26o THE ^-MANAGEMENT AND FEEDING OF CATTLE 



tained yearly and to the perfect condition in which it 

 may be cured in regions with little or no rainfall. The 

 clovers, however, will be fed over much wider areas, 

 because of a wider adaptation possessed by these. Of 

 the varieties of clover, the common red and the alsike 

 take first rank for such feeding. They have less coarse 

 stems than the mammoth and crimson varieties, and 

 they are much more productive than the other varieties, 

 as the small white and the Japan. 



The value of alfalfa and the clovers for milk pro- 

 duction is greatly influenced by the time for cutting 

 them, and by the way in which they are cured. Alfalfa 

 should be cut for such feeding when a small percentage 

 only of the blooms have appeared, and the clovers when 

 coming into full bloom, a trifie short of that stage rather 

 than beyond it. These fodders should be secured so as 

 to retain a green rather than a brown color, and entirely 

 free from mustiness or mold. Thus prepared, these 

 foods would suffice without any concentrates were the 

 cows able to consume enough of them to insure maxi- 

 mum production, which they cannot because of the 

 bulkiness of the foods. AVhen fed, however, in the con- 

 dition stated, the amount of concentrate to be added is 

 relatively small. (See page 278.) 



Theoretically, these plants should be fed without 

 admixture with any of the grasses, as the latter rank 

 lower in protein and therefore lower in value for milk 

 production, but in practice there may be good reasons 

 for having more or less grass, as timothy, for instance, 

 in the clover. Its presence may tend to prevent the 

 clover from lodging to an extent that would injure it 

 for feeding, and it also aids in the quicker curing of the 

 hay when it is cut. 



The other legumes mentioned are much more cir- 

 cumscribed in their growth, but each of them has its 

 place in the economy of milk production. Usually more 

 labor and cost is involved in growing and curing them, 



