30 BULLETIN 353, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
publication by McKee,! who called attention at that time to the fact 
that because some varieties of alfalfa after cutting lose moisture 
more rapidly than others the field weights will be incomparable unless 
sufficient time has elapsed to insure a uniform moisture content. 
Taste XI.—Rate of loss of moisture in alfalfa varieties during the early stages of curing, 
at Chico, Cal., in 1910, 1911, and 1912. 
Time elapsed. Arabian. Peruvian. Ordinary. 
Weight Weight. 
Time of weighing. 
& Lossin 3 - |Lossin x Lossin 
a: é 2 q E weight. a : weight. Weight. weight 
a) 3S 
eS |lrtey {BAe s 5 g 5 
A aa = io) Ay ie) nS 
Test A: Per ct. Per ct. | Grams.| Per ct. 
June 22-3191 Oe teases ster | osrec eaters 254. Oil Peeeeee 0 216: Osean ee 0 240.0 0 
ToT) PRY MONO = Se Sal bose 24) eee 98 Salons eee. ae abel pete) Rages 58.0] 107.5 55. 2 
June 25 O1O Mees leeece 7 PAal aaees ThOSy hed Seeciee 69.8 | 91.6 ].....-. 66.8 83.3 65.3 
Test B:1 
June 9, 1911 2— 
OL22 ia trrs Saie rae | agen ce | part a 0050) |B2=aeee 0 A000 2eeeeee 0 400. 0 0 
IDES AGM ee eS olisanes Gls One 243= Onl eeeee aoa OAS eS oas5e 32.2} 269.3 32.7 
LED DDN eee ale ae ee 3 IC Rae eee coe 5654s ete alee 46.9] 205.8 48.6 
Aspe ees od ee | ee Ble Bis PIG coous Te PSO ce ooe 56.8 175.9 56.0 
Septe2 (onl eee eee TOU Saaeelaeeee S8h6" Sees 79.1 SaHe) | Eooneos 79.2 82.5 79.4 
Test C: 
June 9, 1911— 
OO Way as NE ea ee ea ae ed 2 100 (Uae aoe ae 00 (tee fee eee ee Se 
1 BOE 01 eee. st eee Tlie GE YS: 2 ree 73 ZisOisaeecee 78 22. Once cette a eee 
2M Ee asecsce| sss A OSM ER eS 41 595.0: |Reeeee 48 52:10) |seeeweda cemeene 
0 Tie ee Sg Gi ilosa| ase 36 6420 Bess 42 58:0) |. cee a eee 
June 129191. ese 34: ESSE enon lasceaee 24 (CONOR Ree 1650: asec eee 
Aug 8) 19M eso GO! See S| ae Re 2 22 (BONE ae 22 183.0). se ccee ee Bees ees 
Test D: 
June 4, 1912— 
Oras bee ere ee Sa eee | eee esd 100 Oa Saas ee 100 OF. RoR a ee 
TU ers rien Ve ee ee ate | ee 1 Ds ee eS 78.5 7G) Oar 83.5 16 ee eee 
TAS 0 Old ee, Sia oe aN Neer | get eae 60.5 BOr lect 65.5 34250 esse ee epee 
PAN OS 8 Vesey iene ey Sia Lesa A ee yet ra esse 34.5 5) BS SEGSS 31.5 G855 0S Se eee 
Apri eee ==>: GU SUES ac ey 26 TERN Berges c OA) 55 007575) cee See ogee 
1 The weights oftest B arean average of two samples in each case. Theleaves constituted 56.4 percent 
of the weight in the Arabian variety, 52.5 per cent in the Peruvian, and 49.8 per cent in the ordinary. 
2 First weight was taken about five minutes after cutting. 
These data indicate very clearly that the rate of loss during the 
first four or five hours at Chico, Cal., greatly exceeds the loss during 
a like period at Arlington Farm, Va. This is doubtless due to both 
the higher temperature and the lower humidity of the atmosphere 
at Chico, the loss during the first 14 hours at Chico being nearly equal 
to that during the first 3 hours at Arlington Farm. 
In connection with these results it is well to note that the weighings 
of alfalfa at Chico were made in the month of June, while those at 
Arlington Farm were made in October. 
It is also interesting to note that in tests B and C the Arabian 
variety lost moisture faster for the first few hours after cutting than 
the Peruvian or the ordinary alfalfa, but that in the end it had prac- 
tically the same percentage of dry matter. A high percentage of 
leaves is usually thought to indicate a high moisture content, but 
the Arabian has 6.6 per cent more leaves than the ordinary, and yet 
the total moisture content is about the same for the two varieties. 
1 McKee, Roland. Arabian alfalfa, In U.S. Dept. Agr., Bur. Plant Indus. Cir. 119, p. 25-30, 1913, 
