FOURTEENTH ANNUAL YEAR BOOK— PART VII 537 



The high value of alfalfa for feed, either in the form of hay 

 or as a pasture, can hardly be over estimated. In comparing 

 alfalfa with other field crops relative to protein content we find 

 that alfalfa contains 5.5 times as much protein per acre as tim- 

 othy, 5 times as much protein per acre as oats, 2.75 times as much 

 as corn and 2.6 times as much as red clover. 



As a soil builder each acre of alfalfa in the state annually adds 

 to the farm over twice as much nitrogen as the average acre of 

 red clover. This phase of alfalfa growing will not be over- 

 looked, nor the importance underestimated as farmers realize 

 more fully the need of giving greater attention to maintaining 

 the fertility of our Iowa soils, in order that we may at least re- 

 tain our present crop yields, to say nothing of increasing them. 



METHODS EMPLOYED AND EESULTS OBTAINED IN IM- 

 PROVING THE MILK SUPPLY OF IOWA. 



The first laws passed regarding milk in the State of Iowa were 

 contemporaneous with the establishment of the office of State 

 Dairy Commissioner. This was in the year 1886. He had but 

 one deputy whose duties were merely clerical and the energies 

 of this department were devoted almost exclusively to the gath- 

 ering of data and statistics along the lines of dairying in general. 

 Public attention had been drawn to the state of Iowa in 1876 

 when butter made at the Springville Creamery in this state had 

 been awarded the gold medal at the Centennial Exposition in 

 Philadelphia. 



In 1892 the Dairy Commissioner was empowered to appoint in 

 cities of 10,000 or over a local city milk inspector and at this 

 time the standards for milk and cream were also established. 

 The Food laws were enacted in 1906. These local inspectors 

 were usually appointed upon the recommendation of the Mayor 

 and quite often were simply appointed to this office for the rea- 

 son that they were good 'Wote getters;" However, the com- 

 pensation for this work being only $3.00 per day for time ac- 

 tually employed, and fifteen tests constituting a day's work, it 

 will be readily seen that the amount of money that any one in- 



