270 Kansas State Board of Agriculture. 



ing overripe, and the risk involved by damage from unfavorable weather, 

 will more than offset the loss from immature seed where the alfalfa is 

 cut slightly green. 



HARVESTING THE SEED CROP. 



Most of the alfalfa grown in Kansas for seed is cut with a mower and 

 raked into windrows in much the same way as for hay. This method of 

 handling the crop is not entirely satisfactory, but is employed because of a 

 lack of more suitable implements. Where the mower is used without 

 attachments some seed is shattered by the tramping of the alfalfa by the 

 horses, by the mower wheels running over it, and by raking the crop into 

 windrows. Loss from this cause may be avoided by using an attachment 

 to the sickle bar which removes the swath to one side. Such an attach- 

 ment is known as the "swather," and it can usually be used to a good 

 advantage. An old-fashioned self-rake reaper is a satisfactory im- 

 plement for cutting seed alfalfa. This machine leaves the crop in bunches, 

 which are dropped to one side, and the tramping of the alfalfa is avoided. 

 The grain binder is sometimes used for cutting the seed crop of alfalfa. 



Where bunching implements are used for harvesting, the alfalfa should 

 be put in shocks to cure soon after it is cut. If cut with a mower it is 

 necessary to rake the crop into windrows for bunching, and this operation 

 should be done before the alfalfa becomes dry. Where the other imple- 

 ments are employed in cutting the crop best results are secured by putting 

 the alfalfa in the shocks so that they can be loaded onto the wagon in one 

 forkful, as the pulling apart of the shocks results in some loss of seed 

 by shattering. In handling seed alfalfa previous to threshing as much 

 of the work as is possible should be done when the crop is slightly damp. 



As soon as the alfalfa in the shocks becomes thoroughly cured it should 

 be threshed, or if a machine is not available within a short time it will 

 pay to stack the crop. Exposure to frequent rains results in considerable 

 damage by discoloring the seed and by shattering. Discolored and 

 weather-stained seed commands a lower price than that which is good in 

 color. The alternate wetting and drying of the pods will often cause them 

 to burst and scatter the seed. The longer the alfalfa is exposed to the 

 elements the more readily the seed shatters and the pods drop off. There- 

 fore, the maximum amount of seed will be obtained by stacking or thresh- 

 ing the crop as soon as it is fit after harvesting. 



STACKING AND THRESHING THE SEED. 



Care should be taken to see that the alfalfa is thoroughly cured before 

 it is stacked, in order to prevent heating while in the stacks, as the 

 heating would result in destroying the vitality of the seed. In hauling 

 the alfalfa to the stack, tight-bottomed racks or racks covered with canvas 

 should be used. This applies equally well to hauling alfalfa from the 

 field to the threshing machine or huller. Much of the seed will shatter 

 off regardless of the care exercised in handling the alfalfa, and if racks 

 with tight bottoms are employed in hauling the crop a large per cent of 

 the shattered seed can be saved. If old hay, straw or similar material is 

 available it can be profitably utilized as a stack bottom, thus avoiding 

 the loss of considerable seed which would otherwise be spoiled by the 



