116 



DESCRIPTION OF FEEDING STUFFS 



ratio of about 1: 3.6, it is too high in protein i'or the best results 

 when fed alone, even with the animals mentioned, and may, there- 

 fore, be supplemented to advantage with Indian corn or other 

 starchy feeds! In the corn belt and eastern States the common 

 farm-grown feeds are starchy and low in protein, like corn fodder, 

 mixed or timothy hay, cereals and roots, and .alfalfa is, therefore, 

 of special value as a supplemental feed in this important agricultural 

 section of our country. It may be partly substituted for wheat 



Fig. 17. — Curing and harvesting alfalfa. ("Productive Farming," Davis.) 



bran or similar feeds in rations for dairy cows, in the proportion of 

 about IV2 pounds of alfalfa to 1 pound of bran, and the bill for 

 concentrates thus greatly reduced. Choice grades of alfalfa will 

 nearly approximate wheat bran in feeding value, and can generally 

 be produced at a cost less than one-half the price that this concen- 

 trate commands ( Fig. 17). 



Alfalfa furnishes an excellent pasture after the first year, under 

 certain restrictions, viz., that it is not eaten off too closely, espe- 

 cially in the fall, and that cattle and sheep are not put on the pasture 

 when hungry and while the dew is on ; otherwise they are likely to 



