first crop and twenty-seven tons of the second crop were field cured. 

 (Figure 1.) 



The 135 tons of silage (45 tons dry hay equivalent) were har- 

 vested in the period June 12 to June 30. Thus the operator harvested 

 29 percent of his first crop roughage as silage before the first of July, 

 Toward the end of June he put 879 bales (approximately 22 tons) 

 on the mow drier. It is doubtful if the operator would have attempted 

 to harvest the heavy legume hay in 1951 at this early date without 

 the drier. Note that the harvest of hay as silage and as mow dried 

 hay before July 1 accounts for almost 43 percent of his total first 

 crop roughage. In the 1950 season, this operator took advantage of 

 an early season, and harvested 63 percent of his first crop before 



The remaining 90 tons of first cutting hay were in the barn on 

 July 15. The mow drier was used in curing 35 tons. The availability 

 of the drier was a factor in carrying out a program of early harvesting 

 of hay resulting in the completion of the first cutting by the middle 

 of July. 



Harvesting Silage, The 135 tons of grass silage were hauled in 

 51 loads in 11 days. The usual crew was four men, although for short 

 periods the crew consisted of two or three men. A tractor and large 

 special trailer were used. In the field the crew members were arranged 

 in this manner: one man driving tractor, one man on load, and two 

 pitching on; at the silo: one man in the silo, one man feeding the 

 blower, and two pitching ofif. A total of 121 man hours were spent in 

 loading, hauling, and unloading. This is about 2.7 man hours per ton 

 dry hay equivalent. The mowing and raking totaled only .36 man 

 hours per ton. 



Harvesting Hay. The harvesting, including baling, of 42^ acres 

 of first crop hay yielding 112 tons took a total of 190 man hours. 

 This is 1.7 man hours per ton and 4.5 man hours per acre. The oper- 

 ator usually cut from 4^^ to 6 acres at a .time. On the tenth of July 

 he mowed 12 acres and on the next day employed additional men in 

 loading, hauling, and unloading. He maintained a rate of approximate- 

 ly 1.3 man hours per ton with or without extra men in the task of 

 baling, loading, hauling, and unloading. Loading and unloading was 

 done by hand, one bale at a time. 



The major difference between labor spent on silage and hay was 

 in the loading, hauling, and unloading. Based on dry hay equivalent, 

 the time put on hauling in silage and hay was 2.7 and 1.3 man hours 

 per ton, respectively. Under operation conditions on the farm, silage 

 required about twice as much labor in loading, hauling, and unload- 

 ing as did hay. 



Mow Drier vs. Field Curing. The operator followed the practice 

 in 1951 of field curing hay when conditions were favorable for quick 

 drying and storing in the ordinary mow. Whenever there was some 

 doubt as to stage of dryness, the hay was put on the drier. Much of 

 the hay, field-cured or barn-cured, was handled the same way. 



There seems to be little or no quantitative data in the 1951 sea- 

 son on this farm to indicate the eflfectiveness and value of the mow 



