STORING 103 



paring it for economic shipment of much importance. 

 The compressing of timothy and prairie hay has become 

 so general that alfalfa raisers and shippers are also fol- 

 lowing this method. The problem of saving the leaves, 

 and, at the same time, being able to market alfalfa green, 

 has been hard to solve. Baling it uncured meant mold, 

 and baling it when very dry meant loss of leaves and, 

 hence, loss in feeding and selling value. The Kansas 

 station a few years ago carried on a series of experiments 

 extending over several years from which the conclusion 

 was that the only safe procedure is to cure carefully in 

 the field, put in the stack or mow, and bale after the final 

 sweating — say thirty days. Most of the hay cured and 

 baled in the field was moldy or brown. It is possible, 

 however, that a more careful curing, the use of hay-caps, 

 letting it stand for several days in cock, baling, and then 

 storing in an open shed, the bales stacked on edge and 

 separated about every third layer by poles, rails or raft- 

 ers, might result in securing high-grade hay direct from 

 the field without stacking. Seemingly it will never be safe, 

 away from the semi-arid regions, to bale the first cutting 

 from the field; but the secret may yet be found of so 

 baling the second and third cuttings and obtaining prime 

 hay. Its doing is not likely to prove satisfactory, how- 

 ever, except in the drier portions of the alfalfa district 

 where large cocks of, say, 500 pounds may be made and 

 left standing for several days before baling. But baling 

 is not likely to be largely followed except in territory 

 where extensive areas are devoted to alfalfa. When 

 practically every farmer in the United States has his field 

 of alfalfa as he now has of corn, cotton or clover, the 



