112 THE BOOK OF ALFALFA 



place, and some prairie grass and also tame grasses in 

 the same enclosure, and had no bloat. This has been, 

 too, sometimes in May and June, when showers were 

 frequent and the alfalfa most succulent. It would seem 

 that the cattle will take care of themselves if they have a 

 good chance. I usually superintend these changes per- 

 sonally, and see that all conditions are right. 



"I find we get almost as much hay from the mixed 

 fields as from the exclusively alfalfa meadows, and the 

 fall aftermath is much better. The theory that alfalfa 

 will not flourish with the other grasses is wrong. My 

 favorite meadows contain a mixture of this kind, includ- 

 ing some red clover, and I have cut four good crops of 

 hay from them this season, after pasturing moderately 

 from March 15 to May i. I always get the stock horses 

 and mules on pasture by March 15, and the cattle about 

 April I, and move them to wild grass prairie pasture 

 about May i, except a few that we will keep on the 

 meadows all season. These we change from one field to 

 another when the alfalfa becomes tall enough to be 

 trampled down or dar^aged. 



"If my object was only to raise hay for market, I would 

 sow the alfalfa alone and keep the stock off altogether, 

 but for my purpose I prefer a mixture. By doing my way 

 I never miss a good stand, and the mixture keeps down 

 the foxtail and crab grass. I have been sowing this mix- 

 ture for about fifteen years, and have over 300 acres." 



Mr. J. F. Stodder of Cowley county, Kansas, a promi- 

 nent breeder of pure bred cattle, makes this statement to 

 the author, which is simply further testimony that a mix- 



