qo —S = = 
FEEDING VALUE OF ALFALFA. 17 
There is much difference of opinion among farmers as to the value of 
alfalfa for horses. Some prefer timothy or wild hay, together with 
grain; some feed alfalfa and grain, while others maintain that horses 
do well enough upon alfalfa alone. It is usually admitted that for 
hard work, horses should be given at least a small allowance of grain. 
In Wyoming some ranchmen claim that wild hay gives a firmer 
flesh than alfalfa, and thus, even when feeding the latter to cattle being 
prepared for the market, the stockmen will feed wild hay for about two 
weeks prior to shipment. Some feeders finish by adding grain to the 
ration. For this purpose barley is used, as it is the only grain ayail- 
able through most of the Northwest. The seasons are too short or 
the nights too cold for the successful cultivation of corn, the standard 
feeding grain of the region to the east, and freight rates make this 
grain when shipped too expensive for use. At Fort Collins and adja- 
cent parts of Colorado large numbers of sheep are fattened for the 
market upon alfalfa and corn. It is said that about 300,000 were fed 
in that vicinity during the winter of 1900-1901. Lambs weighing 35 
or 40 pounds are brought from the ranges of New Mexico and fed from 
about the ist of October until sold, which may be anywhere from Feb- 
ruary to June. The yearlings will then weigh from 70 to 90 pounds. 
It is stated” *‘ that 40 acres of alfalfa will keep 300 sheep when pas- 
tured uponit. There is danger of bloating at first, but as soon as 
the sheep have become accustomed to it this danger ceases. Forty 
acres of alfalfa and 20 acres of grain will feed 450 to 500 head.” 
In many parts of the Great Basin it is customary for feeders to buy 
alfalfa in the stack for winter feeding, paying a certain amount per 
head per day. Conveniences for weighing are usually lacking, and this 
method seems to be satisfactory. At Lovelocks, which lies in one of 
the great alfalfa districts of central Nevada, the price for cattle was T 
to 8 cents per head and for sheep 1 cent per head perday. In Nevada, 
and also in some other districts of the Northwest, the stock cattle are 
kept upon the range during the winter, though the ranchmen try to 
provide a supply of alfalfa or wild hay for use during snowstorms. A 
selection is made from the herd, however, of those that are to receive 
winter feed with more regularity. These are the weaklings, the heifers 
with calf, and the cows with calves by their sides. Itis also customary 
to feed only the old or weak sheep during the winter, the remainder 
being turned upon the deserts for their winter range. 
Some common forms of racks for feeding alfalfa to cattle and sheep 
are shown in Pls. V and VI. 
Though some maintain that grain hay is better for feeding cattle, ton 
for ton, than alfalfa, the majority of feeders state that the reverse has 
been their experience. Mr. G. F. Chapman, of Evanston, Wyo., states 
4 Agricola Aridus, published by the Colorado Agricultural College, I, p. 24. 
9495—No. 31—02 
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