120 Kansas State Board of Agriculture. 



do as a last resort, when the crop is too far along to cut profitably for 

 hay, or to clean up spots here and there, but it is impractical with any 

 considerable acreage. The usual means of eradicating weeds from alfalfa 

 fields, as discussed on foregoing pages, should be effectively applied be- 

 fore a seed crop is allowed to mature. Where weed seed is present 

 among the alfalfa seed thorough cleaning and recleaning will be found 

 profitable. 



CUTTING THE SEED CROP. 



Reports indicate that the proper stage for cutting a seed crop has 

 arrived when from two-thirds to three-fourths of the pods have turned 

 brown. A few say that they wait until the first seeds begin to shatter, 

 while others cut when the first pods begin to turn 

 brown. Most of the growers, however, prefer to 

 cut when a majority of the pods are brown. 



In harvesting an alfalfa seed crop the most im- 

 portant thing is to prevent loss of seed. This 

 is kept in mind throughout every operation. 

 Starting with the cutting operation, it has been 

 found that the most popular machines for that 

 purpose are those that cut the crop and automat- 

 ically rake it, leaving it in small unbound bunches, 

 or gavels. This may be accomplished by any one 

 of several machines: the self-rake reaper, the 

 common mower with windrowing and bunching 

 attachments, or the grain binder without the bind- 

 ing attachment. The modern self-rake reaper has 

 a platform in the form of a quarter circle. The 

 alfalfa is reeled to this platform by rakes, and is 

 deposited from the platform far enough to one 

 side to permit the free passage of the machine on 

 FIG. 114. Most growers the next round. The cutting mechanism on a self- 

 rake reaper is like that on a binder. The self- 

 are brown." [Courtesy u. rake reaper may also be equipped with a buncher. 

 f ure D ] epar The windrowing attachment of the common 



mower is a set of curved steel fingers attached to 



the rear of the cutter bar, which rolls the falling alfalfa into a windrow ; 

 and the bunching attachment consists of additional fingers, made to hold 

 accumulated alfalfa until tripped. If the alfalfa plants are of sufficient 

 height to permit binding, the binding attachment on the binder may be 

 used. 



About two-thirds of the growers reporting use either the self -rake 

 reaper or the mower with the windrowing and bunching attachments; 15 

 per cent use the common grain binder, usually without the binding attach- 

 ment; 3 per cent use the grain header without the elevator; and 15 per 

 cent use an ordinary mower and rake, the same as for hay. 



CURING THE SEED CROP. 



A preponderant majority of the seed growers cure their seed crops in 

 the cock; only a few cure in the windrow. It is considered wise to get the 

 crop into the cock as soon as possible, while it is yet damp or tough, for 



