416 ALFALFA FARMING IN AMERICA. 
will eat with great satisfaction. Some poultry keep- 
ers advise wetting the leaves, or pouring boiling 
water over them, which makes them freshen up 
amazingly; others think as good results come from 
feeding them dry. 
Meal and Cut Hay.—Alfalfa meal is admirable 
for poultry and egg production. Where alfalfa is 
not grown and the hay is therefore unavailable 
doubtless the meal is a profitable source of vege- 
table food and protein. It stimulates egg production 
and is thought to have some influence in making the 
eggs fertile. 
For home use, where alfalfa hay is available it 
is well to cut the hay in very short lengths, the 
shorter the better probably, choosing very early 
cut, tender and well cured hay for this purpose. 
This will doubtless do nearly or quite as well as 
alfalfa meal, and the leaves from the feeding barn 
will do best of all since they are most digestible of 
any part of the alfafa plant. 
It is noticeable that when alfalfa is available in 
winter egg production is greatly stimulated. 
