SOILING AND PASTURE. 



329 



comparison was in favor of the alfalfa, taking into 

 account the ease with which it was grown and har- 

 vested and the improvement to th© soil that follows 

 its use. 



The whole bulletin is well worth study, hut I re- 

 produce only the general observations : 



These feeding trials here reported, though many of them for 

 periods necessarily rather short, were repeated for several sea- 

 sons and are the average results from a number of different 

 cows, so that the indications which they all give of the value 

 of alfalfa can hardly be considered accidental. 



The average of all the analyses made of the fourteen lots of 

 alfalfa used in these feeding trials will give an idea of the gen- 

 eral composition of alfalfa forage. The average composition of 

 three lots of mature corn forage might he considered beside that 

 of the alfalfa for comparison as follows: 



Percent of moisture 



Per cent of ash 



Per cent of protein 



Per cent of true albuminoids — 



Per cent of crude fiber 



Per cent of nitrogen-free extract 

 Per cent of fats 



In determining the cost of milk, for purpose of comparison, 

 for each period reported in the preceding tables, the cost of the 

 food only was considered. The manurial values of the foods 

 were not taken into account, although under favorable condi- 

 tions the net cost to the farm of milk would be much influ- 

 enced by the fertilizing values of the foods. The manurial 

 values of rations containing alfalfa and of those containing 

 highly nitrogenous grain foods would be much greater than of 

 most rations, but except where especial attention is given to 

 careful handling of manure, only a small proportion of the 

 possible amount would be recovered. 



When alfalfa forage was substituted for some other food or 

 the amount of aJfalfa in the ration increased, there followed, in 

 ten instances a decrease in the cost of the milk, in two in- 

 stances a very slight increase in cost, and in two instances the 

 cost of milk was practically the same. There was an increase 



