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The Nutritive Value of Alfalfa Hay. II. Starch and Glucose as Supplements to an all Alfalfa Hay Ration^*

Dairy Husbandry Section and the Chemical Section of the Michigan Agricultural Experiment Station, East Lansing

ABSTRACT

1. The effect of supplementing an all alfalfa hay ration with either cornstarch or corn sugar (glucose) was studied on 25 feeding trials with 14 cows. Six pounds of starch or glucose were usually added per day.
   
2. The addition of starch or glucose to the alfalfa ration did not increase the production of fat-corrected milk although the total digestible nutrient intake was increased appreciably.
   
3. The replacement of 6 pounds of starch or glucose with 6 pounds of corn or wheat increased the production of fat-corrected milk markedly although the total digestible nutrient intake was not increased.
   
4. The addition of starch to the alfalfa ration did not reduce the appetite for hay but the addition of glucose tended to depress hay consumption.
   
5. The results of these experiments indicate that digestible calories are not the limiting factors in alfalfa hay for optimum milk production but that an unknown milk-stimulating factor or factors are supplied by corn or wheat when fed as a supplement to an all alfalfa hay ration.
   

^* Published with the approval of the Director of the Agricultural Experiment Station as Journal Article No. 698 (n.s.).