6o ALFALFA 



cut just as the first bloom appears,; the stems will then 

 be less woody, and the hogs will like it better. The 

 best care should be taken in curing this hay. The 

 leaves are especially valuable, and should be retained as 

 far as possible. The hay should be stacked or shedded 

 near where the hogs are to be fed during the 

 winter. 



The best device for feeding is a flat trough three 

 feet wide and six inches deep, and long enough to 

 accommodate the number of hogs. Throw the alfalfa 

 in this, and the hogs will do the rest; some of the 

 larger stems may be rejedted and can be thrown out. 

 The trough saves the leaves which may fall off and 

 will be picked up later. Grinding the hay to a meal 

 and feeding in various ways has been tried, but feed- 

 ing the whole hay gives the best results. 



Alfalfa hay is especially valuable for brood-sows 

 and young pigs. Corn contains too much fat-produc- 

 ing and not enough blood, bone, and muscle-forming 

 material for these classes of hogs; alfalfa contains this 

 growth-producing material in abundance, and is cool- 

 ing and laxative — the two important qualities in the 

 feed of the brood-sows, especially just previous to far- 

 rowing. There is always more or less complaint com- 

 ing from the stridlly corn-growing distridls concerning 

 the poor "luck" sows are having with their pigs, 

 but this is not common where alfalfa is made a part of 

 their feed. The reason for the trouble is that a stridlly 

 corn diet does not furnish the material for the pigs in 

 the fetal stage. They are starved on corn. Good 

 alfalfa is the cheapest and best preventive of most hog 

 diseases, as it keeps the animals in thrifty condition 

 and thereby less susceptible to disease. 



