AEID AGKICULTURE. 335 



clue to the way it is fed, rather than to any bad 

 qualities in the hay. Alfalfa has over twice 

 as much nutriment in it as the best timo- 

 thy, and is so rich and palatable that horses may 

 founder themselves or have their digestion disar- 

 ranged, and be affected with kidney or other trou- 

 bles if fed all they will eat of it when not accus- 

 tomed to such feed. The same thing occurs 

 when a hungry horse "gets loose in a corn-crib or 

 an oat-biu. Indigestion is often mistaken for 

 kidney trouble. 



When properly used, alfalfa is good haj 

 even for work horses, and it is doubtful if there 

 is any other hay equal to it for colts. Thousands 

 of work horses on farms in the West get no other 

 kind of bay, and they live as long and do as 

 much hard work as farm horses anywhere. The 

 first cutting makes the best horse hay, and they 

 do better on it if it is allowed to get pretty ripe. 



