170 CLOVERS 



made when the alfalfa has been run through a cut- 

 ting-box than when in the uncut forms. 



Harvesting for Hay. The best time to harvest 

 alfalfa for hay is just after the blossoms begin to ap- 

 pear. Ordinarily, not more than one-third of the 

 blossoms are out when the harvesting should begin, 

 but when the hay is to be fed to horses the cutting 

 may be deferred until more than half the blooms are 

 out. If cut earlier, the loss of weight in the crop 

 will be considerable, as much as 30 to 45 per cent., 

 as compared with cutting when in full bloom. If 

 cut later, the stems become over-woody, and the loss 

 of leaves in curing will be much greater. When 

 the cutting is delayed beyond the period of early 

 bloom, the growth of the next cutting is retarded, 

 and when it is deferred until some of the leaves 

 turn yellow or until some seed is formed, in many 

 situations the influence on the succeeding crop is 

 seriously adverse, and in some instances this influ- 

 ence would seem to react against the vigorous 

 growth of the plant during the remainder of the 

 season. In other instances, as where the conditions 

 are quite favorable to the growth of the plant, these 

 results are not present in so marked a degree. When 

 large areas of alfalfa are to be harvested, the im- 

 portance of beginning early cannot easily be over- 

 estimated. It would be much better to sacrifice 

 something in loss of weight in the hay, through cut- 

 ting too early, than to meet with greater loss in 

 weight in the next crop or crops by cutting too long 

 deferred. 

 . Much that has been said about the harvesting of 



