134 ILLINOIS STATE DAIRYMEN'S ASSOCIATION 



Harvesting Alfalfa. 



The alfalfa was cut in the late afternoon when there 

 was the least moisture in the plants and when the leaves 

 would not become dry and brittle before night. As soon as 

 the dew was off the next forenoon and the hay was thor- 

 oughly wilted but before the leaves were dry enough to 

 shatter, the hay was raked into windrows with a side de- 

 livery rake. These were then put into cocks, building the 

 cocks fairly high and small at the base. When the weather 

 looked threatening, the cocks were covered with caps hav- 

 ing a small cement ball fastened on each corner with wire 

 to prevent the cap from blowing off. The hay remained in 

 these cocks until it was fairly well cured, the leaves drawing 

 the moisture from the stems and allowing it to pass into the 

 air, the time required varying from two to five days depend- 

 ing upon the weather. 



When the hay was ready to put into the mow, the 

 cocks were opened by tipping- one-third of the cock in 

 either direction along the windrow. If the weather had 

 been damp and the alfalfa had not been well cured, it was 

 opened out to dry for an hour or more before being taken 

 up by a hay loader and a wagon that was driven along these 

 windrows. The loader saves much time and labor. In 

 this way the hay was placed carefully on the wagon with- 

 out shattering the dry leaves which are the most valuable 

 part. 



Curing the alfalfa thus in the cocks does require some 

 more labor than curing it in the swath or windrow ; but the 

 extra labor is paid for many times over in the better quality 

 of hay secured. Many years ago Governor Hoard insisted 

 that alfalfa hay cured under caps had a much superior feed- 

 ing value and it recently has been brought out by Professor 

 Hart of Wisconsin that alfalfa thus cured in the cock under 

 caps is of the greatest value in feeding good dairy cows, as 

 the green alfalfa hay aids them in assimilating much more 

 of the minerals contained in the ration than would the dry 1| 

 and bleached hay cured in the swath or windrow, 



