The Book of Alfalfa: History, Cultivation and Merits: Its Uses as a Forage and FertilizerCoburn, F. D. (Foster Dwight)
History
The Book of Alfalfa: History, Cultivation and Merits: Its Uses as a Forage and Fertilizer
Coburn, F. D. (Foster Dwight)
Alfalfa
We find but little difference between the straw and the hay,
and while all stock like the straw better, there is no doubt that the
hay contains the more nutriment. Like all rank growths, alfalfa will
produce double under irrigation, and the quantity will greatly
overbalance any possible improvement in quality without irrigation, for
I have found little difference between that grown by irrigation and
under natural moisture. For horses, there is no pasture better than the
alfalfa; for sheep and cattle, it sometimes works injury by way of
bloat, caused by too rapid grazing, especially when there is dew, thin
cattle and young stock being most liable. Cattle in high condition and
cows suckling or well forward in calf do not bloat. As preventive of the
bloat, hay should be kept in the pasture where the stock can run to it,
and a good supply of salt in troughs to which they have constant access.
The plant will not stand trampling by stock unless the surface of the
ground be entirely dry, and we do not allow sheep or cattle on the
fields during certain stages of growth nor during certain states of the
weather. We consider this pasture better than clover for swine,
especially when the ground has a smooth surface, but if the soil is of a
sandy nature, and allowed to dry, it is not so good. The capacity per
acre depends on the nature of the soil, and the gain in weight made by
the hogs depends on the breed and on the comfort they have. We can raise
hogs on alfalfa, and by feeding them two months on grain (say barley,
wheat, or Egyptian corn) they will average, when 10 months old, 250
pounds, gross.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account