ALFALFA AND HORSES 239 



and stacks of bright straw going from one stack to 

 the other and eating alternately, balancing their own ra- 

 tions in that way. It is clear that the great value of 

 alfalfa hay is as a feed for milking animals, for young 

 and growing animals, and as a part of the ration for work- 

 ing horses. The natural complement of alfalfa is corn, 

 since that is rich in fat and starch and poor in protein. 

 Working horses fed alfalfa hay in moderation maintain 

 splendid flesh and work well and are enduring. Corn 

 fed with alfalfa hay better balances the ration than oats. 

 Horses should never be overfed with alfalfa, since they 

 will eat it as long as they can reach it. Idle horses may 

 become "soft" or of poor endurance when overfed on 

 alfalfa hay, because it taxes the eliminative organs. 

 Working horses accustomed to it endure fatigue well 

 and have good wind. 



In the dairy alfalfa very nearly takes the place of wheat 

 bran. Some experiments place alfalfa meal as high as 

 wheat bran for milk production; other experiments indi- 

 cate that it is not quite so good. The Tennessee station 

 found that with ordinary alfalfa hay 1^/2 pounds of hay 

 equaled a pound of bran. It is very noticeable that cows 

 fed alfalfa hay have a better look and weigh more than 

 cows fed other hay with more grain. Its use seems to 

 keep them in especially good health. 



Alfalfa for Sheep. Alfalfa is the natural feed of 

 sheep. Millions of sheep are wintered on alfalfa haf 

 in the United States, and many thousands of lambs are 

 fattened on it. It is not profitable to fatten any stock 

 OM alfalfa alone if grain can be procured, since alfalfa 

 is too bulky and one-sided in its composition to form a 



