MEADOWS AND PASTURES 



189 



COMPARISON OF HAYS GROWN IN THE UNITED STATES IN 1899 



It will be seen that from half the area alfalfa gave a 

 little more total yield than clover. Its composition being 

 better, it gave over twice the digestible nutrients per 

 acre. 



Its value is sometimes overestimated. It has almost 

 the same composition as wheat bran. This has led to the 

 common statement that it is as valuable as wheat bran. 

 This is not true. It is always unsafe to compare the feed- 

 ing values of grain feeds with hay on the basis of com- 

 position only. The coarser feeds are harder to digest. 

 Feeding trials in milk-production on a commercial scale, 

 at the New Jersey Experiment Station, showed that 

 when bran cost $22.50 per ton, the hay was worth $16.50 

 as a substitute for it. In this case, alfalfa hay was worth 

 a little over two-thirds as much as bran. 



One-sixth of the cultivated area of Argentina is planted 

 to alfalfa. It is said that on land where eight acres of 

 native grasses were required per steer, one acre of alfalfa 

 is sufficient. 



181. Culture of Alfalfa. Alfalfa has a long tap-root, 

 much longer than any other farm crop, therefore the 

 character of the subsoil and drainage are of much im- 



1 Figured as timothy. 



