New York Agricultural Experiment Station. 65 



for seed than the first, possibly ou account of the greater num- 

 ber of insects that assist in fertilizing the blossoms. 



" Alfalfa is of exceptional value as a soiling crop, but it will 

 also make excellent hay, palatable and very nutritious. Much 

 care and time are necessary to make good hay, and experience 

 and good judgment are required. If handled much when very 

 dry all the leaves are likely to fall off, and if not thoroughly 

 cured it is likely to mold and mildew. The hay will not shed 

 water well and any stacks should be well covered. 



" If you have a suitable field, try a small patch of alfalfa, — 

 not too much at first." 



Oats and peas. Six tons or more of green oat and pea fodder, 

 containing two tons of dry matter, can be grown on an acre. 

 This crop should be sown early and at two or three intervals 

 not too wide apart. The amount of seed sown should be from 

 one and one-half to two bushels of each kind. It is fed while 

 the oats are in the milk stage of growth. 



Of necessity, additional labor and expense are involved in mak- 

 ing provisions against the effects of drouth. The question natu- 

 rally suggests itself as to whether the added expense will be 

 recompensed by the increased yield of milk and milk-solids. 

 While it is difiQcult to determine for different conditions the cost 

 of producing any of the foods mentioned, we estimate that un- 

 der average circumstances the amount of supplementary food re- 

 quired for one season would not exceed two dollars for each 

 animal. This would leave a net increased yield of three dollars 

 a cow ou the basis of the data which have been presented. 



While the effects of drouth upon milk production have been 

 studied more particularly from the standpoint of cheese produc- 

 tion, it can readily be seen that the conclusions reached are 

 fully applicable to milk production for any other purpose. If 

 it were possible, by carrying out the suggestions given, to in- 

 crease the annual yield of milk and its products so as to increase 

 the profit only one dollar a cow, the aggregate increase to the 

 dairymen of this l-'t;!te would be one and one-half million dollars a 

 year. From the data presented, such an increase is not only 

 possible, but almost certain during our average seasons. 

 5 



