2^2 THE BOOK OF ALFALFA 



as mttcn as the hay. We consider alfalfa hay, for cattle, 

 sheep, and hogs, far superior to clover, but for horses 

 timothy is best. It will keep steers and sheep fat all win- 

 ter, providing they are under shelter, and is excellent for 

 milch cows. The pasture for swine and cattle is far bet- 

 ter than clover, and for work horses and sheep it is good, 

 but not the best for horses that are driven fast. Cattle 

 will bloat about as they do on Red clover when turned 

 onto it after rain, dew, or frost. To rid land of a stand 

 of alfalfa is very difficult, requiring four stout horses 

 with a very sharp plow to turn it over, but as a green 

 manure it has about the same effect as Red clover, pro- 

 ducing two or three extra crops afterwards, 



NEBRASKA. 



Olmstead & Olmstead, Furnas county. — Alfalfa, while 

 excellent for all other stock, is pre-eminently the feed 

 for hogs. Its early appearance, its wonderfully rapid 

 growth, its nutritious properties, its perennial nature 

 (keeping green until about December), its resistance to 

 drought, its wonderful fecundity, and, lastly, its adaptabil- 

 ity as a dry feed, make it, in our opinion, the most profit- 

 able crop than can be grown. Ten acres of alfalfa will 

 pasture 150 head of hogs, and give them abundance. 

 From the 15th of March, or at most not later than the 

 rSth of April, hogs and cattle can be turned on pasture, 

 and kept there until snow flies. On first bottoms, six 

 tons per acre can be depended upon as a fair, average 

 yield, while many fields this year have made as high as 

 eight. On divide, or high land,, where it has been tested 

 for three years, it averages about two to four tons per 



