ALFAtFA AND THE DAIRY 151 



Alfalfa hay. . 19 lbs at $ 7.00 per ton . • . $.066 



Com 7 lbs at .70 per cwt . . . .049 



Bran 2)4 lbs at 18.00 per ton. . . .0225 



$.1375 



Sorghum hay. . 10 lbs at $ 3.50 per ton. $.0175 

 Prairie hay .... 12 lbs at 6.00 per ton . .036 

 Ground wheat . . 8 lbs at .Soperbu. .1066 

 Cottonseed meal 3 lbs at 24.00 per ton . . 036 



$.1961 



"As shown by the table a gain of 5 86 cents is made by 

 feeding the alfalfa. Being a proteinaceous feed it can to 

 a great extent be substituted for cottonseed meal, linseed 

 meal or gluten meal, and will entirely substitute other 

 leguminous hays and forages, such as soy bean hay, cow- 

 pea hay, clover hay and vetch hay, any one of which is 

 more expensive, for nutrients contained, than alfalfa hay. 



"The Kansas station has found it practicable, from 

 results obtained in the past three years, to ensile green 

 alfalfa for dairy cows. This is superior to dry alfalfa, 

 owing to its succulent nature. In the eastern part of the 

 United States ensiling alfalfa has another advantage in 

 that all cuttings can be harvested in perfect condition. As 

 a rule the first cutting throughout this whole territory is 

 liable to be damaged more or less by rains. By putting 

 the green alfalfa into a well constructed silo this loss can 

 be obviated and the full value retained. For example: a 

 man has 40 acres of alfalfa, from which he harvests for 

 the first crop i>^ tons per acre. Estimating the price of 

 good, clean alfalfa hay at $7 a ton, this would be worth 



