126 



THE BOOK OF ALFALFA 



For several years feeders have been deploring the fact 

 that fattening mainly with corn was becoming less and 

 less profitable. When they began to figure the exact 

 cost of each pound of gain on a steer or hog, they saw 

 clearly that corn alone made the pound of gain cost too 

 much ; sometimes as much as it was worth in the market, 

 leaving neither profit nor interest on the investment. 

 The problem then became how to produce the pound of 

 meat more economically. 



Such a condition has prompted the state stations to 

 make tests to determine the feeding value of various 

 articles, and especially the value of alfalfa as a balance to 

 the more carbonaceous foods. The tables here appended 

 are worth studying : 



POOB VAXTJE OF SEVERAIi FODDER CROPS. 



(From New York experiment station Bui. No. ii8.) 



Alfalfa 



Com, entire plant. ....... 



Red clover ♦...♦.. 



Oats and peas. ........... 



Timothy * . . . 



Rutabagas 



Mangels 



Sugar beets 



Yield per acre 



Dry matter 



of total crop. 



per acre. 



Pounds* 



Pounds. 



34,too 



8,000 



28,000 



5,800 



18,000 



5,220 



13,000 



3,120 



10,000 



Z1S00 



31,700 



3,400 



25,000 



Z600 



17,800 



2,500 



Total digesti- 

 ble matter 

 per acre. 



Pounds- 



5,280 

 3,800 

 3>2oo 

 2,521 



2,000 

 3,000 



2,750 

 1,800 



Digestible 

 protein. 



Pounds. 



875 

 300 



491 

 350 

 228 

 279 

 232 



213 



AIS-AI/YSES OF FEBDSTUFFS. 



The following table gives the analyses of a number of 

 ieedstuifs, showing the percentage of digestible nutrients 

 and fertilizing constituents in each : 



