Fvn BETTER CJiUl'S 77 



good for the baby because the baby must have protein to build 

 his liltle body. And as it is best for the baby so it is best for 

 the baby's mollier. It makes her full of milk and restores her 

 tissues. It ])uilds the unborn young- within her, and after its 

 birth it tills her with milk to make the baby grow. 



For Working Horses— There is no one thing so good as 

 alfalfa for the working horse. It builds his wasting muscles, it 

 keeps him strong and healthy. He needs much less grain when 

 he can have alfalfa hay. And he is fuller of life and spirit than 

 when fed upon any other hay. It is necessary to remember only 

 that this hay should be fairly mature when it is cut, and well 

 cured so that it shall not be mouldy or musty. There ought to 

 be no dust on alfalfa hay. There are no hairs upon alfalfa 

 stems and leaves as there are on clover leaves; therefore alfalfa 

 hay has no tendency to bestow "heaves" upon horses. For old 

 and hard worked horses in thin flesh alfalfa has great restorative 

 powers. For driving horses it should be fed in moderate amounts, 

 else it will make them fat and soft. Even working teams mav 

 be fed too large amounts of alfalfa hay. It should be steadily 

 borne in mind that early cut and well cured alfalfa hay is nearly 

 as rich, pound for pound, as wheat, bran, so that to feed too 

 great an amount of it is not merely wasteful, but puts an undue 

 strain upon the excretory organs to eliminate the unnecessary 

 food substance from the tissues. The over feeding of alfalfa 

 hay to horses has in some localities caused the use of it to be- 

 come unpopular, and to raise an outcry against it. To offset 

 that it may be said that the writer has fed no other hay to his 

 horses, both working teams and driving horses with mares and 

 foals, for many years, and has yet to observe the first instance 

 of evil result, save that the driving horses when not used 

 regularly become soft and easily sweated. 



For Mares and Foals — There is nothing else so good for the 

 mare, while she is carrying her unborn colt, as to run on an 

 alfalfa pasture, and eat alfalfa hay in winter. Her colt comes 

 strong and well developed, and after it has come she is full of 

 milk for it. Then if she is in the alfalfa meadow the colt early 

 learns to nip the delicious herbage, and thus takes in additional 

 nourishment at the time when he is best able to make use of it. 

 It makes his bones grow and covers them with good, firm 

 muscle, it hastens his development greatly, it adds to his beauty, 

 and spirit, and usefulness. The best thoroughbreds in the 

 United States often come from the alfalfa meadows of Cali- 

 fornia, and the breeders of race horses in Kentucky are beginning 

 to add alfalfa to the bill of fare of their petted darlings. The 

 great Percherons of France eat alfalfa with the bloom on it 

 when they are lusty foals in their native land. The horse 

 breeder wherever he is should at all times endeavor to call to 



