18 



N. H. Agricultural Experiment Station 



[Sta. Bull. 273 



As noted earlier in this report, oats or oats and peas for hay have 

 largely replaced oats for grain. This ordinarily would make no change 

 in labor except for harvest. This change, however, has advanced har- 

 vest to late July, conflicting slightly with permanent hay harvest. But 

 starting haying earlier on the reduced area in permanent hay would 

 remove this difficulty. This combination increases the per cent, of 

 labor in July to 32.5, but does extend the labor period because of spring 

 plowing and fitting. Hungarian and soy beans occupy the same period 

 in soil preparation but because of the later harvest, August, extend the 

 labor and reduce the July peak from 32.5 per cent, to 25 per cent. Such 

 a practice reduces the July peak load to 23 per cent, of the total labor 

 required. The advantage of an even distribution of labor and distribu- 

 tion of expense for seed over a longer period, combined with the experi- 

 ence already acquired raising oats hay, indicate an advantage in com- 

 bining oats and peas, Hungarian and soybeans with the permanent hay 

 crop to produce the necessary hay roughage. 



Fig. 5. Percentage distribution of labor on hay, oats hay and Hungarian. 



More clover, red and alsike, and alfalfa as part of the permanent 

 •seeding mixture are all of value in making a better labor distribution 

 with a less cash labor expense, while the greater yield obtained and its 

 higher protein content would pay for the somewhat greater seed cost. 



When silage is included in the roughage program, its combination 

 with both annual and permanent hay has decided advantages. The 

 better distribution of labor makes it possible to care for and harvest 

 the roughage from 60 acres with no other hired labor than that already 

 available to care for the cows. The labor on 40 acres of permanent 



