294 ALFALFA FARMING IN AMERICA. 



the fitness for mowing by the state of bloom. Usu- 

 ally when alfalfa is ready to* be cut it will be partly 

 in bloom. Sometimes it will be much more ad- 

 vanced in blooming than at other times. Some- 

 times there will be few blooms showing, and yet a 

 pronounced condition of readiness to be mown off. 

 Whenever it is ready to make new growth, cut it as 

 promptly as you can, regardless of the state of 

 bloom. 



It is better, however, to cut it a few days too late 

 than a few days too early, that is, better for the al- 

 falfa. 



Late Cutting Damaging. There is another law 

 that sometimes collides with this : alfalfa ought nev- 

 er to be cut late in the fall anywhere east of the 

 Missouri River. It very seriously weakens it to cut 

 it late in the fall. There ought always to be left a 

 growth of alfalfa at least 12 inches high to serve as 

 protection to the crowns. Therefore it is well to 

 cease cutting by the first week in September, or 

 earlier, according to climatic conditions. It takes 

 some nerve to do this at first. One may leave in 

 the field a ton of hay to the acre sometimes. He 

 will get so much finer alfalfa with so much less 

 death of individual plants in it the next year that he 

 will be glad however. 



The First Cutting. Along the 40th parallel one 

 can cut alfalfa usually about June 1 and find it in 

 prime condition ; sometimes it may be cut a week or 

 two earlier. It is essential to get this first cutting 



