The River Falls times. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1894-1933, 1896-11-17
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VALUE OF ALFALFA.

Experiments IN Securing the Best
Alfalfa Hay.
The Utah experiment station has
been investigating the feeding OF al
falfa, with special reference to the
stage Of development at which the
most valuable hay is made. The fol-
lowing summary is given in Prof. A.
A. Mills bulletin No. A, just pub
lished:
From the results Of the three sea-
sons trials with alfalfa, early cut
Dust before bloom), medium cut Zone
week after first blc0m, and late cut
zone week after full bloom, the fol-
lowing conclusions seem warranted:
81. Steers fed either the alfalfa with
or without grain made the NEST rapid
gains ON the carly cut, and the lowest
on the late cut, or they stand as fol-
lows: Early cut 100, medium cut ~,
late cut 6.
50. For both first and second crops
the carly cut was first in rate OF gam,
while for the first crop the late cut was
better than the medium cut, and Tor
the second crop the medium cut is 1ar
the better OF the two.
So The feed eaten per day was
slightly the highest for the early cut
and lowest for the late cut, standing
as 100 for the early cut, ~ for the
medium cut, and 80 for the late cut.
Il. Pound for pound, the early cut
was the best the late cut second best
and the medium cut poorest. They
stand as Toe for tue early cut. rs for
thc medium cut and 81 for the late
cut
%. The early cut yielded the most
hay when weighed into the barn, the
medium cut coming second and the
Late cut last,
IS The early cut contained the most
moisture. and when all are reduced to
the same moisture content, II per
cent, which the hay contained when
fed, the yield stands: Early cut 100,
medium cut 93 and late cut SO.
81 In amount of beef produced per
acre the standing Is: Early cut 100,
medium cut II and late cut IL.
IS In yield of protein, very valllf-
bic nutrient. the standing is Eariy
cut 100, medium cut rs and late cut 81.
80. During the two weeks of budding
and Towering there appears to Lo no
additional growth; in fact, our results
show a less of 80 pounds per acre OF
dry matter during this period
'sFurther, the results of two years
feeding with different crops of alfalfa,
red clover, mixed hay, timothy and
alfalfa and straw, appear to warrant
the following conclusions:
81. In rate of grain per day the diff
ferent feeds stand as follows: First
crop alfalfa, 100; second crop alfalfa,
IS; third crop alfalfa, 10. All crops
alfalfa. 81; red clover, IS; timothy, 81.
So The food eaten per day varies
about in the same order IS the gains,
standing as follows: First crop. 100;
second crop, 81; third crop, 1O5; all
crops. 100; red clover. 80; timothy, 80.
IS. Pound per pound the good alfalfa
proved about equal to timothy, while
in rate of gain it proved better.
81. A ration of alfalfa and straw,
with grain, proved superior to one OF
alfalfa and grain.
-. Mixed hay and grain proved SUI
pelior to alfalfa and grain, but not
quite so good as alfalfa, straw and
grain.
''6. A ration with a wide nutritiye
ratio. to SO, proved much better than
one with a narrow nutritive ratio, 1 to
4.56 while a ration having nutritive
ratio of / to 4.S1 proved better than
either of the others.
-. The use OF mixed fodder in the
rations in one case mixed hay and in
the other alfalfa and straw, appeared
to have much more to do with the feed
ing value than did the nutritive ratio
of the rationS. However, the ration
that was nearest the Wolff's standard
gave the best results.
50 Better results were obtained by
making the ration wider than the
standard by 2.6, than by making it
narrower by La.
20. BY feeding what straw the ami
mails will eat up clean, our foods rich
in protein-alfalfa, bran and wheat
may be fed to good advantage, though
the nutritive ratio be too narrow.
'1O Where the rations contained but
one class of folders, legumes, the feed.
ing value very closely followed the
amount of protein in the ration; but
when the rations contained any other
folders, mixed hay. timothy or straw
the varying amounts of protein in the
ration appeared to have little to do
with the variation in feeding value of
the ration"
About Successful Farming.
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