268 SUCCESSFUL FARMING 



have clearly demonstrated the high feeding value of alfalfa. Experiments 

 with forty cows covering a period of two years at the New Jersey Experi- 

 ment Station clearly demonstrated that eleven pounds of alfalfa hay were 

 equal in feeding value to eight pounds of wheat bran. Plenty of alfalfa 

 as roughage materially reduces the bills for the purchase of protein in 

 costly concentrates. 



The hay is exceedingly palatable and highly digestible and is eaten 

 with avidity by all classes of livestock. When fed to horses the ration 

 should be limited. Horses, if allowed to eat their fill, generally consume 

 nearly twice as much as is necessary to provide the required protein of their 

 ration. This results in unnecessary waste of feed. Alfalfa hay and corn 

 make a good combination, since the corn tends to properly balance the 

 ration. 



Considerable alfalfa hay is made into alfalfa meal for shipment to the 

 eastern markets and is quite extensively used in rations for dairy cattle 

 and also for poultry. 



Irrigation of Alfalfa. — Alfalfa is exceptionally well adapted to irriga- 

 tion and a large portion of that grown in North America is irrigated. The 

 amount of water to use will be determined chiefly by the character of the 

 soil and rainfall of the region. It is a good practice to irrigate rather liber- 

 ally and at rather remote intervals. Alfalfa is so deep-rooted that the soil 

 should be thoroughly wet to the depth of three feet or more. Ordinarily, 

 one good irrigation should produce a full cutting of alfalfa. It is, therefore, 

 customary to irrigate the fields immediately after the hay is removed and 

 this irrigation should be sufficient to last until the next cutting. With 

 this system certain precautions are called for such as to prevent the scalding 

 of the young and tender shoots that are just starting to grow at this time. 

 Where fields are deeply and rapidly flooded with water carrying much sedi- 

 ment, a deposition on the young shoots frequently causes injury. It is 

 advisable to irrigate carefully, providing for slow movement of the water 

 across the fields without attaining any considerable depth at any point. 

 Over-irrigation is to be avoided, since it not only wastes water, but often 

 causes a rise in the ground-water table and brings alkali salts to the surface 

 of the soil. 



Winter irrigation is practiced in some localities where the winters are 

 mild and where water is abundant at this time of the year. The principal 

 object is to conserve water which would otherwise go to waste. This is 

 especially desirable where water is scarce in summer. Such winter irriga- 

 tion will often result in one good crop that could otherwise not be secured. 



Seed Production. — The production of alfalfa seed in North America 

 is confined chiefly to the semi-arid regions. East of the Missouri River 

 the production of seed is small, except when drought prevails. It is 

 estimated that about one-half of the seed used in North America is produced 

 on irrigated lands in regions of dry summers. There is also a considerable 

 amount produced on unirrigated semi-arid lands, and such seed is con- 



