146 ILLINOIS STATE DAIRYMEN'S ASSOCIATION 



somewhat, but the conditions as to the relative acreage of 

 these crops is still deplorable. 



In the five intensive dairy counties of northeastern Illi- 

 nois 10 per cent of the tillable land is devoted to timothy 

 while only 1.6 per cent is in alfalfa. The total of alfalfa 

 and clover acreage is only 4.2 per cent in the United States 

 against 4.1 per cent in timothy. In Illinois there is 3.7 per 

 cent of these two crops as compared to 5.3 per cent in tim- 

 othy, and in the five dairy counties in Northern Illinois there 

 is 6.3 per cent in alfalfa and clover and 10 per cent in tim- 

 othy. 



From data taken recently while visiting twenty-six 

 places selected as being among the best special dairy farms 

 in the northern part of Illinois, four farms, or 15 per cent, 

 had no other hay than timothy, and yet these farms aver- 

 aged 21 cows giving milk; only half the farms had any al- 

 falfa ; and the total acreage of legumes on 14 farms had 

 less than 10 per cent of their area, instead of 40 per cent, 

 the needed amount on dairy farms. 



A Heavy Needless Expense. 



But many dairymen may say, ''We don't feed any such 

 poor ration as you make out. We buy protein feeds, bran, 

 oil meal, etc., and give the cows a good ration." Yes, it is 

 very common practice to buy protein concentrates to bal- 

 ance the ration. These feeds are bought by the ton and 

 by the carload, and often cost the dairyman $400 to $1,000 

 a year. But why purchase the protein? Why deliberately 

 move so large a portion of the year's receipt^ across the 

 ledger page from an income to an expense — and sometimes 

 into red ink? If alfalfa had been grown the protein would 

 be in the hay mow. With timothy yielding one and a half 

 tons and alfalfa three and a half tons (as indicated in Part 

 II of this series), it would take 1.94 acres of timothy for 

 every acre of alfalfa to produce the respective rations 

 named. So it takes nearly double the land to produce the 

 timothy — another immense increase in cost, very easily 

 $200 a year. Buying the protein will do such a ration and 

 the cow a great deal of good but it turns the dairyman's 



