The Ordway new era., 1913-12-12
Feeding Alfalfa Meal

Unbalanced feeding is wasteful. for
animals must eat large amounts of
one ingredient to get the necessary
quantity of some other ingredient.
In many cases the eliminatiye organs.
the kidneys and skin, are taxed TO
throw of this unnecessary material,
which Is not only wasteful but harm.
full. Protein and carbohydrates repre-
sent, ioa general way, the two great
classes Of food. Scientific experiments
on auimals made 10 all parts of the
world are fairly uniform In their
Recommendations that protein and
carbohy ydrates should be shout in the
proportion OF one to i've for ordinary
purposes and to keep animals In
healthy condition with the least pos
sible waste. Bluegrass pasture Ia in
this proportion, but examine every
thing raised for feed on our western
farms. except alfalfa. and 1t will be
found>defcient 10 protein. Corn and
kafir are about alike, rich In carbnhy-
drafts but deficient In proteif. Oats
and barley as grown In Colorado are
somewhat richer in protein, but have
not sufficient for their own balancing
Prairie hay, cornstalks and sorghum
hay are all the same, their feeding
value being largely carbonaceous.
Wheat straw contains considerable
digestible carbohydrates but almost
no protein. Ground and mixed with
alfalfa 1t is an excellent and cheap
feed. Except milk. clover and wheat
bran and alfalfa. nothing we raise has
sufficient protein even for Its own
needs. MIX and clover are not pro-
duced in sufficient amounts to be
considered. Wheat bran is all right
but the amount produced is far short
Of the demand and the price is pro-
hibitive. Alfalfa alone can be- pro.
duced In sufficient amount to supply
the need and this wonderful plant has
not only sufficient protein for itself
but enough to spare to balance all the
other feeds. 1t Is our salvation. The
country that produces this food 10
abundance has wealth untold, for pro-
tein is needed the world over. To
ship It we must bale 1t or grind 1t In
to meal. Baling is wasteful of the
leaves which. are the cream Of the
plant. all OF which is saved by grind.
Ing. In shipping, ,one-half the num-
Der OF cars are required for meal and
the freight Ia lower. Grinding adds
about thirty per cent to the digesti.
bility and 10 some cases as high as
forty per cent. Add to this the waste
usually made 10 feeding by getting
under foot, by exposure TO the weather
and by some animals leaving the
stems while eating the leaves and
Others leaving the leaves and eating
the stems only, the meal gain Is near.
er fifty per cent. My own experience
Ia that my animals keep fn as good
condition on one half the amount Of
meal as when they were formerly fed
hay. The only alfalfa ever fed on my
place In the form ofhay is that con.
sidered too badly damaged to pay to
grind. Prairie hay and straw are used
/ for roughness. In fact. alfalfa should
not be considered hay at all. It
should be mixed with grain and fed
as grain and grain balancer. To do
this OF course 1t must be ground and
then alfalfa meal becomes an ideal
food. Yet 1t must not be- understood
that alfalfa is a balanced ration or 1T
to be fed alone. 1t is most wasteful
to feed it alone. The protein is so
largely 10 excess OF what Is needed
that with oCher ordinary feeds fifteen
pounds a day Is all any animal can
take care OF with economy. There Is
some danger from collie from feeding
grain and especially corn without
balancing IL or diluting with bran or
alfalfa meal. Many experienced feed
ers never feed grain except when
balanced and diluted with alfalfa meal
aud this. T believe, to be the ideal
way. A person does not eat an ounce
OF butter and then pound OF bread,
and you do NOT give your child pot
Of jam with loaf OF bread and ask
him to balance 1t. You mix the
butter or the jam with the bread In
the proportions experience teaches
are best, aud you should do the same
thing in feeding animals. For work
horse alfalfa meal and ground corr
should be mixed 10 the proportion of
sixty per cent corn and forty per cent
alfalfa meal aud shonld be dampened.
No other Ingredient is needed. To
add bran or linseed meal Is expensive
and unnecessary and is like adding
butter to bacon. For roughness and