CHAPTER XXXIII. 



LEGUMES ( ALFALFA AND CLOVERS). 



One of the greatest factors in successful dairying at 

 the present time is the growing of an ample supply of 

 leguminous crops, such as alfalfa and clovers. There are 

 several reasons for this: (i) legumes improve the soil 

 by adding to its store of nitrogen; (2) legumes are rich 

 in protein and can, therefore, take the place, to a great 

 extent, of high priced commercial feeds rich in protein. 



The bacteria that live upon the roots of alfalfa and 

 clovers have the power of taking the nitrogen from the 

 air and putting it into the soil in a form in which it be- 

 comes available for plant growth. Nitrogen when pur- 

 chased in the form of commercial fertilizers, has a value 

 of about twenty cents per pound. The dairyman who 

 grows a sufficient quantity of clover and alfalfa gets the 

 nitrogen absolutely free and in sufficient quantity not only 

 to maintain the supply of nitrogen already in the soil, 

 but by feeding the clover and alfalfa to stock the nitrogen 

 content of the soil can be materially increased. 



With the increasing cost of commercial feeds rich in 

 protein, it manifestly is a matter of economy for the dairy 

 farmer to raise crops upon his farm which can take the 

 place of expensive commercial feeds. There is no home 

 grown feed which can take the place of grain or concen- 

 trated commercial feeds to so great an extent as alfalfa. 

 This will be readily understood when it is known that 



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