126 



THE BOOK OF ALFALFA 



For several years feeders have been deploring the fact 

 that fattening mainly with corn was becoming less and 

 less profitable. When they began to figure the exact 

 cost of each pound of gain on a steer or hog, they saw 

 clearly that corn alone made the pound of gain cost too 

 much ; sometimes as much as it was worth in the market, 

 leaving neither profit nor interest on the investment. 

 The problem then became how to produce the pound of 

 meat more economically. 



Such a condition has prompted the state stations to 

 make tests to determine the feeding value of various 

 articles, and especially the value oi alfalfa as a balance to 

 the more carbonaceous foods. The tables here appended 

 are worth studying : 



FOOD VAIjUE of SEVERAL! FODDER CROPS 



(From New York experiment station Bui. No. ii8.) 



Alfalfa.... 



Corn, entire plant 



Red clover 



Oats and peas 



Timothy 



Rutabagas 



Mangels 



Sugar beets 



Yield per acre 

 of total crop 



Poxtnds 



34,100 

 28,000 

 18,000 

 13,000 

 10,000 

 31,700 

 2.5,000 

 17,800 



Dry matter 

 per acre 



Pounds 



8,C00 

 5,800 

 5,220 

 3,120 

 3,500 

 3.400 

 3,500 

 2,500 



Total digesti- 

 ble matter 

 per acre 



Potinds 



5,280 

 3,800 

 3,200 

 2,521 

 2,000 

 3,000 

 2,750 

 1,800 



Digestible 

 protein 



Pounds 



875 

 300 

 491 

 350 

 228 

 279 

 232 

 213 



ANALYSES OF FEEDSTUFFS 



The following table gives the analyses of a number of 

 feedstuffs, showing the percentage of digestible nutrients 

 and fertilizing- constituents in each : 



