140 Kansas State Board of Agriculture. 



Leavenworth county: "Horses, mules and dairy cows." 



Linn county: "Brood sows and young mules." 



Lyon county: "Very good both to swine and cows." 



Reno county: "Stock cattle." 



Riley county: "Horses not worked and stock cattle." 



Dickinson county: "Cattle. I don't think it best, but have sometimes 

 had nothing else." 



Then there are those, MUCH IN THE MAJORITY, who do not believe in 

 making alfalfa hay an exclusive feed for any animal on the farm, reply- 

 ing after this fashion : 



Pottawatomie county: "Don't give best results as sole feed." 

 Wichita county: "Animals do better when they get a change of feed." 

 (See pages 403 to 438.) 



RATIONS INCLUDING ALFALFA HAY. 



Contrary to our expectations, the questions about rations failed to 

 bring out data sufficient and conclusive enough to warrant the publication 

 of amounts and proportions. Many replies were received in answer to 

 these questions, but they were, as a rule, neither specific nor definite. 

 There were some replies, it is true, that seemed all that could be desired, 

 but the number of such was so small that the necessary verifying effect, 

 one upon the other, could not be had; hence it was considered best to 

 make no attempt to quote the rations suggested. 



The data at hand indicate that alfalfa hay may be used as a part of 

 the ration of any animal on the farm, and of poultry as well. The 

 wonderful increase in acreage and present large area is sufficient evi- 

 dence of the appreciation the Kansas farmer has of alfalfa as a feed 

 for live stock. It is wise, however, in most instances to supplement 

 alfalfa hay with other feeds, in order to balance the ration. (See pages 

 403 to 438.) 



Alfalfa hay should be fed in racks, wherever possible, so that it will 

 not be trampled under foot and be wasted. Good types of feeding racks 

 are illustrated in Figs. 352 to 361. 



Rations for Beef Animals. 



The rations suggested for beef animals include various feeds in vary- 

 ing quantities. On the question of whether the animals are stockers, 

 feeders or breeding stock, with or without young, depends in large part 

 the sort of ration to be fed. A fattening ration, or a ration fed to breed- 

 ing stock with young, should contain a higher proportion of grain than 

 a maintenance ration for breeding stock without young, or a ration for 

 stockers. The weight of the animals is another important limiting factor. 



Corn is the supplementary grain most frequently mentioned for beef 

 animals. It is fed in various forms in the ear, shelled, as chop, meal, 

 or corn-and-cob meal. In other instances the grain mentioned consists 

 of kafir, milo or other of the sorghum grains, which may be substituted 

 for corn, not pound for pound, but in proportion to the percentage of 



