Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1900-05-05
GREAT VALUE OF ALFALFA
Kansas City Star.
ALFALFA FOR SEED

ALFALFA FOR SEED.
1.-THE growing of alfalfa for seed
has been very profitable business in
the past. Alfalfa for seed is better
sown broadcast and should be rather
thin stand. 1t makes little differ
ence whether the first or second crop
is saved for seed, where bees are kept
to assist in thr pollination. Alfalfa
can be threshed with an ordinary
threshing machine, but this does not
get the seed out as clean as a clover
huller would. The straw is poor feed
compared with the hay, but still it is
almost as good feed for horses as tim
othy hay. a good average yield of
seed is six bushels per acre, but doub-
lie or higher yields are often obtained.
Upland is said to produce much bet
ter seed than rich bottom land. AL
falfa seed weighs sixty pounds per
bushel and its price varies from 3 to
10 cents per pound. In Europe it has
steady intrinsic value for dyeing
purposes in the printing of cotton
fabrics. Large quantities of seed
have been exported from America to
SCIENTIFIC FEEDING.
''No farmer can learn to feed alfal-
fa in the most economical manner un-
til he understands the compounding
of balanced ration. All foodstuffS
for either man or beast are made up
of three classes of substances, name
ly: protein or proteids. fats and car
bohydrates. The animals digestive
and aSSimilative organs are so con-
Structed that they cannot use these
three classes of substances inter
changeably; in other words. an ami
NAL feed wholly upon any one of these
three substances would gradually
starve death.
protein contains nitrogen, while
the carbohydrates and fats have none
of this important element in their
composition. The white of egg is al
most pure protein; the gluten of the
wheat flour and the lean meat are
eaten by man to supply his body with
protein. The green leaves of plants
and their tender, growing shoots are
gorged with large quantities of pro-
tein; this is true of alfalfa in super
lative degree. The carbohydrates |
are such substances as starch, sugar,
and vegetable fiber. The fats and |
carbohydrates supply heat to the |
body and build up fatty tissues. Pro- |
tein may be broken down in such a |
way by digestion that it will liberate |
heat and go to help build up the fat, |
hut the carbohydrates and fats cam
not build up muscle or nerve tissue. /
From the foregoing facts, it is evil
dent that protein is the most import
ant substance in feed Stnff.
''All the common feeds grown in
Kansas, except alfalfa, are excessive
ly rich in carbohydrates and CORES
poor in protein. Itfollows
that our feeders waste annually mil
lions of dollars worth of carbohy-
drateS because of lack of protein
with which to balance the ratioRs of
their domestic animals. Since carbo-
hydrates are always in excess and go-
ing to waste on an average Kansas
farm, we are warranted in our con-
cluSIOn that under present conditions
any additions that might be made to
the annual yield of carbohydrates
Z
would not add dollar to the wealth
of the state; also. that an increase of
the total product of protein up to
the point where it would balance the
total carbohydrates would increase
the wealth of the state, not only by
the amount of increase in protein, but
by the amount of carbohydrates sax-
ed As it takes only about one pound
of protein to balance five pounds of
carbohydrates, L think we can readily
see what a wonderful lever the sub
stance protein might be for the lift
ing of Kansas agriculture
'-One hundred pounds of average
alfalfa hay contain 10.6 pounds of di-
sestihle protein; 100 pounds of shelled
,orn contain only IS pounds of diges-