FEEDING VALUE OF THE HAY. 359 
alfalfa, linseed oil meal, quite a little richer than al- 
falfa in protein, or cottonseed meal, richest of all, 
but a dangerous feed in unskillful hands. Thus they 
compound rations that give them good results, but 
the cost eats up the profit. 
Substitute for Bran.—Wheat bran has increased 
in cost by leaps and bounds. I once bought it for 
#8 per ton. I then fed lambs on timothy hay and 
shredded corn stover, with corn (maize) for grain 
food. With the aid of the purchased bran, supply- 
ing the protein lacking in the other food, I made 
good lambs. It was a profitable business. Then other 
feeders found out that bran was good for lambs, 
the price went up, steadily higher and higher. Had 
not I found that I could substitute alfalfa hay for 
wheat bran and get just as good lambs I would have 
quit the business or gone bankrupt. Thousands of 
feeders and dairymen are on the ragged edge of 
bankruptey today because of their large feed bills 
for purchased protein. At present wheat bran is 
worth about $25 to $30, almost anywhere that it is 
fed. 
A ton of it is only better than a ton of alfalfa 
hay because of its being more easily eaten; there is 
the same nutriment in the alfalfa hay, very nearly. 
Need of Protein.—Young animals almost starve 
for protein very often, especially where corn is 
cheap. I have many times seen pigs in the feedlot 
after cattle, having more corn than they could con- 
sume, fat, round, yet dwarfed, half-starved, Their 
