Alyl, ABOUT AI,FAI,FA. 337 



than does red clover, at the point of blooming, but at 

 the same time it seems to require a more thorough cur- 

 ing process to fit it for the stack or mow. The knack 

 to be acquired is that of curing the hay sufficiently to 

 insure it keeping sweet in the stack without becoming 

 so dry as to shed its leaves in the handling. This can- 

 not possibly be accomplished by curing fully in the 

 swath. A method much practiced is to rake the alfalfa 

 while still quite green into windrows, where it is 

 allowed to cure somewhat more, and finally to rake it 

 into moderate-sized cocks, in which it is allowed to 

 stand until ready for the stack. This process makes 

 verj^ nice hay, but where a large acreage is to be taken 

 care of it is too slow and expensive. Alfalfa may be 

 cured in the windrow with entire success, but it is im- 

 portant when cured in this way that there be ample 

 facilities for putting it into stack very rapidly when 

 ready, otherwise it will become too dry and much of it 

 will be lost in the handling, especially if it has to be 

 carried from the fields on wagons. Alfalfa should be 

 cut on the first appearance of bloom. The old-fash- 

 ioned "go-devil " is now made in the way of an im- 

 proved table rake, and the ricker which supplements 

 it at the stack forms a very satisfac5lory arrangement 

 for gathering the hay crop. By means of these rakes 

 the hay is taken from the windrow by horse-power, 

 and conveyed to the stacks in jags weighing two hun- 

 dred to four hundred pounds, where it is delivered to 

 the ricker, and by the latter is landed into the middle 

 of the stack. The only hand-work required is the 

 distribution of the hay after it is placed upon the stack. 

 Five men and five horses with two rakes and the ricker 



