134 A^PAIvFA 



then rakes and roughly cocks it by running length- 

 wise of the windrows and pulling into bunches. These 

 are left, if the weather is fair, until the next day when 

 the dew is dried off; the stacker, or wagons (where 

 stackers are not employed) , are brought into requisition, 

 and the hay stored away or stacked, as the case may 

 be. Whenever smart pressure in wringing a wisp of 

 hay does not bring sap to the outside of the twisted 

 rope of hay it is fit to stack. It lies so loosely that the 

 air will circulate through the common stack, contain- 

 ing eight to ten tons. As soon as the crop is off the 

 ground the meadow is hurriedly irrigated, and in three 

 to four weeks thereafter may be again mowed. 



" On lands in which the water-table is from ten to 

 thirty feet below the surface, alfalfa fields seem to be 

 permanent. Great care is exercised to not irrigate in 

 the late fall, especially after August. Alfalfa fields 

 after two to three years old are always pastured in fall 

 and winter, after the hay season is past, mainly by 

 sheep and lambs. I would not keep stock on land 

 after it is thawed out in spring for two reasons : First, 

 the ground would be too soft ; second, after the new 

 growth is started it would not be economical to graze 

 at all. Excessive dry weather in the absence of irriga- 

 tion would be destrudlive, especially to the young 

 meadows. It is thought that once it is strongly estab- 

 lished that it will stand severe drouth, with a dimin- 

 ished yield as the only result. Hot and windy weather 

 is detrimental unless the land be damp from irrigation. 

 Wet weather works no hardships between early spring 

 and August 30th, except as it might retard haying 

 operations. Cold weather does no injury if the plant is 

 well ripened up, especially the crown. With the ground 



