Judith Gap journal. [volume] (Judith Gap, Mont.) 1908-19??, 1911-07-21

from less than twenty bushels per
acre to approximately fifty bushels
per acre. Every farmer who can grow
alfalfa, whether or not he may use
the hay for st, c K feed, should cOnsid.
! er this plant the foundation OF his ro-
tatiOns in soil culture.
When used rs fertilizer many far
mers simply leave the alfalfa two
years. The alfalfa products them
selves are SO valuable that in most
places when ii good stand is secured
it will pay to let it occupy the ground
from three years to seven or eight
years, or even much longer periods.
rAsTURING ALFALFA
There is objection to the use of al
falfa rs pasture for three important
reasons. First, sheep or cattle pas
tured on alfalfa are very apt to bloat.
The way pasturing is usually done
there is IL loss Of animals, which may
make it Improbable. Sometimes al
falfa hay will cause bloat when Ov-
erfed to sheep and cattle. The cured
hay at high attitudes where the stems
are fine and there is II large percen-
tage of leaves is more apt to cause
bloat. Undoubtedly the best method
of feeding green alfalfa is by sOiling,
in which the alfalfa is cut and car
ried to the animals each day.
The second reason for not pasturing
alfalfa is that it Injuries the plants.
Tramping and packing the ground by
stock, more especially in regions
where alfalfa is hard to grow, may
cause more damage than profit from
the pasture. This can he largely OBJ
Waited by cultivation.
The third reason for not pasturing
alfalfa is that it does much to foster
and spread alfalfa diseases. One Of
the best remedies for our more seri-
Gus alfalfa diseases is disking and ae-
! rating the soil. When soils have
been compacted by heavy tramping.
those bacteria and fungi which pro-
duce disease find conditions most ia
vorable for their development and do
the most serious damage.
Notwithstanding these objections,
much profitable pasturing of alfalfa
is done. Many large ranch and range
men leave the best crop to be fed off
by their stock in the fall and early
winter. by proper management there
need be little or no loss from blOat
Sometimes the alfalfa is allowed to
become more or less cured and sheep
or cattle are never turned on so they
will gorge themselves. They should
b. well filled withother roughage, and
after turning them in the alfalfa fields
they are left there continuously.
Moving them off and on TO the alfalfa
Will cause serious trouble. Horses,
swine and poultry may be pastured
on green alfalfa at any time.
VALUE OF DIFFERENT CUTTINGS
The first crop of alfalfa hay is al.
ways priced as the most nutritious
and valuable. 1t contains less mois.
ture, becomes better matured and I'M.
doubleday makes the best hay fol
horses. Some Colorado lamb feeders
say the best cutting for lambs is the
ting, and the second cutting is poor.
est of all. The third cutting is most
succulent and the best for COWS Civ
ing milk.
ALFALFA PRODUCTS
Recently the alfalfa meal industry
has become a large and importan
one. Alfalfa is so rich in food ele
ments that it practically becomes ;
concentrate when reduced to the con
J ditiOn of fine meal. This alfalfa mea
is mixed with other things to MAKE
, complete ratiOns. 1t is mixed will
mOlasses from the best sugar factor
les, and sometimes called "AlfamO.
Sugar beet mOlasses is II carbohydrate
which Widens the ration and gives eX
cellent results. The finer alfalfa mes,
,, or flour is put up in boxes and sol,
for poultry breakfast food. Alfalf'
, meal is mixed with other grains TO
2 balanced rations for hogs: still other
, for horses and for cows. 1t is prob
able that the hay itself will give al
most as good results for COWS or 9th
2 er animals which need roughage TO
/ stomach distention, although it
p claimed that alfalfa meal does no
:, pack in the stomach. Some recer
! experiments in Pennsylvannia sho,
il that if bran can be obtained for 81
8 per ton and alfalfa costs S22 per ton
: il is probably more economical t
' feed bran. Alfalfa meal has hig
: value for dairy cows, and it is ecC
s nomical if the cost OF the meal is nc
excessive.
r RR0KFN ANKLE nv