“It will be seen that none of these contain a sufficient proportion of protein to secure best results, and all combinations of these feeds will have the same defect.
“Some feeds have too great a proportion of protein to be fed alone, as shown below, the figures indicating pounds per 100 pounds of feed:
| Protein | Carbo- hydrates | Fat | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alfalfa hay | 10.6 | 37.3 | 1.4 |
| Gluten-meal | 31.1 | 43.9 | 4.8 |
| Linseed-oil meal | 28.8 | 32.8 | 7.1 |
| Cottonseed-meal | 37.0 | 16.5 | 12.6 |
| Soy-beans | 39.6 | 22.3 | 14.4 |
“Making a balanced ration is combining the feeds deficient in protein with those having an excess of it, to make a ration which will contain the right proportions for the animals fed.”
VARIATIONS IN ANALYSIS
Variations in the foregoing tables would indicate that the analysis is likely to vary with the product of different soils and different cultivations. In spite of variations it may be readily seen that alfalfa with its high protein value makes a very effective and economical balance for corn for heavy feeding. When it is taken into consideration that this forage so rich in protein can be raised at home, and that its growing is at the same time enriching the soil, the conclusion is easy that alfalfa hay may profitably constitute a part of all the fattening operations; it is also clear that the economical way to market alfalfa is through the farm’s live stock.
CHAPTER XI.
Alfalfa in Beef-Making
The cattle feeder is not much given to sentiment and cares less for the beauty of the purple flowers of the alfalfa than he does for the best method of converting those purple flowers and the accompanying foliage into marketable beef. An accepted but unwritten rule of cornfeeding is that 1000 pounds of grain with ordinary forage will produce 100 pounds of gain, under normal conditions.
SOME FEEDING TESTS
The Kansas station in a careful feeding test of 153 days produced 100 pounds of gain with 718 pounds of grain by using alfalfa hay for roughness. This test also gave the following table of gain in values, from the use of different feeds in the same given time: