330 ALFALFA FARMING IN AMERICA. 
in the yield of milk in seven instances, a decrease in four in- 
stances of about what might normally be expected to occur 
without change of food, and little change in yield in three in- 
stances. 
When the change was from a ration containing alfalfa to one 
containing less or no alfalfa, there followed an increase in the 
cost of milk in ten instances and there was about the same cost 
once. There was a decrease of the milk yield in nine instances, 
and an increase of the milk yield in two. 
When alfalfa was substituted for other foods in the ration or 
the amount of alfalfa increased there followed a decrease in the 
cost of fat in seven instances and an increase of the cost in six 
instances. There was an increase of the amount of fat in six 
instances, a decrease in five instances, and little change in 
amount twice. 
When the change was from a ration containing alfalfa to one 
containing less or none, there followed an increase in the cost of 
fat in nine instances, a decrease in cost once, and there was 
about the same cost twice. There was an increase of the amount 
of fat in three instances, a decrease in three, and about the same 
amount of fat in five. 
When the change in the ration was to more alfalfa, or to 
alfalfa in place of some other food, there followed a decrease 
in per cent. of fat in milk in six instances, an increase in three, 
and little change in per cent. in four instances. When changed 
from a ration containing alfalfa to one containing less or none, 
there followed an increase in per cent. of fat in six instances and 
a decrease of per cent. in five. 
There has been usually an increase in milk yield accompany- 
ing the use of alfalfa, although there was often at the same 
time a decrease in the per cent of fat. ‘With alfalfa forage, 
rated at the same cost as other forage, there was generally a 
decrease in the cost of milk when the alfalfa was fed, and not 
much change in the cost of the fat produced. 
Corn forage (fully matured), in the results accompanying its 
use, has compared most favorably with alfalfa; but except in 
the form of silage it is only available for a short time in the 
fall before frost. Alfaifa is ready for the first cutting about the 
time of planting corn, and about as early as rye forage can be 
cut. The proportion of constituents also differs so widely be- 
tween alfalfa and corn forage that these plants can not well be 
considered as substitutes for each other, but as supplementary. 
For making rations like those usually fed, coarse fodder and 
grain foods, in general cheaper than those used with corn forage, 
