330 ALFALFA FARMING IN AMERICA. 



in the yield of milk in seven instances, a decrease in four in- 

 stances of about what might normally be expected to occur 

 without change of food, and little change in yield in three in- 

 stances. 



When the change was from a ration containing alfalfa to one 

 containing less or no alfalfa, there followed an increase in the 

 cost of milk in ten instances and there was about the same cost 

 once. There was a decrease of the milk yield in nine instances, 

 and an increase of the milk yield in two. 



When alfalfa was substituted for other foods in the ration or 

 the amount of alfalfa increased there followed a decrease in the 

 cost of fat in seven instances and an increase of the cost in six 

 instances. There was an increase of the amount of fat in six 

 instances, a decrease in five instances, and little change in 

 amount twice. 



When the change was from a ration containing alfalfa to one 

 containing less or none, there followed an increase in the cost of 

 fat in nine instances, a decrease in cost once, and there was 

 about the same cost twice. There was an increase of the amount 

 of fat in three instances, a decrease in three, and about the same 

 amount of fat in five. 



When the change in the ration was to more alfalfa, or to 

 alfalfa in place of some other food, there followed a decrease 

 in per cent, of fat in milk in six instances, an increase in three, 

 and little change in per cent, in four instances. When changed 

 from a ration containing alfalfa to one containing less or none, 

 there followed an increase in per cent, of fat in six instances and 

 a decrease of per cent, in five. 



There has been usually an increase in milk yield accompany- 

 ing the use of alfalfa, although there was often at the same 

 time a decrease in the per cent of fat. With alfalfa forage, 

 rated at the same cost as other forage, there was generally a 

 decrease in the cost of milk when the alfalfa was fed, and not 

 much change in the cost of the fat produced. 



Corn forage (fully matured), in the results accompanying its 

 use, has compared most favorably with alfalfa; but except in 

 the form of silage it is only available for a short time in the 

 fall before frost. Alfalfa is ready for the first cutting about the 

 time of planting corn, and about as early as rye forage can be 

 cut. The proportion of constituents also differs so widely be- 

 tween alfalfa and corn forage that these plants can not well be 

 considered as substitutes for each other, but as supplementary. 

 For making rations like those usually fed, coarse fodder and 

 grain foods, in general cheaper than those used with corn forage, 



