294 BEGINNINGS IN ANIMAL HUSBANDRY 



pastured as advantageously as the rye. Barley makes a 

 nice soft hay, and is relished by stock of all kinds. Of the 

 cereal straws, barley ranks close to oats as one of the best. 



THE LEGUMES FOR FORAGE AND HAY 



Legumes, which include the clovers, alfalfa, beans, peas, 

 etc., grow easily over much of the United States. They 

 are valuable chiefly because of the large percentage of pro- 

 tein they contain, and from the fact that they are highly 

 relished by live stock. The lime in the legumes is also a 

 valuable feature of these plants, for it is needed in building 

 up the animal frame. The legumes have an extensive root 

 development, and have the power of fixing the nitrogen of 

 the air in the soil, through the agency of a kind of bacteria 

 that are found especially in knots or nodules located on the 

 roots. These nodules are rich in nitrogen, and where legumes 

 are grown, the land is increased in fertility and improved in 

 texture. 



Red Clover is extremely common in the Mississippi 

 Valley. One hundred pounds of the dried hay contain 

 about 7 pounds of digestible protein and 38 of carbohy- 

 drates. As a feed for cattle and sheep, it is considered ex- 

 cellent. As a pasture it ranks high; and in the corn belt, 

 a combination of clover pasture in the late summer and fall, 

 supplemented with ear corn, is a favorite ration for hogs. 

 Brood sows and sheep do well on clover pasture. A large 

 crop of green feed may be cut from a good stand of clover 

 during the season, and this makes splendid feed for all 

 kinds of farm stock. At the Wisconsin station, as much 

 as 26 tons of green feed were obtained in 3 cuttings from 

 an acre of red clover. If to be used for hay, red clover should 

 be cut when the blossoms are in full development, at which 

 time it contains the most nutriment. Clover should be 



