1903 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



139 



which horsemen generally consider supe- 

 rior to the second or third crop. They ap- 

 parently pay no at ention to the time of 

 cutting-, though if questioned they will gen- 

 erall}' express a theoretical preference for 

 hay cut when in full bloom. 



As to the laxative effects of alfalfa, early 

 cut or otherwise, opinions differ again. 

 Unless questioned particularly ou the sub- 

 ject, few will ever think to say any thing 

 about it; and it is evident that with most 

 of them, at least, any opinions thej' may 

 have on the subject are not for every-day 

 use. I have never seen any indic^itiun that 

 it is too laxative. In fact, in my experi- 

 ence in feeding horses I have found that a 

 return to alfalfa-feeding — early-cut alfalfa 

 — for even two days was sufficient to cor- 

 rect the too laxative effects of other kinds 

 of ha3' — oat haj' in this instance. 



Mr. Bell tells us that 18 lbs. of mature 

 haj' is sufficient for a horse, while " if the 

 hay is cut before maturitjs a horse will eat 

 30 lbs. or more and still be hungr3% because 

 of the lack of nutrition in the hay." Let 

 me quote from the summary of the Utah 

 bulletin: "The early-cut alfalfa contains 

 the highest per cent of protein and fat, the 

 most valuable food constituents, and the 

 lowest per cent of crude fiber, the most in- 

 digestible portion. The former decrease 

 constantl3', while the latter increases rap- 

 idly- from early bloom to the full maturity 

 of the plant." 



" The more important nutrients, protein 

 and fat, have the highest per cent of digest- 

 ibility in the earlj^ cuttings, and it grows 

 less and less with the age of the plant." 



"In the feeding-tests, the highest gains 

 were made from the earl}' cuttings, and the 

 lowest from the late, the results standing 

 proportionately as follows: Early cutting-, 

 100; medium, 85; late, 75." 



" The annual beef product per acre was 

 larg-est from the early cuttings, not only in 

 the general average but in each separate 

 season's test; and that from the late cut- 

 tings was the smallest, the proportional 

 products standing as follows: Early cut- 

 ting. 100; medium, 79'.; late, 69'2." 



This does not look as though earlj'-cut 

 alfalfa were a wishy-washy, innutritions 

 food. The experiments at this station cov- 

 ered a period of five j-ears, and the results 

 are an average for that time. Their " ear- 

 Ij' cutting- " was made when the first blos- 

 soms appeared; the "medium" when the 

 alfalfa was in full bloom, and the "late" 

 when fully half of the blossoms had fallen. 



The experiments at the ag-ricultural sta- 

 tions are, for the most part at least, made 

 in the most careful and thorough manner. 

 The3' are not mere laboratory experiments, 

 but practical tests made in the tield and 

 stable. The bulletins from these stations 

 are read and acted upon b}' thousands of 

 intelligent farmers, and the leaven is sure- 

 ly though slowlj' permeating the whole 

 mass. It will be useless for us to decry 

 them, or to attempt to combat them except 

 with facts equally authoritative. Mere as- 



sertion, and argument based on personal 

 opinion, will be of little avail. As a for- 

 mer President said, "We are confronted 

 by a condition, not a theory." We might 

 as well recognize the fact, and adjust our- 

 selves to it. 1 do not like to pose as an 

 alarmist; but it is a stubborn proposition 

 we are up against, and I am afraid there 

 are worse times in store for those who de- 

 pend on alfalfa for their honey crop. 

 Grand Junction, Col., Jan. 17. 



THE OUTLOOK FOR FUTURE CROPS OF ALFAL- 

 FA HONEY. 



Time of Cutting Dependent on Locality and the 

 Kind of Stock to be Fed on the Hay. 



BY D. A. M'LEAN. 



This question, which now seems to be 

 agitating- the minds of a good many bee- 

 keepers, especially those who live in the al- 

 falfa region, while of the greatest impor- 

 tance to them does not seem to me to be one 

 that is likely to be influenced ver}' much by 

 any thing the bee-men may say or write 

 about it. Still, I suppose it is best to know 

 and face the facts in the case, whether they 

 are pleasing or otherwise; and I fear I 

 shall be obliged to add my testimony to the 

 "otherwise" side of the column. However, 

 I will premise what I have to offer by say- 

 ing that this is one of those questions where 

 the much-abused subject of " location " 

 plays an important part. When I read the 

 article of my friend Mr. Gill, located as he 

 is only a few miles from me, I at first won- 

 dered a little at his writing as he did. 

 Then I said to myself, "Lucky fellow! he 

 lives in a locality where alfalfa is raised 

 for a different purpose from what it is 

 where I live." I live (unfortunately for me 

 as a bee-keeper) in the very center of the 

 great sheep-feeding country of Northern 

 Colorado, and the fat lambs of Larimer 

 County have become as well known and fa- 

 mous on the Chicago and other Eastern 

 markets as have the canteloupes of Rocky 

 Ford or the potatoes of Greeley. Every 

 winter, within a radius of a few miles of 

 this town, are fed from one hundred thou- 

 sand to half a million lambs, as well as 

 thousands of cattle, but a comparatively 

 small number of horses. I think it safe to 

 say that not ten per cent — probably not five 

 — of the alfalfa raised is fed to horses. 

 This being the case, the question whether 

 early or late cut alfalfa makes the better 

 hay for horses makes very little difference. 

 It is not the horses the ranchman is think- 

 ing of when he cuts his alfalfa, but the 

 lambs and cattle he thinks will eat the 

 most of it. 



I believe the facts to be about as follows: 

 If grown for horses or milk cows, to get the 

 most from the hay the alfalfa should be left 

 standing until about all the heads are in 

 bloom, and then quickly cut, cured, and 

 stacked. But a number of circumstances 

 will influence the value of the hay even then. 



