PASTURING AND SOILING II3 



ture of other grasses with alfalfa intended for grazing 

 greatly diminishes, if it does not entirely eliminate, the 

 risk and dangers of bloat : 



**I have several fields of mixed grasses. These contain 

 enough alfalfa so that we cut them for hay at regular 

 times, and the proportion of grasses and alfalfa is largely 

 in favor of the latter. In such fields as these I pasture 

 cattle at will, and have never seen any evidence of bloat 

 therefrom. But my experience with the straight alfalfa 

 fields leads me to be very cautious. I find that I can pas- 

 ture them at times without danger, and at other times a 

 large proportion of the cattle will bloat. It is possible that 

 I have made the statement that I never lost cattle by pas- 

 turing alfalfa, which is true, because we have always 

 been lucky enough to discover the ailing animals in time 

 to give them relief." 



Mr. F. S. Kirk of Oklahoma, mentioned in Chapter 

 III, pastures his cattle on alfalfa in fall and spring, 

 but does not give them access to his meadows in the 

 morning until the dew has dried ofif, and for only twenty 

 or thirty minutes the first day or two ; then for an hour 

 or two for a few days, and after that they are left in the 

 pastures until sundown. 



GENERALLY DANGEROUS TO SHEEP 



Experiments with sheep seem to be even more disas- 

 trous than with cattle. In an investigation conducted by 

 the Colorado station, losses were reported by nearly every 

 man who had pastured sheep on alfalfa. Some lost but 

 one or two, while others lost forty or fifty. A few re- 

 ported that each spring they lost a few sheep the first 



