa has as much feeding value as Is being produced on six and onetenth acres of good timothy. The cost of producing an acre of qern under Illinois conditions is rated at $20.50 with the ordinary items of expense. This includes the replacing the fertility the crop removes. Counting the yield at 40 bushels and the price at 50 cents we are compelled to admit that the (producer actually was loosing 60 cents per acre; yet under the same rules of computation the average returns from alfalfa was $66 per acre, so from this data we may conclude that It will be one of the crops than can be profitably' produced after land values have again doubled and tripled. The movement in Barkley is a highly commendable one and we urge those iwho can properly prepare a plat however small, to get started. Within ten years from now it will be a eonrmori crop and you will wonder how you ever managed to get along without It so long.