324 ALFALFA FARMING IN AMERICA, 



cut alfalfa they eat the stems as well as the leaves, 

 animals rarely bloat on cut alfalfa. I have prac- 

 ticed feeding it to steers and ewes and have never 

 seen a case where it gave trouble. Certainly no ani- 

 mal eating alfalfa either green or dry should ever be 

 allowed to get very hungry before getting its feed. 



Further, alfalfa is so rich a feed that no other 

 soiling crop that can be mentioned is as good, and 

 it is so very easily grown. One can grow as much 

 as 25 tons per acre of green alfalfa on any good, 

 deep soil, and this forage is richer in elements going 

 to make growth and muscle and milk than almost 

 any that may be named. 



Tests of Soiling. — The Nebraska Station reports 

 that in an experiment conducted there it required 

 .71 of an acre to keep a cow for a given time by 

 soiling, while by pasturing it required 3.63 acres. 



In New Jersey Prof. Voorhees said that the first 

 cutting of alfalfa yielded nine tons per acre, the 

 second 7.73 tons, the third 4.89, fourth 2.75 and fifth 

 2.23, or a total yield of 26.60 tons of green forage. 

 About 30 to 50 lbs. per day of this green forage will 

 be consumed by a cow. At the maximum rate an 

 acre of alfalfa would feed 36 cows one day, first cut- 

 ting, and to feed that number of cows safely through 

 the season from the middle of May until late October 

 would take about 40 acres only of alfalfa. Allowing 

 something to give good margin, one can feed splen- 

 didly 36 cows on 50 acres of alfalfa and have chance 

 to make quite a little hay as well from the field. 



