160 Western Live-stock Alanagement 
ing rapidly throughout the West. The alfalfa is run 
through a cutter that chops it up in lengths of about 
three-fourths of aninch. After being cut, the hay may 
be fed direct, stored in barns, or stacked in the fields. 
Some feeders make a practice of stacking their hay in 
the field at haying time and then during the late summer 
or early fall go into the field with a big chopper and 
traction engine, chop the hay, and restack it in the field. 
This chopped hay stacks well and the stacks are said to 
turn moisture as well as those made from the long hay. 
Grinding alfalfa is practiced to some extent, but this 
process requires much more power than chopping and 
seems to be little improvement. There are many large es- 
tablishments that make a business of grinding hay, but 
these firms ship out their product and usually sell it under 
fancy names to the dairymen and small farmers. 
The chief advantages of chopping are ease of handling 
and freedom from waste. When long hay is used, it is 
always necessary to clean out the stalks and leavings, 
since the lambs will not eat these until they become very 
hungry. When the feeder has a considerable amount of 
stock, sheep, cattle, or horses, this refuse may be fed to 
advantage, but where he has no outlet for refuse hay, it 
is a dead loss. With the chopped hay, however, the 
entire amount is consumed without waste or loss. An- 
other advantage is that the grain is mixed with the chopped 
hay. In this manner lambs that are not used to this 
grain may be put on full feed in the shortest time and 
with the least danger. It is not usually claimed that 
chopping or grinding hay has any great effect on its di- 
gestibility or feeding value; that is, the professional lamb- 
feeders who are handling it on a large scale do not make 
such claims, although firms grinding it and selling it under 
