Alfalfa straw obtained as a by-product in alfalfa seed production 

 can be used for feeding horses and, if chopped, for cattle and sheep. 

 It is low in protein and high in fiber (below 10 per cent and above 

 30 per cent, respectively), and has about one-half the feeding value 

 of ordinary alfalfa hay. 



Grain stubble furnishes feed for large numbers of hogs, sheep 

 and other stock in this state during the late summer and early fall. 

 The value of ordinary stubble pasture is generally recognized by 

 farmers. Bice stubble fields also supply valuable pasture for farm 

 animals, including horses and turkeys, and have been extensively 

 utilized for stock feeding in rice-growing sections during late years. 



Foxtail, at an early stage of growth, while the beards are still 

 soft and silky, compares favorably with grain hay in composition and 

 feeding value, but it seems impossible to avoid difficulties in pastur- 

 ing this crop or feeding such hay, from even early cuttings, to stock 

 on account of the stiff beards.- When old weedy alfalfa fields cannot 

 be cut early for hay, the only method of utilizing the crop is to make 

 it into alfalfa silage ; even then the crop must be cut before the foxtail 

 beards have become stiff, in order to make satisfactory silage. 



Indian corn stalks form an important source of feed for farm 

 animals in eastern and central states. Cattle and horses are either 

 allowed to harvest the stalks (stover) in the field or the stalks are 

 fed whole in the barn or corral. In some cases, they are run through 

 a cutter or shredder before being fed to stock. This is by far the 

 better way of handling the stalks, as the nutrients contained in them 

 may thus be fully utilized. Chemical analyses and digestion trials 

 have shown that about one-third of the total digestible nutrients in 

 the corn crop is found in the stalks. It is, therefore, a matter of 

 great economical importance to our country that the enormous feed 

 supply present in corn stalks be not allowed to go to waste. They 

 furnish a good feed for farm animals, especially young stock, winter- 

 ing cattle or ewes, and horses doing light work. If fed whole, con- 

 siderable waste will occur, even if the stalks are fed in the corral 

 or the manger, and they are, therefore, preferably fed chopped or 

 shredded, in which case stock will eat them practically without waste. 



Stalks of grain sorghums, milo, Egyptian corn, feterita, etc., con- 

 tain similar amounts of nutrients as Indian corn stalks, and should 

 be utilized for stock feeding in the same way. Where the crop is not 

 grown especially for grain, either for seed or hog feeding, the more 

 economical method of preserving the sorghum crop, as well as the 



