CHAPTER XXII. 

 PASTURE AND SOILING CROPS. 



Alfalfa. Bulletin 155 of the Kansas Experiment Station 

 gives a summary of results from feeding alfalfa to hogs at 

 that institution. The following is quoted directly from the 

 bulletin : 



" At this station some year's ago, a gain of 800 pounds of 

 pork was made from a ton of alfalfa hay, and a little less than 

 that amount of gain was made from an acre of alfalfa pasture. 

 In another test here, an acre of alfalfa produced $20.20 worth 

 of pork, while an acre of rape fed to a similar lot of hogs 

 returned $10.05 worth of pork. 



" In a later experiment we found that 100 pounds of 

 alfalfa hay saved 96 pounds of corn. Figuring on the basis 

 of 5 pounds of corn producing one pound of pork, the 96 

 pounds of alfalfa would produce 19 pounds of pork. Estimat- 

 ing the average yield of alfalfa to be four tons per acre, on this 

 basis it would mean a production of 1600 pounds of pork per 

 acre with alfalfa fed in the form of hay in connection with 

 corn. This experiment was conducted during the winter 

 season. 



" In an experiment during the summer, we found that 

 170 pounds of green alfalfa, cut and fed to hogs fresh in a 

 dry yard, was equal to 100 pounds of corn, and in this experi- 

 ment it took 6 pounds of corn to produce a pound of pork. 

 Therefore, assuming 1YO pounds of green alfalfa would 

 produce 16% pounds of pork, a fraction over 10 pounds of 

 green alfalfa would produce one pound of pork. Estimating 

 that an acre of alfalfa will yield during the season 20,000 



(186) 



