12 
Colorado Agricultural Experiment Station 
The slope of sides must not be too great or the hay will jam in the nar¬ 
rowest part at the bottom. 
If alfalfa meal is fed in self feeders, covers should be provided, as 
snow incorporates itself so thoroughly with the meal that much waste 
will result. On the preceding page is given a plan of the self feeder. 
When alfalfa meal is used, put a 1x4 piece on each side below the 
lowest 10 inch board, thus reducing the neck space. Also put in a false 
floor made by two 12 inch boards in the shape of an inverted V-shaped 
hog trough. This directs the meal to each opening and the sheep are 
not forced to stretch in order to get at the meal. "The use of the self 
feeder has become general in the Fort Collins lamb-feeding district, 
and its use will be found advantageous in all Colorado feeding districts. 
Barley For Fattening Lambs 
A plump, full kerneled barley is as good as corn, pound for pound, 
for fattening lambs, when it is used with alfalfa hay as a roughage. A 
light kerneled, heavy hulled barley such as California feed barley (a six 
rowed barley) is not as valuable as the two or four rowed barleys, 
although it yields somewhat more per acre than the two or four rowed 
barleys. The one trial thus far made indicates a feeding value about ten 
per cent less than the heavier barleys. 
Alfalfa Meal 
Most of our experiments were with a coarse meal, or cut hay. Four 
years’ work shows that a saving results from the use of cut hay, but 
that with good hay the saving is fully offset by the cost of cutting the 
hay where the cost of such cutting amounted to $1 per ton. In one 
instance, where poor quality of hay was used, a money saving was ef¬ 
fected by its use when the cost of cutting was $1 per ton. I believe we 
may safely sum up the situation as follows: In any section where one 
or more cuttings of hay are usually badly weathered because of rains, 
it will pay the feeder to reduce his hay, provided the cost of the meal 
delivered at his farm, in excess of the cost of whole hay, is not more 
than $1 per ton for the coarser grades, or $3 to $4 for the finely 
floured meal. We as yet have no evidence that it will pay to reduce 
a good quality of hay. 
Where one is installing his own machinery, he should figure power 
cost, depreciation and interest, as well as labor cost; and he should 
also realize that having the machine upon the place will enable him to 
secure much closer consumption of coarse, poor quality products, such 
as straw, corn stalks, and tops and bottoms of alfalfa stacks especially 
if he is in a position to mix a more palatable feed, such as beet syrup, 
with the cut product- Where one hauls his hay to a mill to be cut, lie 
should figure the cost of such hauling as well as the price for cutting 
the hay. • is 
The fodder cutter and alfalfa mill have a legitimate place upon many 
farms, and the publication of our experimental results is not meant to 
