10 
PASTURING SHEEP ON ALFALFA. 
Lambs do not bloat on alfalfa pasture until they are old 
enough to wean. 
Alfalfa is certainly the best thing to lamb on for spring 
lambs. We are now (January 1899) having our first experi¬ 
ence in lambing ewes in the winter. We have 1100 ewes 
and so far have saved about ninety-five per cent, of the 
lambs. 
W. H. NEY, Fowler. 
The best way to guard against bloat in pasturing sheep 
on alfalfa is to feed the sheep well on any dry feed just be¬ 
fore turning them on the alfalfa and turn them in while full 
and leave them there night and day. By this method the 
losses will be light and success assured. Alfalfa pasture has 
great fattening qualities and early lambs having the run of 
alfalfa fields during the summer months will make much 
heavier gains than lambs running on the open range and 
depending on native grass. We could show lambs the fall 
of 1898 that were fit for any market and had tasted no grain 
since the last April. Sheep that run on alfalfa need little 
or no grain to fit them for market and this makes quite a 
saving. 
The Arkansas valley is well adapted to sheep farming. 
Hay is cheap for winter feeding and the necessary grain can 
be raised here as cheaply as anywhere. For either breed¬ 
ing or fattening sheep I know of no place to equal the Ar¬ 
kansas Valley. 
J. W. BROWN, Rocky Ford. 
This is our first year of pasturing sheep on alfalfa. We 
pastured 500 ewes and their lambs on alfalfa for two months 
and then turned them on the range. We did not lose any 
by bloat. We did not move the sheep off the alfalfa when 
we irrigated. We have a large breed of sheep, the French 
Merinos, the ewes weighing from 140 to 200 pounds. We 
lamb early, feed for awhile in the corrals and this year we 
pastured on alfalfa for two months. This gives both the 
ewes and the lambs a good start and they do well on the 
range. We expect our lambs to weigh 90 pounds the first 
of October. Alfalfa is all right for sheep. 
T. N. ORCUTT, Rocky Ford. 
I have never pastured on alfalfa, but make it into^hay 
