290 ILLINOIS STATE DAIRYMEN'S ASSOCIATION 



or when the new shoots at the root-crowns are well started, 

 i-farvested thus early a higher feeding value is obtained, and by 

 promptly taking off the crop there is no check to the subsequent 

 growth. If let stand until in full bloom, the oncoming "shoots" 

 are in danger of being mowed off, thereby arresting their prog- 

 ress and delaying their maturity. This may mean one less cut- 

 ting in the season. Also, there is greater loss of leaves when 

 the plants are left too long uncut. 



It is better to mow alfalfa after the dew is off, and it is al- 

 ways important to rake before the leaves become dry and crumb- 

 ly. It is through the leaves that the sap in the plant is evapor- 

 ated in curing; if they are too quickly dried by the hot sun this 

 evaporation is made impossible, and a poor grade of hay will be 

 had. Forking up the windrows into rather high, narrow cocks, 

 possibly the same day as cut, is found excellent. Cocked like 

 this, moderate rain the following night would do it little, if any, 

 harm, as the partly cured hay will turn water quite well. With 

 good weather the next day the cocks can be opened after the dew 

 is off, possibly turned over, and in the afternoon may be fit for 

 stacking. 



Good practice is to stack as soon as it is ready. A simple 

 test as to fitness is to tightly twist a wisp of the moist hay, and 

 if no juice exudes it is ready, otherwise it should be further 

 cured. After a barn the next best place for storing is in a pur- 

 posely constructed shed. But by far the most of the hay in the 

 prominent hay-producing states is stacked out-of-doors. Hence 

 the kind of stack is important. Not infrequently as much as 

 one-fifth or one-fourth is spoiled because of carelessness in this 

 regard. One of the farmer's best investments is the hay barn, 

 and its prominence in thrifty communities is testimony to its 

 worth. 



