222 FORAGE CROPS 



stand and method of treatment. It ranges from 

 ten to twenty- six tons per acre green forage for all 

 cuttings, or an equivalent in dry hay of two to six 

 or more tons. The larger yield is readily obtained 

 on good lands. 



Alfalfa is a gross feeder, particularly on the 

 mineral elements, and a large producer, and is 

 sometimes considered as an exhausting crop. This 

 is a mistaken idea; it should rather be looked on 

 as a crop fulfilling the proper aim of rational agri- 

 culture, w^hich is most perfectly to transform into 

 products the raw materials at disposal in atmos- 

 phere and soil. 



The chemical composition of alfalfa 



The following table shows the composition of 

 five different cuttings from established fields at the 

 New Jersey Experiment Station farm, as well as 

 the composition of the hay when ready to put in 

 the barn to be fed. These analyses, which are 

 representative, show the variations in the compo- 

 sition of the different cuttings in the green state, all 

 samples representing the crop cut when first blos- 

 soms appeared or just before blossoming, as well 

 as the changes that were caused by handling, curing 

 and storing. The composition of the different cuts 

 will vary with the time of cutting and character of 

 season. The crude fiber increases with maturity: 



