FEEDS FOR BEEF CATTLE 489 



Legume hay serves its highest purpose when combined with such car- 

 bonaceous concentrates as corn, kafir, and milo. Where cottonseed meal 

 is the chief concentrate, leguminous roughages should be fed in limited 

 amount, at most, along with such carbohydrate-rich roughages as forage 

 from corn or the sorghums, or cottonseed hulls. 



764. Clover hay. The value of this standard roughage of the eastern 

 corn belt compared with timothy hay, when both are fed with corn, is 

 shown in the following table. This summarizes the results of a 180-day 

 trial by Skinner and Cochel at the Indiana Station 80 and a 105-day trial 

 by Waters at the Missouri Station, 81 both with 2-year-old steers : 



Clover hay and shelled corn compared with timothy hay and shelled corn 



Daily Feed for 100 Ibs. gain 



Average ration gain Corn Hay 



Lbs. Lbs. Lbs. 



Lot I, Clover hay, 9.8 Ibs. Shelled corn, 21.5 Ibs 2.4 919 416 



Lot II, Timothy hay, 6.4 Ibs. Shelled corn, 18.8 Ibs 1.8 1,086 380 



In both trials the clover-fed lot ate more grain and roughage than 

 Lot II, fed timothy, and made larger and more economical gains, requir- 

 ing about 15.4 per ct. less corn for a given increase. Skinner and Cochel 

 report that thruout the experiment the clover-fed steers were in better 

 condition, had better appetites, and were more regular feeders. The 

 timothy-fed steers were irregular in their appetites, and even when eat- 

 ing a full feed seemed unsatisfied. At the close of the 6-months feeding 

 period the average weight of the clover-fed steers was 1,373 Ibs., and 

 that of the timothy-fed steers 1,281 Ibs. Waters found that corn was 

 worth about 8 cents per bushel more when fed with clover or cowpea 

 hay to fattening steers than when fed with timothy hay. (312, 347) 



765. Clover vs. alfalfa hay. On account of the popularity of alfalfa 

 hay as a feed, the relative value of this excellent forage .compared with 

 that of red clover hay is a question of much interest. This matter has 

 been studied by Skinner and King in 4 trials at the Indiana Station 82 in 

 each of which they compared the value of clover and alfalfa hay when 

 fed with shelled corn and 2.5 Ibs. of cottonseed meal daily per 1,000 Ibs. 

 live weight. Also in 4 trials they compared clover and alfalfa hay when 

 fed with corn silage, shelled corn, and 2.5 Ibs. cottonseed meal daily 

 per 1,000 Ibs. live weight. When thus fed, clover hay was fully equal to 

 alfalfa hay, ton for ton, any difference in the feeding value of the two 

 kinds of hay being due rather to difference in the quality of the hay than 

 the variety. It should be pointed out that in these trials enough cotton- 

 seed meal was fed both lots to balance the rations, even tho no legume 

 hay whatsoever had been fed. Therefore no advantage was secured from 

 the fact that alfalfa hay is much richer than clover in protein. Similar 

 results were secured in a trial by Evvard, Culbertson, and colleagues at 

 the Iowa Station. 83 (733, 777) 



*Ind. Bui. 129. K Ind. Buls. 178, 183, 191, 206. 245. 



ffl Mo. Bui. 76. ^Information to the authors. 



