THIRTEENTH ANNUAL YEAR BOOK— PART XII 697 



5. Question: Do you find it very difficult to cure the first crop of 

 alfalfa? 



Answer: "No." "Not particularly." "Yes, on account of rain." 

 "Hard to get bright color but never a loss." "No." 



6. Question: Is it more difficult to cure alfalfa than to cure red clover? 

 Answer: "No." "Not more so than heavy crop of red clover." "I 



do not know. Never grew any red clover." "Very much easier to cure 

 than red clover; generally have both and there is no comparison." "No, 

 it cures quicker." 



From these answers it will be seen that these men, who had been 

 growing alfalfa for from three to fifteen years and whose average acreage 

 had been 62.9 acres each, do not consider the alfalfa hay crop harder 

 to cure than other crops more generally grown and recommended. The 

 emphatic statement of one correspondent with 140 acres, that after hav- 

 ing grown both alfalfa and red clover for years he considers it very much 

 easier to cure alfalfa hay than to satisfactorily cure red clover, may ap- 

 peal to some as rather sensational and is certainly contrary to the more 

 or less theoretical views which are sometimes expressed. 



These men's years of experience have been of much value in determin- 

 ing practical methods by which they can secure most uniformly good 

 results under our Iowa conditions. 



The methods of curing alfalfa hay in use by them, as told in their own 

 words, in answer to the request: — State carefully your method of 

 handling, curing the first crop, time of cutting, raking, bunching, cock- 

 ing, etc., follows: 



"What is cut in forenoon is raked first thing afternoon. In case of 

 strong sun and very warm day, I commence raking about two hours 

 after being cut and commence to bunch up and cock immediately after; 

 leave in cocks two or three days, then put in stack using wide tired 

 wagons. I never allow alfalfa to dry so as to lose any of the leaves or 

 color and it always comes out of stack nice and green." 



"We handle alfalfa very much the same as clover. Usually cut first 

 crop between June 3 and 15, according to season. Follow Joe Wings' 

 method of determining when alfalfa is ready to cut. Cut when new 

 shoots are started regardless of condition of bloom. We cut the alfalfa 

 and allow it to wilt in the swath, and rake in light windrows before the 

 leaves are dry enough to crumble and as soon as sufficiently dry to 

 stack or put in mow it is bunched with hay-rake and pitched on wagons 

 and hauled to barn or stack. 



"Of course, the weather sometimes interferes with our plans for han- 

 dling alfalfa, but this is the method we follow when it is possible." 



"We do not practice cocking. It seems to take a long time to cure the 

 alfalfa in cocks." 



"We always try to bunch alfalfa with the rake when it is tough enough 

 so that the leaves will not be lost." 



"From the first of June, I just cut as much at one time as I can haul 

 in a day; then when it is dry enough — say if it is drying weather, I let 

 it dry a day and a half — bunch it and haul it in right away and put in a 

 barn for I have no luck stacking out-doors." 



