GROWING ALFALFA SEED. 437 



stage of maturity at which to harvest alfalfa. While the major- 

 ity prefer to harvest when most of the seed is ripe and when two- 

 thirds to three-fourths of the pods are brown, others recommend 

 to harvest when one-half of the pods are brown. One grower 

 harvests the crop when one-third of the pods are black. One 

 grower harvests the crop when one-third of the pods are black, 

 one-third brown, and one-third green; others harvest as soon as 

 the ripest seed begins to shatter, while still others maintain that 

 the first seed that ripens is the best and prefer to cut a little 

 early, claiming that the seed will be of as good quality and that 

 there is less loss from shattering in handling and less danger of 

 damage by unfavorable weather. 



Mature alfalfa seed has a clear, light-golden color; immature 

 seed has more of a greenish tinge and may be shrunken; but if 

 the crop is not harvested until the seed is fully ripe the pods drop 

 off, the seed shells easily, and the crop is hard to handle without 

 great loss, even if it escapes unfavorable weather after harvest. 

 On the whole, it seems to the writer safest to cut the crop a little 

 green rather than to risk loss in ways mentioned. The greenish- 

 colored seed, if not too shrunken, is good vital seed and ger- 

 minates well. 



Methods of Harvesting. A crude method is to cut with a mower 

 and rake into windrows the same as hay. Handled in this way 

 much seed may be wasted. If the alfalfa is mowed in the morn- 

 ing, when the dew is on, and raked immediately, there is much 

 less shattering of seed. If cut during the heat of the day, to pre- 

 vent the shelling and waste of seed men should follow the machine 

 with forks, moving the cut alfalfa out of the way of the team and 

 the machine. When provided with a buncher or windrower at- 

 tachment, the mower does better work and may be economically 

 used. There is some objection to leaving the alfalfa in loose 

 bunches or in open windrows, and unless the weather is very 

 favorable and the purpose is to thrash at once, it is best to follow 

 the mower closely, placing the alfalfa in larger piles or cocks, 

 about what a man may lift at one forkful, thus avoiding pulling 

 the bunches apart in loading, which would cause the pods to 

 break off and the seed to shatter. Also if the alfalfa is placed at 

 once in the cock in this way, the seed is prevented from bleach- 

 ing so much and the straw settles and sheds rain and is pre- 

 served and cured better than when left in the loose bunch or 

 windrow, and well-cured alfalfa straw is said to have one-half 

 the feeding value of alfalfa hay. 



The self-rake reaper is in common use, and is an excellent ma- 

 chine with which to harvest the alfalfa-seed crop. The gavels are 



