314 ALFALFA FARMING IN AMERICA. 



Keep Hay from the Air. — As soon as alfalfa is 

 half dry it ought to be kept from the air except in 

 dry weather. That is, if it should happen to rain 

 and the hay is lying in the swath it will be much 

 injured ; if it is in windrow it is less hurt, and if in 

 cock it will probably be hurt none at all. So keep it 

 away from the air as soon as it is getting dry and 

 dews or rains are coming. This lesson can not be 

 too well learned. Alfalfa once thoroughly dry, then 

 wetted, is much more injured than if it is only half 

 dry when rain falls. While I am always rejoiced at 

 dry weather during alfalfa harvest yet I expect to 

 see hay in the field during almost every rainstorm 

 of the summer. 



Degree of Dryness. — Our rule is to dry hay as dry 

 as we can. How dry is that? Seldom as dry as we 

 would like, certainly. Our test is to take a wisp of 

 hay, choosing some of the moister part, and twist it 

 hard to see if we can wring any moisture from the 

 stems. If we can not we put it in the mow or stack 

 as fast as we can get it there. One can put in hay 

 with some moisture in the stems but moisture of 

 rain or dew is sure to spoil the hay. "We learn that 

 the larger a body of hay is put in in one place the 

 moister it may be and not spoil ; that when only one 

 or two tons are put in a small mow together the 

 hay can hardly be too well cured when it is put in, 

 but that mows with 50 or more tons together will 

 keep well even if the hay is pretty tough when put 

 in. The heat generated by the hay in curing dries 



