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In Diversified Farming' by Irrigation lies the Salvation oi Agriculture. 



THE AGE wants to brighten the pages of its Diversified Farm department and with this 

 purpose in view it requests its readers everywhere to send in photographs and pictures of fields, 

 orchards and farm homes; prize-taking horses, cattle, sheep or hogs. Also sketches or plans for 

 convenient and commodious barns, hen houses, corncribs, etc; Sketches of labor-saving devices, 

 such as ditch cleaners and watering troughs. A good illustration of a wind-mill irrigation plant 

 is always interesting. Will you help us improve the appearance of THE AGE? 



ALFALFA.* 



When to Cut, How to Cure and How to Stack. 

 BY W. H. FANT. 



T A M confronted with three questions. 

 It is an easy matter to propound 

 questions, but often, not an easy task to 

 give clear, well-defined answers. We 

 may feel quite competent to properly 

 discharge certain lines of work, but to 

 tell how it is done, in a manner that will 

 be fully understood and comprehended 

 by others, will also prove a difficult 

 task. One may read the best essays on 

 the subjects under consideration, yet it 

 will require experience, and the more 

 the better, to cut, cure and stack alfalfa 

 to the best advantage. 



When to cut? The proper time to 

 cut is when it fairly commences to bloom, 

 let that be May or June. Unlike other 

 plants which yield but one crop in the 

 season, alfalfa begins growing again, 

 immediately after it is cut, so that what 

 diminution of weight may be suffered on 

 account of early cuttings is made up 

 in after-growth and subsequent crops. 

 Do not cut too much at once or more 

 than can be readily handled when cured, 

 for reasons which will be given later on. 

 The first crop contains more water than 

 will be found in subsequent ones, and the 

 mower, in consequence, may be used at 

 all times of the day without prejudice, 

 but later on in the season, the best time 

 to cut is in the forenoon, while the air 

 and alfalfa are yet to a degree, moist; 

 often the liquidation of the moisture by 

 the action of the sun and drying winds, 

 the knives of the sickle will accumulate 

 gum, while in use rapidly, thus causing 

 heavier draft, extra wear and friction on 

 all parts of the machine, especially the 



sickle. As a remedy, water should be 

 kept at one corner of the field, and ap- 

 plied by pouring on the knives of the 

 sickle each round, which will loosen the 

 gum and cause it to rub off easily. 

 Otherwise, sooner or later a breakage of 

 the mower will occur somewhere, 

 (usually the sickle-head), then, as is 

 often the case, the mower, the agent 

 who sold it, and the manufacturer, come 

 in for a full share of abuse, when the 

 fault was with the driver, whose mind 

 and body had been allowed to lapse into 

 a state of inertia. 



Next, how to cure alfalfa so as to re- 

 tain its bright color and nutritive pro- 

 perties, requires watchfulness, vigilance 

 and prompt action at the right time, or 

 the best results will fail to be obtained. 

 Would advise the alfalfa be raked into 

 winrows as soon as practical, that is as 

 soon as it has dried sufficient to be taken 

 up without being unduly trying and 

 slavish to the rake, and allow it to cure 

 principally in the winrows, where the 

 green color and leaves are better retained. 

 On account of the humidity of the at- 

 mosphere, the first crop, as a rule, cut 

 in June, requires to remain untouched 

 as it falls from the mower, for a longer 

 period to cure than the after crops; the 

 time to so remain must be determined 

 by the drying out conditions, then exist- 

 ing, usually from one to two days. The 

 following crop can frequently be raken 

 the same day it has been cut. During 

 the drying months of August, Septem- 

 ber and October L have had the rake fol- 

 low the mower within two or three hours 

 after the cutting; for, unless quickly 

 placed in winrows a loss in color, leaves 

 and weight will follow. After being 



*Address delivered belore Finney County Farmer 

 institute Garden City, Kans. 



