Alfalfa in Kansas. 



245 



30 per cent. After hay has been stored long enough to reach a constant 

 moisture content it contains 8 to 10 per cent moisture. There is no easy 

 method of determining the moisture content in the field, and judgment is 

 based on appearance and touch. When a few stems are twisted and 

 break readily, showing no juice at the twisted portion, it is generally 

 safe to stack. However, if they are tough and do not twist apart easily, 

 even though no juice may be forced out, there is danger of loss if the hay 

 is stacked. This is not a certain rule, but will serve as a guide until 

 more definite rules are established. 



The greater portion of alfalfa hay in Kansas is stored in the stack. 

 The hay barn is used mostly on smaller farms, but a cheap shed, con- 





FIG. 203. A cheaply-constructed, yet efficient, alfalfa hay barn.. 



sisting of a roof with pole supports and boarded in along the sides five or 

 six feet down from the eaves, would be a paying investment for many of 

 the larger producers. Such a shed will turn off the water which soaks 

 into alfalfa hay very easily, and the sides closed in at the top prevent the 

 rain from blowing in as the hay settles. The shed should be provided 

 with some form of horse fork, and can be filled as readily as a stack can 

 be made. 



Where alfalfa is stacked there is considerable loss from bleaching and 

 weathering. The larger the stack the less will be the proportionate loss 

 from such injury, and all stacks should be made as large as men and 

 machinery will readily build them. 



Hay near the bottom of a stack will spoil unless there is some founda- 

 tion to keep it off the ground. Stack bottoms are best made of two layers 



