FEEDING ALFALFA HAY 43 



hay to be 12.9 pounds per hundredweight. According 

 to these latter figures, one acre of alfalfa yielding four 

 tons of hay would produce 1,033 pounds of digestible 

 protein, while an acre of corn yielding thirty-six 

 bushels would produce in the grain only 157 pounds. 

 Since protein is absolutely essential to the produdlion of 

 milk we readily see from these figures the comparative 

 values of com and alfalfa hay for dairy purposes. 



The following table shows the comparative values 

 of alfalfa hay and other common feeds, calculated upon 

 the quantities of digestible protein contained in each. 

 The alfalfa given the second time in the table is 

 assumed to be equal in feeding value to the average 

 product well cured, as has been shown by recent 

 digestion experiments. It is seen that hay of such 

 quality is equal to or even better than wheat bran, 

 pound for pound : 



COMPARATIVE VALUES OF ALFALFA HAY AND OTHER 

 FEEDSTUFFS FOR PROTEIN. 



Value per ton when prairie 

 hay is worth per ton — 



NAME OF FEEDSTUFF. , » v 



t2.00 $3.00 $4.00 



Alfalfa hay (average) . . . $6.05 $g.o8 $i2.il 



Red clover hay 3-88 5.82 7.77 



Orchard-grass hay . ... 2.74 4. 11 5.48 



Millet hay 2.57 3.85 5.14 



Timothy hay 1.65 2.48 3.31 



Sorghum hay 1.37 2-o5 2.74 



Corn-fodder (stover) . . . 1. 14 1. 71 2.28 



Oat straw 91 1-37 1-82 



Wheat straw 45 .68 .91 



Sugar-beets 62 .94 1.25 



Mangel-wurzels 57 .85 1. 14 



Alfalfa hay containing i2.g 



per cent, digestible protein 7.36 11.05 14.73 

 Wheat bran 7-02 10.53 14.04 



