NET-ENERGY VALUES OF ALFALFA HAY AND ALFALFA 
MEAL 1 
By E. B. Forbes, Director , J. August Fries, Assistant Director, and W. W. 
Braman, Associate, Institute of Animal Nutrition, of Pennsylvania State 
College 
INTRODUCTION 
The investigation reported here was undertaken to determine the 
effect of fine grinding of alfalfa hay, as in the preparation of commer¬ 
cial alfalfa meal, on its net-energy value. Some of the results, 
computed by an older method, were incorporated in an earlier pub¬ 
lication, 2 but the detailed account of the experiment is first presented 
in detail here. 
The subject of the experiment was a purebred Shorthorn steer 20 
months old and having an initial weight of 345 kilograms. 
The general plan of the experiment was to feed to this steer, 
alternately, alfalfa hay and alfalfa meal during six periods (a pair of 
rations on each of three planes of intake). 
The method of experimentation was the same as in the previous 
net-energy determinations at this institute by the use of the respira¬ 
tion calorimeter. 3 
PERIODS AND RATIONS 
Each feeding period extended over 21 days, of which the first 11 
were preliminary and the last 10 the period of the digestion and 
energy metabolism experiment. On the eighteenth ana nineteenth 
days, 48-hour determinations of the respiration products and the heat 
roduction were made by means of the respiration calorimeter. The 
ates of the several periods, the rations fed, and the average live 
weight of the animal in each period are shown in Table I. 
Table I.— Periods, rations, and average live weights 
Period 
Preliminary period, 
1911-12 • 
Digestion period, 
1912 
Alfalfa 
hay 
Alfalfa 
meal 
Live 
weights h 
I 
Dec. 24-Jan. 3_ 
Jan. 4-13__ 
Kg. 
7.5 
Kg. 
Kg. 
348.6 
348.7 
353.7 
349.4 
337.1 
329.4 
II 
Jan. 14-24___ 
Jan. 25-Feb. 3_ 
7.5 
III 
Feb. 4-14._ _ 
Feb. 15-24_ 
6.0 
TV 
Feb. 25-Mar. 6 _ 
Mar. 7-16_ 
6.0 
V 
Mar. 17-27 __ 
Mar. 28-Apr. 6__ _ 
3.5 
vi - 
Apr. 7-17_ 
Apr. 18-27.. _ 
3.5 
« All dates are inclusive. b Average of last 6 weights taken at 8 a. m. 
i Received for publication Apr. 10, 1925; issued January, 1926. This investigation was conducted 
with the financial cooperation of the Bureau of Animal Industry of the U. S. Department of Agriculture. 
It was planned, in detail, by H. P. Armsby, and executed by J. A. Fries, W. W. Braman, D. C. Coch¬ 
rane, K. K. Jones, F. W. Christensen, J. W. Parke, and F. C. Dos 6 . 
* Armsby, H. P., and Fries, J. A. net energy values of feeding stuffs for cattle. Jour. Agr. 
Research 3:435-491. illus. 1915. 
3 Armsby, H. P., and Fries, J. A. Op. cit. 
-, and Fries, J. A. the influence of type and of age upon the utilization of feed by 
cattle. U. S. Dept. Agr., Bur. Anim. Indus. Bui. 128, 245 p., illus. 1911. 
Journal of Agricultural Research. 
Washington, D. C. 
(987) 
Vol. XXXI, No. 10 
Nov. 15,1925 
Key No. Penn .-15 
