180 AGRICULTURE 



must be supplied in the form of bran, or some other such 

 feed. Alfalfa serves the same purpose, and is much cheaper 

 to produce. 



Feeding value of alfalfa. The following table shows 

 the feeding value of eight different kinds of feed, based 

 on the digestible nutrient material in each : (Farmers' Bul- 

 letin, 339. These figures are only relative, since prices vary 

 from year to year.) 



Value Value 



Feed per ton Feed per ton 



Green alfalfa $ 7.00 Timothy hay $ 9.00 



Green clover 5.96 Cow-pea hay 19.76 



Alfalfa hay 20.16 Wheat bran 22.80 



Clover hay . 14.12 Shelled corn 20.16 



It is seen that the feeding value of alfalfa hay is more 

 than double that of timothy. It is almost equal to wheat 

 bran, and just equal to shelled corn. Alfalfa has an addi- 

 tional value for feeding stock because it is highly palatable 

 to almost every farm animal, even to poultry and hogs. 



Bran costs an average of about twenty dollars a ton; 

 to raise alfalfa hay costs an average of about five dollars a 

 ton. Why not grow the protein needed by the farm animals 

 instead of buying it? As farmers learn more of the value 

 of alfalfa this is what they will do. 



4. Alfalfa as a Renewer of the Soil 



Alfalfa is probably the best of the legumes as a soil 

 renewer. The bacteria which grow in the root tubercles are 

 able to take the nitrogen directly from the air and add it to 

 the soil in such form that it can be used by other crops. 

 The deep rooting system of the alfalfa plant also enables it to 

 bring other minerals from the lower layers of the soil, de- 

 positing them near the surface where other plants can use 

 them. The generous roots add much humus to the soil. 



