ALFALFA FOE HORSES. 379 



roughage. If fed in this manner Its use will be found very 

 satisfactory. 



I think the danger of over-feeding exaggerated, 

 yet it is assuredly a waste to over-feed it, and it 

 must do more or less harm to the horse. In fact 

 it is one of the greatest lessons of modern times that 

 mankind may increase its energy and usefulness very 

 greatly by limiting the accustomed intake of rich 

 nitrogenous food, taking merely what is needed to 

 repair waste and rebuild the body, instead of taking 

 ' ' all it can hold, ' ' merely for the pleasure of eating. 



Developing Draft Hdrses. — When will we cease 

 sending to France, Belgium and Great Britain for 

 our draft stallions? When we have wide alfalfa 

 fields and plenty of them. There are men finding 

 the way to produce splendid draft animals at low 

 cost in America. J. W Eobison of Kansas is 

 growing Percherons in alfalfa pasture. It is said 

 that his three-year-old colts average 1,700 pounds 

 and his four-year-olds 1,900 pounds. Alfalfa is al- 

 most the only food given either mares or colts. Be- 

 fore foaling no grain is fed, only alfalfa hay or pas- 

 ture being given, and the colts come strong and the 

 mothers free from feverish tendencies and full of 

 milk. Colts so developed have action and quality- 



Safety of Alfalfa Pasture. — There is more or less 

 danger in depasturing alfalfa with sheep or cattle. 

 With horses I have never seen or heard of any 

 trouble resulting from this practice. They seem to 

 know instinctively how much to eat and when to 

 cease eating. Horses are not so subject to bloat. 



