92 SHEEP FEEDING 



Alfalfa profitably utilized. Alfalfa is a crop that requires 

 very particular cultural methods, and in this brief discussion 

 it does not seem advisable to give detailed directions for its 

 growth and care. Suffice to say that it may be sown either 

 in the spring or fall, seeding at the rate of sixteen pounds 

 per acre on a very finely prepared seedbed. The soil must 

 be sweet and well drained and contain a fairly good supply 

 of humus. It is not wise to remove the hay or to use the first 

 year's growth for pasture. It is generally supposed that 

 alfalfa pasture will cause bloat in cattle and sheep. This 

 idea is true if stock is allowed free access to the crop when it 

 is green and succulent, and is not accustomed to a full feed 

 of the pasture very gradually. If allowed to, sheep will eat 

 alfalfa down to the crowns and do it permanent injury. 



A Kansas farmer who feeds extensively says : "I use the 

 late growth of alfalfa for sheep pasture and never have any 

 bad results. I use extreme care in turning sheep on, leav- 

 ing them only a short time at first and increasing very 

 slowly. I have neighbors who have had bad results with 

 pasturing alfalfa, but I think it is due to carelessness in 

 turning on. Alfalfa pasture, in conjunction with cornfield 

 feeding, gives me the best results I ever get. I fill my sheep 

 on hay when I first get them home, then gradually work 

 them onto a full allowance of pasture, and from this to the 

 cornfield. The corn and alfalfa fields are so arranged that 

 the sheep have free access to both when on full feed. I never 

 get bad results with this method when I make the different 

 changes slowly." 



Blue grass and corn. It is a very common practice to use 

 a blue-grass pasture for roughness in conjunction with corn- 

 field feeding of sheep. This practice is wholly commendable, 

 and results are generally satisfactory provided there is an 



