150 THE BOOK OF ALFALFA 



tein in the alfalfa and that in the clover being equally 

 digestible. This comparison is chosen from the fact that 

 clover is the next cheaper source of protein found on the 

 farm. 



"At the Kansas station the following experiment was 

 conducted, and illustrates the low cost of a ration includ- 

 ing alfalfa hay for roughness as compared with a ration 

 in which prairie hay was used. The experiment was with 

 ten cows. The first ration consisted of 21 pounds of 

 alfalfa hay and 9 pounds of corn. While the cows were 

 on this ration each produced an average 26 pounds of 

 milk per day, the milk containing 3.9 per cent of butterfat. 

 To formulate a ration from prairie hay and bran which 

 had the same amount of nutrients, we were obliged 

 to feed 19 pounds of bran and 15 of hay. Fed on this 

 each cow produced only 24 pounds of milk per day, con- 

 taining 4 per cent of butterfat. The 21 pounds of alfalfa 

 hay at $7 per ton, which is rather a high estimate, and 9 

 pounds of corn at 70 cents per hundred weight cost 13.6 

 cents per day. At this rate it cost 3 1-3 cents to produce 

 a gallon of milk, or approximately 13.5 cents for a pound 

 of butterfat. Estimating bran at $16 per ton and prairie 

 hay at $5 per ton, the cost of the second ration was 18.95 

 cents per day, and milk approximately 7 cents per gallon, 

 making the butterfat worth 19.7 cents per pound. 



"The following two tables show the difference in cost 

 between a ration in which alfalfa is used for part of the 

 roughness and one which contains no alfalfa but has the 

 same amount of digestible nutrients : 



