The Granite Enterprise. (Granite, Okla.), Vol. 3, No. 38, Ed. 1 Thursday, January 15, 1903 Page: 4 of 6
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THE GRANITE ENTERPRISE THURSDAY, JANUARY 15, 19°*
Root System of Alfalfa.
In the extreme drouth of a year ago,
the alfalfa in this locality stood up
green and luxuriant when all other crops
were, in some cases, dried to dust. Pour
cuttings were made when all other grass
crops were complete failures. The fol-
lowing account of the root growth of
this wonderful plant is interesting, as it
shows the possibilities of alfalfa where
drouth is common:
The great interest recently aroused in
the growing of alfalfa in the East has
led to many inquiries as to the habits
and requirements of the wonderful plant
that seems to thrive on soil that would
starve other grasses. That it is a deep
rooting plant id well known, and many
extravagant stories have been told by
persons who have exhumed the root sys-
tems of vigorous specimen plants
once called in question the statement
that a root had been found at work at a
depth of 7 feet. After receiving
specimen today grown on a neighboring
farm the 7-foot story seems tame.
Hamlet Worker, one of the leading
dairy farmers of this county, proprietor
of Glenn Farm, brought me the most
perfectly exhumed root I ever saw.
The upper portion had been destroyed
by a cave-in of the soil; the missing
portion was carefully estimated at 2 1-2
feet long.
The preserved portion measures 13
feet 10 inches. This plant was from a
field sown in April, 1901. The soil is a
mixture of clay and sand on a high
knoll. At a depth of 30 inches is a lay-
er of very hard conglomerate or cement-
ed gravel. Below that is coarse, sharp
sand. The discovery of this sand led
to the opening of a bed and the de-
struction of the hill. Gradually the
excavation had underminded the meadow
and the thick, fibrous roots of the al-
falfa plants have formed pretty draperies
for the cave. Mr. Worker, at consider-
able trouble, undertook to save the sys
tem of a finely developed plant and suc-
ceeded perfectly.
After clearing the sand from the great
mass of fibrous roots at the lowest ex-
tremity, he followed the tap root
straight up to the stratum of conglomer-
ate, which had to be broken up with a
sledge hammer. Through this adaman-
tine crust the root had managed to pene-
trate in a zigzag course for six inches
until the sand was reached. Except
for the shrinking of the root in this part
it is not otherwise deformed by this
rocky soil. Having once found its way
through, it continued to expand and
make room for itself. The diameter is
quite uniform from the surface of the
ground to a point about 11 feet in the
earth, and it is the size of an ordinary
lead pencil. At that point the bushing
habit begins, and the remaining 5 feet
is most accurately described as a long
heavy tail.
The importance of this description
appears when you consider that the
fiberous roots are supposed to supply
the plant's food. Drouth would have
little terror for a plant that lives down
among the lower springs of water. Of
course the feeding roots must at one
time have developed nepr the surface,
and there is evidence all along the tap
root of the former existence of rootlets,
which have been absorbed or sloughed
off. Perhaps this giant root of one
year's growth, for the plant was killed
in June by the cave-in, is not more won-
derful than a baby plant discovered by
me last year. Four weeks after sowing
a hillside field with alfalfa' we had a
severe storm that gulled the hill badly.
In one of the channels I found a perfect-
ly preserved plant, washed clean by the
flood. The plant was 2 1-2 inches
above ground, with a root 16 inches
long, all the product of four week's
growth from seed.—J. T. Roberts in
Orange Judd Farmer.
Had It Bad.
The following from the Kiel Press
shows conclusively that love's young or
middle-aged dream was working on the
pen-pusher of that sheet:
The editor took a "night out" last
week, and on his return, his soul filled
with love's ardor, penned the following
lines:
"I hugged her closer and closer to me!
My red blood ran with a beat intense!
While the maddened flashes of love ran
through me
Like a prairie fire through a barb
wire fence.
For Sale or Trade.
Team, harness and buggy for city
property. Jasper Messmore,
Granite, O. T. tf
Telephone Men Organize.
Monday at the central telephone office
in this city, a number of telephone men
from different parts of the territory met
and organized themselves into a body
to be known as the Oklahoma Inde-
pendent Telephone Association.
The meeting had not been extensively
advertised and the number of telephone
men present was not as large as would
have been otherwise, but what was
lacked in numbers was made up in in-
terest, and at the next meeting, which will
be held at El Reno, the first Saturday in
April, a full representation will no doubt
be present.
Following is a list of those present:
Dr. Chas. E. Davis, of Weatherford;
Geo. F. Patterson, Elk City; H. T.
Rutherford, Hobart; Dan Wright, of
Mangum; F. R. Wildman, of Blair, and
J. B. Jones and W. T. Talley, of this
city.
Cotton Fire.
Twenty bales of cotton were destroyed
by fire at the depot platform in this city
Thursday night. The cotton was the
property of the Potts Gin Co., and the
loss is about $600. The fire was sup-
posed to have been started by a cigar
which was carelessly thrown down by a
small boy, who in company with a num-
ber of other boys, was playing around
the platform Thursday afternoon.
Granite Property Wanted.
Several blocks of oil stock in good
companies owning and controlling 2000
acres of splendid property. Will trade
for Granite property, either business,
improved or unimproved residence.
Call or address,
The Enterprise,
Granite, O. T.
WANTED.
Teams on K. C. M. & O. R. R. at
mouth of Elm. $3 per day, promptly
every 30 days. Aly Hopkins,
33tf Contractor.
Strayed or Stolen.
One red dehorned cow, branded W
on left side, V on left shoulder, H on
left hip, other brands barred out. $5.00
reward. E. F. Morton,
Granite, O. T., or V. T. Heatley,
Mountain Park, O. T. tf
NEW5PAPER5
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Ryder, J. W. The Granite Enterprise. (Granite, Okla.), Vol. 3, No. 38, Ed. 1 Thursday, January 15, 1903, newspaper, January 15, 1903; Granite, Oklahoma. (https://gateway.okhistory.org/ark:/67531/metadc403987/m1/4/: accessed April 25, 2024), The Gateway to Oklahoma History, https://gateway.okhistory.org; crediting Oklahoma Historical Society.