GREEN FORAGE AND HAY CROPS 117 



bloat, death resulting in severe cases. Alfalfa pasture is especially 

 valuable for dairy cows, growing cattle, brood sows, and young 

 farm animals of the various classes. It makes one of the best hog 

 pastures in the country; an acre will supply sufficient feed for ten 

 to twenty hogs, and these will make good gains on it with a small 

 grain allowance of corn, barley, or shorts, viz., 600 to 1000 pounds 

 of pork for the season. Alfalfa-fed beef goes on the market without 

 any grain on the Pacific coast; in the eastern and central States 

 such cattle are fattened with corn or small grains with excellent 

 results. 



Changes in Composition. The changes in the chemical com- 

 position of alfalfa with the progress of the growing period have 

 already been considered (p. 56) ; briefly stated, young plants contain 

 most water, ash, and protein (total and amides), and older plants 

 contain most fiber. The digestibility of the plant also decreases 

 as it approaches maturity. Owing to the large proportion of valu- 

 able feed materials in the leaves and tender parts, carefully-cured 

 alfalfa hay cut at the right time, when new shoots are appearing, 

 will have a much higher feeding value than hay that has been left 

 standing too long, or cured by faulty or careless methods so as to 

 lose a considerable portion of the leaves, or that has been exposed 

 to rain storms after cutting. Much of the alfalfa hay is of poor 

 quality, from one or more of the reasons just given, especially the 

 first two too late cutting and careless methods of hay-making. 

 Choice or prime alfalfa hay 7 is well worth the high price that it com- 

 mands on the hay market in comparison with the lower grades. The 

 experience of the Ontario Agricultural College with regard to late- 

 cut hay is worthy of note in this connection : 8 " The decrease in 

 digestibility is so rapid that by the time the plant has passed the 

 full blooming stage, it appears to be unsafe to feed it in large quan- 

 tities to any animal. . . . 'Because of the rapid decrease in feed 

 value, also because of the rapidity with which the new crop comes 

 on when the old one is removed, and because of the danger in allow- 

 ing stock to eat the fodder when the plant becomes hard and woody, 

 alfalfa, whether in the pasture field or in the hay field, should not be 

 allowed to stand later than the early blossoming stage." 



Red clover (Trifolium pratense) is grown in pure seeding 

 mostly for the purpose of seed production ; for forage purposes it 

 is, as a rule, sown with timothy, and with this plant forms the main 

 hay crop in eastern and northern United States. Clover furnishes 



7 Woll, " Handbook for Farmers and Dairymen," p. 406a. 



8 Report, 1898. 



