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 oT alfalfa as a balance to 

 the more carbonaceous foods. The tables here appended 

 are worth studying : 



FOOD VALUE OF SEVEKALi 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 



Ponncts 



34,100 

 28,000 

 18,000 

 13,000 

 10,000 

 31,700 

 25,000 

 17,800 



Dry matter 

 per acre 



8,000 

 5,800 

 5,220 

 3,120 

 3,500 

 3,400 

 3,500 

 2,500 



Total digesti- 

 ble matter 



5,280 

 3,800 

 3,200 

 2,521 

 2,000 

 3,000 

 2,750 

 1,800 



Digestible 

 protein 



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 : 



