Abstract: Local chronicles provide valuable historical data. Some chronicles list alfalfa as an important product resource between the Ming and Qing dynasties. These records have great significance for tracking the development of alfalfa during this time. This research focused on local chronicles in east, northeast, and north China between the Ming and Qing dynasties. We used various text analyses to investigate and card alfalfa records in 101 local chronicles. The results showed that alfalfa was cultivated in east, north, and northwest China during the Ming and Qing dynasties, and was particularly common in north and northwest China, especially in Anhui, Shandong, Henan, Hebei, Shanxi, Shanxi, and Gansu Provinces. Some local chronicles recorded details of not only alfalfa cultivation, but also its ecology, biological characteristics, and utilization. First, alfalfa with its perennial roots was used to fertilize soil by cultivation for 3 or 4 years, then the alfalfa was turned over and another crop was planted. This increased the yield and success rate of crops grown on saline land. The local chronicles of Hebei Province noted that two alfalfa species (Medicago sativa and Medicago falcata) were cultivated there during the Qing Dynasty. The chronicles described the importance of alfalfa as both a forage crop for cattle and horses, and as a food for humans, especially during times of famine.