Alfalfa in Kansas. 149 



Crawford county: "We bale leaves and store them for winter feed, 

 with excellent results." 



Harper county: 'Horses shatter the leaves, which I find are relished 

 by all fowls." 



Meade county: "We feed cured leaves in the winter. They keep the 

 fowls healthy and increase the laying 1 ." 



Grant county: "The hens roam the field all the year except during 

 the three winter months. They do fine on it." 



(See pages 436 to 438.) 



FEEDING VALUE OF BROWN HAY. 



Twelve per cent of the growers reporting have found the feeding 

 value of alfalfa hay which has turned brown in the stack to be better 

 than that of bright, well-cured hay; 33 per cent have found it to be as 

 good; 23 per cent have found it to be nearly as good; 25 per cent have 

 found it to be three-fourths as good; and 7 per cent have found it to be 

 one-half as good, or less. It is considered good for cattle especially, al- 

 though swine and sheep are also mentioned. All those who mention 

 horses seem to think that it is not good horse feed. It is agreed by prac- 

 tically all reporters that brown alfalfa hay is good only when it has be- 

 come discolored through the fermentation of its own juices and not 

 through the the effects of outside moisture or the weather. The fermen- 

 tation takes place when the hay is put up a little "green"; not so green, 

 though, that it is blackened or burned. Individual reports about brown 

 hay read like this: 



Mitchell county: "I have found that cattle like it better and give 

 better gains." 



Wabaunsee county: "I think it better than green, but am not pre- 

 pared to say how much. Cattle relish it more." 



Russell county: "Better than green, and more relished by cattle and 

 hogs." 



Russell county: "On first crop very good if fed to beef cattle. It is 

 not good for horses." 



Johnson county: "Good for dairy cattle." 



Douglas county: "We want our hay to brown in mow or stack, but 

 not from rain or dew. The process of heating and going through the 

 sweat softens the stem so that lambs will eat it more readily. Also the 

 leaves will not shatter off while handling the hay. We have tried plac- 

 ing brown and bright hay in racks alternately. Lambs will always eat 

 the brown hay first. Last winter we fed 2000 lambs; in the winter be- 

 fore 4000 lambs. We have been feeding for seven years." 



Wallace county: "If not moldy or dusty it is better than lots of 

 brighter-looking hay that has been left too long in the swath or the 

 windrow." 



Harvey county: "If from heating in the stack or shed, and not moldy, 

 it has lost in weight but not in feeding value." 



Marshall county: "If browned without foreign moisture it is good 

 equal to well-cured hay." 



Allen county: "If discolored by storing too green the feeding 

 value is still very good, while if discolored by constant exposure to sun 

 and rain the quality is very poor." 



