CHAPTER XIV 



LEGUMINOUS PLANTS FOR FORAGE 



The cereal grains and the grasses are all rich in carbohydrates com- 

 pared with crude protein, and thus serve primarily as sources of energy 

 and fat in nourishing animals. The legumes comprise the great group 

 of food-bearing plants characterized by their high content of crude pro- 

 tein, and therefore serve especially for building the muscles and the other 

 protein tissues of the body. (92-4) Their great value is due not only 

 to this but also to their richness in lime (97-8), which is required in 

 large amounts by growing animals and those which are pregnant or 

 giving milk. (See Appendix Tables I and VI.) 



The leguminous roughages are therefore admirable supplements to 

 the cereal grains, and stand in marked contrast to forage from corn, the 

 sorghums, and the smaller grasses, all of which, if cut when nearly 

 mature, furnish forage low in crude protein and only poor to fair in 

 lime. Thru the proper utilization of roughage from the legumes the 

 amount of concentrates needed to provide balanced rations for farm 

 animals may be greatly reduced. Indeed, for many classes of animals 

 merely legume hay and grain from the cereals furnish a most satisfac- 

 tory combination. When to these vitally important facts we add the 

 great basic one, that the generous and continuous growing of legumes 

 is absolutely essential to the economical maintenance of soil fertility, 

 then, and only then, do we begin to appreciate the importance of this 

 beneficent group of plants in husbandry. In considering the legumes 

 it must be kept in mind that these crops flourish and build up the nitro- 

 gen content of the soil only when the proper nodule-forming bacteria 

 are present in the soil. Where these nitrogen-fixing germs are lacking, 

 it is essential that the soil be inoculated by some means. 



I. ALFALFA 



337. Alfalfa, Medicago sativa. The alfalfa plant is at its best in the 

 great semi-arid plains region covering the western half of the United 

 States, where the alkaline soil is usually rich and deef>, with perfect 

 drainage. When amply watered by irrigation and energized by the 

 tropical sun of summer, alfalfa here furnishes from 2 to 5 cuttings each 

 season, yielding a total of from 2 to 5 tons of nutritious hay per acre. 

 In the hot irrigated districts of the Southwest as many as 9 to 12 cut- 

 tings have been secured in a single season. Within the humid region, 

 experience is fast locating districts scattered from Louisiana to Maine 



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