414 Kansas State Board of Agriculture. 



For mature cattle a ration made up of corn or kafir, and alfalfa hay, 

 will give excellent results for fattening purposes. When younger cattle 

 are full fed it is necessary to add to such a ration a limited amount 

 of commercial concentrates, such as cottonseed or linseed meal or cake. 



TABLE No. 43. Rations for beef animals, which include alfalfa. 

 Suggested by the Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station. 



FATTENING CATTLE (for each 1000 pounds of live weight, daily): 

 ' I. 5 Ibs. alfalfa. 



15 Ibs. silage. 



2 Ibs. cottonseed cake. 



16 Ibs. corn. 

 II. 10 Ibs. alfalfa. 



18 Ibs. corn or kafir. 



2 Ibs. cottonseed cake. 



STOCKEE CATTLE (for each 1000 pounds of live weight, daily) : 

 I. 15 Ibs. alfalfa hay. 



15 Ibs. silage. 



BREEDING CATTLE (for each 1000 pounds of live weight, daily) : 

 I. 15 Ibs. alfalfa. 



1 Ib. linseed meal. 

 10 Ibs. silage. 

 5 Ibs. straw. 



WINTERING CALVES (for each 500 pounds of live weight, daily) : 

 I. 5 Ibs. alfalfa. 

 10 Ibs. silage. 



1 Ib. cottonseed meal. 



FATTENING CALVES (for each 500 pounds of live weight, daily) : 

 I. 4 Ibs. alfalfa. 

 8 Ibs. silage. 

 1 Ib. linseed meal. 

 7 Ibs. corn or kafir. 



During the winter of 1915-'16 the animal husbandry department of 

 the Kansas State Agricultural College fed ninety head of experimental 

 calves, all of which received alfalfa hay as a portion of their roughage. 

 After allowing 60 cents per bushel for corn, $1 per cwt. for kafir, and 

 $3 per ton for silage, the steers showed an average profit of $12.50 per 

 head through a six months' feeding period. It would have been impos- 

 sible to have secured such results by the substitution of any other rough- 

 age for alfalfa. 



Very satisfactory results have been secured from grinding alfalfa, 

 mixing it with molasses, and using this mixture as a source of a con- 

 siderable portion of the food nutrients for both fattening cattle and the 

 maintenance of the breeding cattle. The advisability of using this par- 

 ticular combination will depend upon the relative cost of grinding and 

 the comparative cost of molasses with other feeds which could be used 

 as a substitute for same. 



The main advantage which alfalfa has over any other crop in Kansas 

 is that it will produce a larger yield per acre of roughage that is rich in 

 protein than any other crop. That it maintains and increases the 

 supply of humus and nitrogen in the soils of the state, both of which 

 are fundamental in crop production. That it is palatable and nutritious, 

 regardless of the season in which it is grown. That it serves as a most 

 excellent supplement to the main crops which are produced in the state, 

 such as corn, sorghums and prairie hay, and it furnishes not only pro- 

 tein for the development of young animals, but also is an ideal constit- 



