144 THE BOOK OF ALFALFA 



alfalfa hay was tested against wheat bran and dried 

 brewers' grain the saving in the cost of milk was 12.7 

 cents per hundred, and 2.3 cents per pound of butter when 

 alfalfa hay was used. This saving means a great deal 

 when it is considered that the alfalfa is raised and not 

 purchased. (2) That the milk value of one acre of 

 alfalfa was $74. 



A Kansas dairyman is reported to have kept ten cows 

 through one summer on the alfalfa cut daily from a patch 

 containing four square rods less than two acres. 



Some dairymen believe that there is a great saving in 

 the alfalfa hay by cutting it into two-inch lengths, and 

 feeding it dry. It is also believed that it will always be 

 a matter of economy to feed with the alfalfa, green or as 

 hay, a small ration of carbonaceous food, even corn- 

 stover serving such a purpose. 



Former Governor Hoard, editor of Hoard's Dairyman, 

 says that with alfalfa hay at $10 and bran at $20 per ton 

 there is a saving, by using alfalfa, of $2.80 for every 100 

 pounds of butter made, and a saving of 19.8 cents for 

 every 100 pounds of milk. 



In a section of New York where alfalfa has been quite 

 generally introduced, dairymen claim an increase in their 

 profits of 15 to 30 per cent by its use, besides the enrich- 

 ment of their farms for other crops. 



Prof. D. H. Otis, telling of experiments with the dairy 

 herd at the Kansas agricultural college, states that, "it is 

 usually recommended to feed a cow all the rough feed 

 she will eat, and then balance up the ration with grain. 

 The experience at the college indicates that much rough 

 feed is wasted in careless feeding. The cow will eat the 



