174 



ALFALFA FARMING IN AMERICA. 



that animals usually refuse to eat green sweet clover. 

 It seems that when made into hay, with a little salt 

 added, they relish it. 

 The Wyoming experiment is thus reported: 



Sweet clover throughout most of the eastern states is consid- 

 ered as a weed and is treated as such. At this altitude, under 

 our peculiar conditions, it is believed by a few that there is a fu- 

 ture for it, since it grows well. It is an alkali-resisting plant 

 and, although it is not palatable to stock in the green condition, 

 yet after it is cured, especially where salt has been added, the 

 stock relish it and thrive well upon it. It is very nutritious, 

 readily digestible, and contains an exceedingly high percentage 

 of crude protein. It is more nutritious When cut at the proper 

 period than many of the other hays. 



The sweet clover hay used in this experiment was grown 

 on the experiment station farm near Laramie in 1905. It had 

 been in stack for over a year before being used for this experi- 

 ment. It was very rank at the time of cutting and the amount 

 of stems, therefore, very large in proportion to the leaves. The 

 stems had become rather hard and woody. Notwithstanding 

 this, the hay proved to be a very narrow ration, since the nutri- 

 tive ratio was only 1:3.2. The crude fiber did not run as high as 

 would have been expected, being but 24.75 per cent. The experi- 

 ment was begun April 13th and completed April 26th, 1907. 



Amount fed 3,000 grams 



Amount of orts 00 grams 



Amount of feces (air dry) 1,118 grams 



ANALYSIS. 



AMOUNT IN GRAMS. 



