314 ALFALFA FARMING IN AMERICA. 
Keep Hay from the Air—aAs 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. Howdry 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 i 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 
