forage it is lower, but as an average about two-thirds of the dry
matter in tender young grass or clover or in a mixed, well-balanced
ration of grain and hay is digested and thus practically destroyed
so far as the production of organic matter is concerned.

"This you could easily verify yourself, Mr. West, by feeding two
thousand pounds of any suitable ration, such as corn and clover hay,
collecting and drying the total excrement, which will be found to
weigh about seven hundred pounds, if it contains no higher
percentage of moisture than was contained in the two thousand pounds
of food consumed.

"Of course one should not forget that the liquid excrement contains
more nitrogen and more potassium than the solid, and that much of
this can be saved and returned to the land by use of plenty of
absorbent bedding, and in pasturing there is no danger of any loss
from this source."

"That is one great trouble with us," said Mr. West. "We never have
as much bedding as we could use to advantage, and it is altogether
too expensive to permit us to think of buying straw."

"Probably it would be much less expensive for you to buy ground
limestone and then use good alfalfa hay for bedding," said Percy. "I
mean exactly what I say," he continued. "Of course I do not advise
you to use good alfalfa hay in that way, but it would be a cheap
source of very valuable bedding, and it would make an extremely
valuable manure. However, I should not hesitate to make liberal use
of partially spoiled alfalfa hay for bedding, and you are quite
likely to have more or less such hay; for under favorable