FOB BETTER CROPS 137 



The best stage at which to cut alfalfa is when it is coming 

 into bloom, when prol)ably not more tiian one-third of ih«3 

 blooms are opened. All the clovers are at their best for cutting 

 when approaching or at full bloom. They will then have some 

 heads, not many, beginning to tint brown. If cut sooner than 

 the period named, alfalfa and red clover will be hard to cure; if 

 cut later, there is likely to be a serious loss of leaves in the 

 curing process, and leaves are the most nutritious and palatable 

 portion of these foods. 



Timothy is at its best for cutting when in the later stage of 

 bloom, that is, when the bloom still lingers upon, say, one-third 

 or one-fourth of the top of the head. If cut when in full bloom, 

 the adherent blossoms make the hay somewhat dusty when 

 cured. Red top should be cut when in bloom, and the same is 

 true of Russian brome. The orchard grass, meadow fescue, tall 

 oat grass, and western rye grass are better cut in the early stage 

 of bloom than later, as they quickly become woody and so lose 

 rapidly in palatability. This is particularly true of orchard 

 grass and western rye grass. 



When hay crops are grown in combination; that is, when 

 clovers and grasses are grown together, there will be no difficulty 

 in determining the time at which they should be cut when they 

 mature at the same time. Happily this is true of mammoth 

 and alsike clover, timothy, and red top. The best time for cut- 

 ting these clovers will also be the best time for cutting timothy 

 and red top which grows w^ith them. But should medium red 

 clover and timothy be grown together, the difference in the time 

 of maturing is from two to three weeks, according to the season. 

 The safe rule to follow^ is to cut at the best time for making 

 clover hay, when tlie clover hay predominates — as it usually does 

 the first year; and the best time for making timothy hay when 

 timothy predominates— as it usually does the second year. 



The best stage at which to cut wheat, oats, and barley for 

 hay, is when the grain is in the dough stage, or a little earlier 

 with wheat and barley: as, wlien it has reached the milk stage. 

 This will be indicated by yellow appearance in the stems for a 

 few inches up from the ground. In the case of oats there will 

 appear a slight tint of yellow on some of the heads when ready 

 to harvest. 



When grains are sown in combination, as in the case of peas, 

 vetches, and other grains, they should be cut wiien the bulk of 

 the grain in the dominant crop is reaching the dough stage. 



Cowpeas are ready to harvest for hay when a considerable 

 sprinkling of the pods have begun to mature. Sorghum and 

 kaffir corn should be allowed to reach maturity, or nearly so, as 

 then they contain a much larger amount of food nutrients than 

 at an earlier period. But they should in all instances be cut 

 before frost. Millet is at its best for hay when the crop begins 



