OUR CROPS 53 



seldom permits of more rapid transit than 

 that provided by the leisurely pounding of 

 the English carriage horse, it may be at 

 once perceived that there is one corner of 

 the United States in which, alas ! we do not 

 4 trot ' or, at least, not often. Personal 

 experience goes to prove that cows fed on 

 alfalfa hay, supplemented only by a nightly 

 ration of bran, produce butter excellent as 

 regards both quality and quantity. Needless 

 to dilate on the trouble and expense spared 

 the dairyman in this detail alone, Hogs and 

 chicken graze it, and with little additional 

 food in summer time are remunerative to 

 their owners. Whatever may be affirmed to 

 the contrary, however, alfalfa will not bear 

 very close grazing, and although, if properly 

 irrigated and not grazed too long at one 

 time, it will last an indefinite number of 

 years, enriching instead of impoverishing the 

 soil, it is doubtful if it will endure flagrant 

 neglect. Compared with other crops, how- 

 ever, it needs but little attention. Its one 

 and only serious disadvantage lies in its 

 dangerous properties where cows are con- 

 cerned ; that is to say, there are but few 



