Choosing a Forage Crop 159 



ALFALFA 



Alfalfa is one of the most important swine forages. 

 When of good stand, it combines the merits of unusual 

 palatability and richness in protein and mineral matter 

 with heavy yielding powers, permanency, the ability to 

 furnish a uniform supply of forage through a long grow- 

 ing season, and exceptional ability to withstand the 

 effects of droughts. It is a deep-rooted perennial and 

 does best when the water-level is not too close to the 

 surface. 



Alfalfa, however, is not without its faults as a forage 

 crop on every farm. Because it is such a valuable peren- 

 nial, it does not fit in with the usual crop-rotating systems 

 as does clover. Furthermore, alfalfa is not an easy crop 

 to grow successfully in many sections. Much time and 

 considerable expense are often the necessary preliminaries 

 to a good stand. If stocked too heavily, there is great 

 danger that the young shoots will be eaten and the crowns 

 permanently injured. The safest and perhaps the most 

 profitable procedure to follow is never to pasture so 

 heavily that at least one good cutting is not taken for hay. 

 Also, close cropping in the fall makes it very susceptible 

 to winter-killing. The value of alfalfa as a permanent 

 hay and forage crop is so great, however, that the rules for 

 its successful growth are being studied more carefully 

 and its culture widely extended. 



Alfalfa versus rape. 



Four experiment stations have studied more or less 

 extensively the relative merits of alfalfa and rape as 

 forages for pigs. In all, ten feeding experiments have 

 been made, the summarized results of which are given 



