Hay is important in New York also because there are so many dairy cattle in the State. There are more than one and one-half millions of dairy cattle in New York. In the value of the milk and butter and cheese, New York also leads all other States. There are also great numbers of beef cattle, horses, mules, and sheep. All these millions of animals must be supplied with hay in our long cold winters. Hay is made in New York State from grasses and clover. Suppose we could find some plant that would yield twice as much hay as clover yields, and yet be as nutritious,--you can readily see how valuable such a plant would be to the State. It would be better than a gift of millions of dollars. Such a plant is alfalfa. Now that you know something about alfalfa in a general way, I want you to know how the plant looks and how it grows. It is not yet very well known even among farmers, but its cultivation is increasing every year. You will probably know where there are fields of it. Sometimes it grows along roadsides as a weed. Last spring Uncle John offered to send a small packet of alfalfa seeds to any Junior Naturalist who wrote for it. He sent about 5,000 packets. But if you do not know the plant or cannot find it, _write at once to Uncle John and he will send you some by mail from the University farm_. Let us see how many school children in New York State will know what alfalfa is between now and Thanksgiving time. When writing to Uncle John about alfalfa, try to answer as many of the following questions as possible from your own observation: 1. Does the plant remind you of any other plant that you ever saw? Of what? 2. How does it grow,--straight up or spreading out on the ground? 3. How many stalks come from one root? 4. What are the leaves like? Mark out the shape with a pencil. 5. What are the flowers like? Do you know any other flowers of similar shape? What is the color? 6. If possible, dig around a plant and describe how the root looks. Does it branch into many fibres, as grass roots or corn roots do? UNCLE JOHN'S LETTER ABOUT THE ALFALFA GARDENS. _My Dear Boys and Girls:_ Do you know much about the alfalfa plant? Do you remember that last spring we promised to send a packet of seed to each of you who asked for it? Did you send your name asking that you be served? We received the names of several thousand children asking for seed and I am wondering whether you are one of them. If so, did you sow the seed? Will you write me a letter telling me what became of it? [Illustration: _Fig. 317. What leaf is this? Is it enlarged?_] [Illustration: _Fig. 318. Leaf of alfalfa. What significance have the spots?_] [Illustration: _Fig. 319. Flowers of the alfalfa. Are they natural size?_] [Illustration: _Fig. 320. Alfalfa pods. How much enlarged?_]