FORAGE PLANTS OF THE FAMILY LEGUMINOS^ 



191 



given green alfalfa and hay made from the plant. Alfalfa is an excellent 

 feed for poultry and its nectar is converted by bees into excellent honey. 

 It is one of the most highly nutritious and palatable of feeds either in the 

 green state, or as hay. Fresh alfalfa contains 71.8 per cent, of water: 



2.7 per cent, of ash; 4.8 per cent, 

 protein; 7.4 per cent, of crude fiber; 

 12.3 per cent, of nitrogen free ex- 

 tract and i.o per cent, of the ex- 

 tract fat. Alfalfa hay contains 8.4 

 per cent, of water; 7.5 per cent, of 

 ash; 14.3 per cent, of protein; 25.0 

 per cent, of crude fiber; 42.7 per 

 cent, of nitrogen free extract and 

 2.2 per cent, of the extract (fat). 

 The value of alfalfa hay is slightly 

 more than double that of timothy. 

 Alfalfa hay is richer than red clover 



PIG. 79. FIG. 80. 



FIG. 79. Red clover (Trifolium pratense}. (After Piper, *C. V.: Leguminous Crops for 



Green Manuring. Farmers' Bulletin. 278, 1907, p. 15.) 



FIG. 80. Stages in the development of red clover seed: a and'c, Flower in prime and 

 ripe; b and d, immature and mature seed vessel; e, mature seed. (After Westgate, J. M. 

 and Hillman, F. H.: Red Clover. Farmers' Bulletin 455, 1915, p. 9.) 



hay in digestible crude protein, but is lower hi fat and contains slightly 

 less digestible carbohydrates. Respiration experiments show that clover 

 hay furnishes slightly more net nutrients than alfalfa hay. 



Red Clover (Trifolium pratense). Red Top is a biennial, or a peren- 

 nial plant of short duration with spreading stems eighteen inches to two 



