Ff:EDINC} VALUE OF ALFALFA. 17 



TIu'Ic is much dittVreiu-o of opinion Jiniono- farnuMs as to the value of 

 alfalfa for horses. Sonic prefer tiniothv or wild hav. tou'cther with 

 grain; some feed alfalfa and <rrain. while others maintain that horses 

 do well enoui^fh ui)on alfalfa alone. It is usually aihnittcd that for 

 hard work, horses should he given at least a small allowance of grain. 



In Wyoming some ranchmen claim that wild hay gives a firmer 

 flesh than alfalfa, and thus, even when feeding the latter to cattle heinc 

 prepared for the market, the stockmen will feed wild hay for about two 

 weeks prior to shipment. Sonn' feeders finish hy adding grain to the 

 ration. For this purpose harley is used, as it is the only grain avail- 

 able through most of the Northwest. The seasons are too short or 

 the nights too cold for the successful cultivation of corn, the standard 

 feeding grain of the region to the ea.st, and freight lates make this 

 grain when shipped too expensive for use. At Fort Collins and adja- 

 cent i^arts of Colorado large numbers of sheep are fattened for the 

 market upon alfalfa and corn. It is said that about 800, (»00 were fed 

 in that vicinitv during the winter of 1900-r.>(>l. Laml)s wei<rhini»- ;;,') 

 or -JrO i)ounds are l)rought from the ranges of New Mexico and fed from 

 about tlie Istof Octolx'r until sold, which may be any where from Feb- 

 ruary to June. The yearlings will then weigh from T<» to !H» i)ounds. 



It is stated " "-that 40 acres of alfalfa will keep ;}00 sheep when pas- 

 tured upon it. There is danger of l)loating at first, but as soon as 

 the sheep have become accustomed to it this danger ceases. Forty 

 acres of alfalfa and 20 acres of grain will feed 450 to 500 head." 



In man}' parts of the Great Basin it is customary for feeders to buy 

 alfalfa in the stack for winter feeding, paying a certain amount per 

 head per da}'. Conveniences for weighing ar(> usually lacking, and this 

 method seems to be satisfactory. At Lovelocks, which lies in one of 

 the great alfalfa districts of central Nevada, the price for cattle was T 

 to 8 cents per head and for sheep 1 cent per head per day. In Nevada, 

 and also in some other districts of the Northwest, the stock cattle are 

 kept upon the range during the winter, though the ranchmen try to 

 provide a suppl v of alfalfa or wild ha}^ for use during snowstorms. A 

 selection is made from the herd, however, of those that are to receive 

 winter feed with more regularity. These are the weaklings, the heifers 

 with calf, and the cows w^ith calves by their sides. It is also customary 

 to feed only the old or weak sheep during the winter, the remainder 

 being turned upon the deserts for their winter range. 



Some common forms of racks for feeding alfalfa to cattle and sheep 

 are shown in Pis. V and VI. 



Though some maintain that grain hay is better for feeding cattle, ton 

 for ton, than alfalfa, the majority of feeders state that the reverse has 

 been their experience. Mr. G. F. Chapman, of Evanston, Wjo., states 



" Agricola Aridus, published by the Colorado Agricultural College, I, p. .24. 

 9495— No. 31—02 2 



