Arizona republican., 1910-05-24
CHAs. z. Jo"E s
 Manager
NEW PLAN FOR
 FEEDING ALFALFA
Not Meal Mill But Something Near

Dr. Chandler has evolved q plan for 1 the feeding of alfalfa which it is be 1 lieNrd will semi-rcvolutioniZc the di- ! rect results to be obtained from the product which is recognized to be one bf the most important in the Salt I River valley.
 The plan which has been used by
 Dr. Chandler for nearly year is
 something approaching the alfalfa | meal mill yet is not nearly as cxpcn-
 sivc and at the same time prepares the [ produce SD that it can be eaten by the | most delicate lamb or the most greedy ostrich. \ machine has been installed | with a capacity "f fifteen tons daily { which chops the stems and leaves int" ! bits not over a quarter of an inch in ! length. The alfalfa iS fed as it comes ! from the shock into the cylinder of the 1 maChIne which does the chopping The cylinder however performs another ! function. as il chops it also and serves 1 tn act as a fan blowing the cut stems ! and leaves into a pipe much after the | manner "i tn" regulation wind stacker ! in use nn threshing machines The l stacking is one "f the important fea- ! lures Of the plan. The tendency of q 1 wind stacker is tn blow the stray or ! chopped alfalfa all over the adjoining
 section but this has been remcdied by
 building q woven wire fence around q ] small place into which the mouth of ] the blower is turned. By the erection of the fence the blower leaves the alfalfa chopped fine v..thin the encIo- sur" but it packs il tight from the ! fH4InIl inn t. ha alfalfa is Of course more susceptible to rain than that stacked in it's natural form and as vet the plan has been tn
 use ordinary wagon covers or canvas
 of any kind but next year a roof of some light construction will he used possibly that of corrugated iron.
 However the most important fca- turc of the entire plan is that th,. : alfalfa Is cut and taken off the field giving the new growth a chance to come on immediately IL k a furcgone conclusion that the days of pasturing alfalfa. in some instances until the very roots of the plant are pulled out
 of the ground. k a thing nf the past
 Year after year the pasturing of al ia!fa. in the opinion of many ranchers.
 has been done at a great loss They
 believe that not only has the plant it.
 self been irreparably damaged but that the stock feeding on the pasture have not profit"d and taken on as
 much fat as they would have done had
 they consumed the same amount of al
 ialfa as dry feed.
 The plan in order to be carried out
 with the greatest amount of success
 mi f. ..T ..Ig
 before il commences to blossom. be-
 fore the stalks become hard and brit
 tie. In the cutting of the alfalfa be
 fore the blossoms appear il is con
 tended that the product retains
 greater amount of food properties
 The feeding nf the chopped alfalfa
 k done by hauling il from the stack and placing in pens ar racks depending entirely upon the kind of an animal
 that is tp consume it. Where il is fed
 tn the ostrichcs il is usually thrown on the ground while when fed to the cattle it is fed from pens
 Practically the only thing that can
 be said against the system is that it requires more work. There will prob ably never Dc devised a plan whereby cattl" can he more easily taken care of than by the present plan in vogue over a portion of the valley allowing the animals to go into q field several inches high and in blossom and alloy. them to remain until the feed has been eaten to the ground when they are driven into the next field However according to those who have tried the method nf cutting the alfalfa and feed ing it chopped it is claimed that they make enough by the plan to pay for all extra work from the saving to their alfalfa alone