PLANTS OF THE CLOVER FAMILY. IOI 



but the pasturing must not be done in an indiscrimi- 

 nate manner. It ought not to be pastured at any 

 and every stage of growth, nor at .all seasons of the 

 year. It should seldom, if ever, be pastured off the 

 season that it is sown. It is somewhat of a delicate 

 plant when young, hence it is easily injured the first 

 season. Neither should it be pastured in the late 

 autumn nor during the winter in cold latitudes. 

 Such pasturing would likely prove fatal to the 

 alfalfa, hence probably the prevalent opinion that it 

 cannot be pastured at all in the winter season. Pas- 

 turing sheep on alfalfa is attended with the greatest 

 hazard to the plant, because of their habit of crop- 

 ping plants closely. Most satisfactory results are ob- 

 tained from pasturing horses and swine upon alfalfa. 



Horses and swine can be pastured on it at any 

 season without serious hazard to the animals. The 

 plan of pasturing off alfalfa with horses, introduced 

 and practiced by Mr. C. H. Larrabee of Home Park, 

 Montana, at his Brooknook ranch in that state, 

 would seem to be a good one. His alfalfa is irri- 

 gated. His first crop is cut for hay. The second 

 growth is allowed to remain. Weanling colts which 

 are also fed grain are then turned in upon it in the 

 autumn. Later, older colts, and still later, horses, 

 are grazed upon it, and as spring approaches, cattle 

 are turned in to clean up the residue of the pasture. 

 The animals are also given alfalfa hay when they 

 require it. And ranchmen further to the southwest 

 also adopt a somewhat similar mode of wintering 

 their cattle. The re-seeding of the ground thus 

 every year would seem to maintain a stand, despite 

 the depasturing. 



Alfalfa furnishes a grand pasture for swine. 



