FOR BETTKn rh'(,j\s 



hay is laid down the haymakers should keep close watx!h, ari. 

 us soon as it shows sig-ns of drying- and before the leaves will 

 fall from the stems, it should be raked into small windrows and 

 permitted to cure in part in the windrow, or in the cock, 

 according to where you are and what sort of climate you must 

 work in. Alfalfa dried in the swath loses many of the leaves 

 when raked. 



Side Delivery Hay Rakes — These machines work well in 

 alfalfa meadows, since they leave the hay loose, in good con- 

 dition for drying. In eastern meadows, under showery con- 

 ditions, the hay is best cocked up in small cocks while it is yet 

 tough. Such cocks will turn rain well and may be afterward 

 opened out on a sunny day, or they may become dry without 

 opening. Then, too, hay caps may be used on the cocks to 

 advantage. 



The Test of Sufficient Dryness—Take a wisp of the hay, 

 choosing a damp part of it. and twist it violently into a rope. If 



Motor baling press in operation 



no moisture can be made to exude from the stems the hay may 

 be put into the mow or stack, especially if many tons are to be 

 put together. If only a ton or two will be put into a small mow 

 it should be well dried before putting away, since it is more apt 

 to mould and become musty than when much is piled together. 



Need of Drainage in Illinois and Parts of Iowa and Min- 

 nesota — There is a serious need in much of the black soil of 

 this corn belt of more complete drainage than it has at present, 

 before it is really lit for alfalfa culture. Men growing only corn, 

 or corn and oats and timothy hay, have not usually a vivid con- 

 ception of how wet their lands are during a good part of the 

 year. In Illinois very much of the draining that has been 



