ALFALFA AND SHEEP 349 



green grass, mothers' milk and good sound corn produces 

 very rapid gains. 



Alfalfa Pasture for Sheep. For many years it was 

 common practice with us to turn ewes and lambs on 

 alfalfa pasture. Great profit resulted from this prac- 

 tice with some little loss. Commonly about 2 per cent 

 to 4 per cent of the animals turned on alfalfa would 

 die during the season, though there were years with 

 less than i per cent of loss. We learned the following 

 points : The alfalfa should always have grasses mixed 

 through it. Timothy, brome grass, bluegrass and even 

 oats or wheat drilled in will serve. When thus mixed it 

 is not nearly so apt to cause bloat as when fed pure. 

 The animals should be kept off until the alfalfa has 

 reached a good growth, almost to the blooming stage. 

 They should be filled with other feed before being turned 

 on, and the best time for turning on is at about 10 

 o'clock in the morning. After they are once filled with 

 alfalfa they must not be taken off, not even for a half 

 day, nor at night, nor when it rains. Their safety de- 

 pends on their never again getting very hungry for al- 

 falfa, but on their having it always before them and 

 mfxed with grasses that they may eat alternately. The 

 meadow should never be fully stocked, but the mower 

 should run over it twice during the season and the sur- 

 plus alfalfa made into hay. It may be wise not to mow 

 it all off at one time. The practical disadvantage that 

 we found was that the ewes thus treated would quite 

 often become barren, probably from over- fatness, but 

 the lambs throve wonderfully and remained quite free 

 from internal parasites. 



