438 ALFALFA FARMING IN AMERICA. 



dropped from the platform out of the way of the horses and the 

 machine. Usually men follow with forks and lay three or four 

 gavels in a pile. These bunches shed rain and preserve the seed 

 and straw in better condition than the single gavels, and the seed 

 does not shatter so badly in handling the larger compact bunches 

 as in handling the smaller ones. 



Some few growers cut the crop with a header, leaving the al- 

 falfa in windrows across the field. This method is only satis- 

 factory in a dry season, when the alfalfa is thrashed or stacked 

 at once, as soon after harvest as possible. 



Many western growers harvest alfalfa with a binder. The usual 

 practice has been to remove the binder part, but leave the pack- 

 ers on and throw the bundles out loose, dropping in bunches by 

 use of the bundle-carrier, or bunching with the fork as already 

 described in the use of the self-rake reaper. In recent years, 

 however, some prefer to bind the alfalfa in bundles and shock the 

 same as wheat or other grain. The advantage claimed for this 

 method is that it requires less help, since one man may do the 

 harvesting and put the crop into the shock if help is scarce; the 

 alfalfa may be cut a little greener, the seed does not shatter so 

 readily, and the straw may cure and keep better than when put 

 up loose. 



When bound and shocked the alfalfa should stand a couple of 

 weeks, until dry enough to thrash. If put into the stack, thrash- 

 ermen prefer to have it loose, as bundles are more apt to be damp 

 and tough, but if fully dried when stacked alfalfa should keep well 

 in the bundle. It is suggested to stack with layers of straw be- 

 tween layers of alfalfa, in order to take up the moisture. 



Stacking and Thrashing. The common practice, when it can be 

 done, is to thrash from the field as soon after harvest as the seed 

 is dry and the straw fully cured. If a machine cannot be secured 

 and weather conditions are favorable for stacking, better put into 

 the stack at once when the crop is cured than to run the risk of 

 damage by wet weather. A single rain will not injure the alfalfa 

 much if it is well bunched or cocked, but continued wet weather 

 causes the seeds to swell and perhaps sprout, and when the pods 

 dry they burst, scattering the seed. Some growers estimate that, 

 half of the seed is lost in this way by a few days of unfavorable 

 weather. Also, if the crop is allowed to lie in the field for a long 

 time there is more or less loss of seed from the effects of heavy 

 dew and damage from mice and insects, and the longer the alfalfa 

 lies the easier the pods break off and the seed shatters when it 

 is finally handled and stacked or thrashed. The largest amount 



