THE DRY ROUGHAGES 201 



and break off easily. Good alfalfa should be about one-half leaves. 

 These leaves have four-fifths of the protein, as well as most of the 

 lime and over one-half of the fat and of the more digestible car- 

 bohydrates. Unless care is taken to save the leaves, the advantage 

 of growing alfalfa is largely lost. The hay should be free from dust 

 and mold. On new seeding or where land is overflowed the hay 

 may be dirty from such a source, but usually dirt and dust result 

 from improper curing. 



340. Save the leaves. — It is a very common practice at present 

 to cure hay in the windrow instead of in cocks. The curing is 

 speeded up by frequent tedding, raking into windrows and loading 

 without cocking, by the use of the hay loader. This method is a 

 time-and-labor saver but it does not make the best hay because of 

 the loss of color and leaves, due to exposure to the sun. 



We prefer to cure legumes in the cock because we believe that 

 the smaller loss of feeding value more than pays for the extra 

 labor. Where the hay is cut in the morning after the dew is off it 

 should be raked up and cocked as soon as well wilted and while hot. 

 By allowing the minimum time to elapse before cocking, the hay 

 is not unnecessarily exposed to the bleaching action of the sun 

 which hurts its color. In the cock, fermentation continues during 

 the drying and the best color and aroma are thus developed. Also 

 the movement of water from stems to leaves continues so that 

 more uniform drying results. Where the hay lies as mowed too 

 long the leaves dry much quicker than the stems and more of them 

 are lost. The day after the hay is cut, or perhaps the second day, 

 the cocks should be opened out into large flakes, shaking as little 

 as possible. Of course, the hay should then be drawn in as soon as 

 sufficiently dry. Where the hay is cut in the afternoon it should 

 be cocked up the next morning as soon as the dew is off and drawn 

 in the next day. These directions assume fair weather. Unfortu- 

 nately rain is a frequent trouble-maker in haying time. Everybody 

 understands how the curing process must be modified where rain 

 interferes. 



341. The use of hay caps. — The use of caps to protect the 

 cocks from rain and dew has long been advised, since water leaches 



