Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1909-07-10
GROW YOUR OWN DAIRY FEED
Home Grown Alfalfa and Cow Pea
hay Are Found 20 Be Valuable
by Tennessee Dairymen.
lCopyright lsp)

/ tCopvriuht. 1871
! Too many dairy farmers are run.
ming 20 the mills and feed stores for
supplies for their dairy COWS. They
know they need concentrates. but do
not study the problem OF feeding 20
a conclusion. Down i'm Tennessee
they raise great deal OF COW pea hay
| and think much OF It. Northern farm
eTs might raise more 20 advantage.
| They are also beginning 90 know
what alfalfa is down there. and they
are feeding it largely I'm many sec
| tons OF the state
The Tennessee experiment station
has helped the farmers immensely by
| experimenting with the different feeds
for dairy and beef cattle. The inves.
| ugators find that the cost Of milk can
be greatly reduced by replacing a part
or the concentrates I'm the daily ration
| or the COW with some roughness rich
IN protein, such as alfalfa or COW pea
hay.
! Il is an advantage to feed a dry
roughness. which is intended to re-
place q part OF the concentrates I'm a
ration, with siiage. because OF its sue
| '--"-tN fAAA'A I'faIaNanif nature.
A ton OF alfalfa or COW pea hay NAV
De produced at a cost of from $500 10
$500. whereas wheat bran costs from
$50 90 $50. From two or three tons OF
COW pea hay and from three To Eve
tons OF alfalfa can Dee obtained from
an acTe of land. hence there is a great
advantage ia the utilization OF these
roughnesses I'm the place of wheat
bran
Alfalfa and COW pea hay cannot De
substituted Co the best advantage for
cottonseed meal. as this foodstur is
so very rich In protein that n larger
ouik must be consumed than the ca
pacity or the average COW will permit.
The substitution of a roughuess rich
IN protein ior an expensive concen-
trate viii enable The dairyman 10 make
milk and butter at less cost and will
thus solve one OF hist most serious
problems.
In substituting alfalfa hay for wheat
bran 10 will be best 90 allow one and
one-half pounds OF alfalfa Co each
pound OF wheat bran. and the results
aqe likely 20 prove more satisfactory
" the alfalfa is led in a finely chopped
Csnditlon
These tests indicate that with alfal.
"a hay at $40 tom and wheat bran AZ
$50 the saving effected by substituting
alfalfa Tor wheat bran would be g. 90
Tor every 100 pounds OF butter and 1913
cents for every 100 pounds OF milk
The farmer could thus AFFORD to sell
his milk for 1913 cents a hundred less
than he now receives and his butter
for about p cents. as compared with
% cents q pound
These experiments show why alfalfa
has been frequently used as a basis OF
manufactured ioodstuns. and indicate
that the farmer who can grow 10 makes
a mistake I'm purchasing artificial
stuffs Of which IL forms the basis.
When alfalfa was fed under the
most favorable conditions a gallon OF
milk was obtained for So cents and a
pound of butter FOR lOtt cents. when
COW pea hay was fed the lowest cost
OF gallon of milk was % cents and
OF pound of butter ga cents. In
localities where peas have grown well
II can be utilized % replace wheat
bran. and in sections where alfalfa
can be grown this crop can be substi.
tuted for COW pea hay with satisfac-
ton