116 DESCRIPTION OF FEEDING STUFFS 
ratio of about 1: 3.6, it is too high in protein for 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 
Fia. 17.—Curing and harvesting alfalfa. (‘‘Productive Farming,’ Davis.) 
bran or similar feeds in rations for dairy cows, in the proportion of 
about 114 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 of what this concentrate 
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 
