CHAPTER XIII 



FEEDS AND THEIR VALUES 



CLOVER AND ALFALFA 



IN regions where alfalfa can be grown it is one 

 of the most economical of dairy foods. It is high- 

 ly nitrogenous, being worth 75 per cent, as much, 

 ton per ton, as wheat bran. Its yield is three to five, 

 and sometimes as high as six, tons to the acre. Its 

 growth is controlled by local conditions, and it is 

 worth while for each farmer to learn whether his 

 conditions are adapted for it. (The reader is re- 

 ferred to F. D. Coburn's book on Alfala for full in- 

 formation.) 



In colder localities, where alfalfa will not grow, 

 clover may be considered the most valuable crop. It 

 derives nitrogen, the most valuable of fertilizers, from 

 the air, and furnishes its own fertility of nitrogen as 

 well as leaving large quantities in the soil for future 

 crops. A ton of clover has nearly twice the food 

 value for milk production that a ton of timothy hay 

 has. The dairyman who can sell his timothy hay and 

 buy clover at the same price, to take its place, is 

 making money. As a rule, timothy hay sells for 

 quite an advance over clover, so that two tons of 

 timothy will buy nearly three tons of clover. In the 

 exchange the farmer is nearly doubling his money for 

 the trouble and labor of so doing. 

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