Leguminous Plants for Green Forage and Hay. 179 



It will be seen that alfalfa yielded nearly twice as many pounds 

 of dry matter as the corn, with the digestible nutrients far in the 

 lead. The digestible crude protein of the alfalfa was about 4 times 

 that of the corn. 



244. Alfalfa hay making. — Experience teaches that alfalfa should 

 be cut when about 0.1 of the plants reach the blossom stage, since 

 after that time there is little increase of nutrients, and early cutting 

 materially aids the next crop. The Ottawa Experimental Farms^ 

 found that 4 cuttings of alfalfa yielded more nutrients than 2 

 cuttings. 



Concerning the making of alfalfa hay, Cottrell of the Kansas Sta- 

 tion^ writes: "There is practically no difficulty in curing any but 

 the first crop. When the conditions for curing the first crop are 

 unfavorable, we have usually found the most practicable method to 

 be to cut the alfalfa in the morning, after the dew is ofi:', allow it 

 to barely wilt in the swath, then rake, and before night put in 

 narrow, tall cocks. After the dew is off the next morning and the 

 surface of the ground has become dry, we open these cocks carefully, 

 so as not to shatter off the leaves. If the weather is favorable the 

 hay may be stacked in the afternoon; if not, we recock carefully, 

 and repeat treatment until the hay is properly cured." 



In the humid regions, where more time is required for curing 

 alfalfa, muslin hay caps will be found particularly useful. Headden 

 of the Colorado Station^ found that from 40 to 60 per ct. of the 

 weight of the alfalfa plant is in its leaves, which carry four-fifths 

 of the crude protein and over half of the nitrogen-free extract and 

 fat. Three-fourths of the fiber, or woody portion, is in the alfalfa 

 stems. Headden further found that, in the dry climate of Colorado, 

 with all conditions favorable, for every ton of alfalfa hay taken off 

 the field not less than 850 lbs. of leaves and stems was wasted, and 

 with unfavorable conditions and careless handling there was a loss 

 of as much as 3,000 lbs. One hundred lbs. of fresh alfalfa yields 

 from 27 to 29 lbs. of cured hay. In one instance alfalfa injured by 

 a succession of showers, aggregating 1.75 inches of water, lost one- 

 third of its protein and one-seventh of the nitrogen-free extract, 

 leaving the per cent of fiber, or woody portion, increased by 12 per et. 

 Forty per ct. of the nutrients of alfalfa hay can be extracted with 

 tepid water. Cooke of the Colorado Station"* found that stacked 

 alfalfa loses in an average season one-fifth of its feeding value, a 

 loss which would be largely avoided by storing under cover. 



* U. S. Dept. Agr., Farmers ' Bui. 215. ' Bui. 110. 



^ Bui. 109. * Bui. 57. 



