IQ6 THE FORAGE AND FIBER CROPS IN AMERICA 



the first and last crops, has led to silaging. The last crop, being 

 ready to harvest at the time maize is being put into the silo, 

 may be mixed with the latter, one load of alfalfa to two loads 

 of maize, both being put through the feed cutter. When treated 

 in this way, the alfalfa and maize both keep well and the 

 mixture is well liked by cattle. While alfalfa can be preserved 

 in the silo alone, the practise is not generally looked upon 

 favorably, and since alfalfa silage is not more palatable than 

 alfalfa hay, there is nothing to be gained by silaging except 

 when curing into hay is impossible. 



228. Harvesting Alfalfa Seed. Alfalfa seed is produced 

 principally in western Kansas, eastern Colorado, northern Utah 

 and southern Idaho. In humid climates of the United States 

 alfalfa produces seed sparingly, which is usually small, wrinkled 

 and poorly developed. Even in the regions above mentioned 

 seed is principally produced by "dry farming." If, when ir- 

 rigated, too much water is applied during the time of flowering 

 and after, the strength of the plant goes to the production of 

 foliage rather than seed. The seed is produced usually from 

 the second crop, and is harvested in September or as soon as 

 the majority of the pods have turned brown. The self-rake 

 reaper, the self-binder and the buncher are used, the former 

 most commonly. When cured it is gathered from the piles by 

 means of barley forks and thrown into a header box or upon 

 a hay rack whose bottom has been covered by heavy ducking. 

 It is then threshed directly from the load or placed in small 

 stacks and threshed later. A regular grain separator may be 

 used, but the huller is better. The regular clover huller may 

 be used, but ordinarily it is modified slightly for alfalfa. As 

 high a speed is not required to hull alfalfa seed as clover seed, 

 and is objectionable, since the stems are more brittle and thus 

 broken up unduly. The amount of seed produced varies ac- 

 cording both to season and soil from i to 15 or even 20 bushels 

 an acre, perhaps 2 to 6 bushels being the most common. 



