124 FEEDING FARM ANIMALS 



sell corn and oats and make an outright purchase 

 of cottonseed meal, gluten meal and bran, if dairy 

 cows are to be fed. Often one can sell roughage 

 materials to good advantage and secure others that 

 contain more of the constituents desired, and in so 

 doing the amount of concentrated foods can be cut 

 down. 



If the feeder uses corn stover and timothy hay, he 

 will necessarily be forced to balance his rations with 

 concentrated materials. On the other hand, if he 

 uses cowpea hay, alfalfa or clover hay in the main 

 for roughage, the necessary grain material will be 

 small. In many markets timothy hay is sold for $20 

 to $30 a ton and up, while cowpea hay, alfalfa and 

 clover sell for $20 a ton and under. You see at once 

 that the legume hays are the most economical, for 

 they contain several times more digestible protein 

 than timothy. It is to the feeder's advantage to dis- 

 pose of the timothy, often, and with the same money 

 purchase the legume hays. The saving in corn and 

 bran or other concentrates will be clear profit. Of 

 course, the desirable way is to grow the legumes in 

 abundance ; then, with much silage, the call for pur- 

 chased grain, or concentrates, will be of little con- 

 sequence. 



