SHRINKAGE IN WEIGHT OF ALFALFA 5 
time, however, the total weights had become almost stationary, 
indicating that the alfalfa had reached the air-dry stage. In most 
cases the weights of leaves immediately after their removal from the 
stems were somewhat less than where leaves had been removed 
several hours earlier. These differences are not great enough to be 
significant except in so far as they indicate that little or no moisture 
escaped from the stems through the leaves in curing, otherwise they 
would have carried more moisture at the time they were removed 
from the stems than lot 2, for example, the leaves of which had been 
detached from the stems at the beginning of the experiment. 
The data presented in Table 2 indicate pretty clearly that the 
leaves were of no material assistance in hastening the curing. As a 
matter of fact the loss in weight in most cases was slightly more 
rapid where the leaves were removed from the stems. Just how 
much of this difference may be attributed to losses entailed in han- 
dling the samples is hard to say, though it certainly could not have 
amounted to much. 
It is interesting to note that the weights of the leaves and the 
stems at the beginning of the experiment and after they lost no 
further moisture were practically equal in the several lots. In the 
meantime the leaves lost moisture appreciably more rapidly than the 
stems. This is well illustrated in Table 3. 
Table 3. — Comparative weights of stems and leaves of alfalfa in process of curing 
at Redfield, S. Dak., in 1925 
[The original weight of each sample with leaves attached was 100 grams, 
three samples, expressed in gramsj 
Each result is the average of 
Lot 2 
Lot 3 
Lot 4 
Lot 5 
Lot 6 
Lot 7 
Lot8 
Time from be- 
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V/2 hours 
46.2 
40.2 
33.6 
24.6 
22.2 
21.1 
18.3 
16.4 
15.0 
15.4 
16.2 
14.8 
14.9 
15.7 
45.9 
40.2 
33.1 
20.9 
17.4 
15.5 
14.5 
14.4 
14.0 
14.4 
15.4 
13.8 
13.9 
14.4 
4 hours... 
39.6 
34.3 
25.0 
22.7 
21.1 
18.0 
16.2 
15.4 
15.8 
16.7 
15.3 
15.4 
16.1 
37.6 
32.6 
21.2 
17.9 
16.3 
15.0 
14.8 
14.4 
14.5 
15.6 
14.4 
14.4 
15.0 
IYl hours 
33.4 
24.1 
21.6 
19.7 
16.9 
15.1 
14.4 
14.8 
15.6 
14.4 
14.5 
15.0 
30.8 
19.4 
16.5 
15.2 
14.3 
14.0 
13.6 
14.2 
14.9 
13.8 
13.8 
14.2 
25 hours 
26.4 
23.2 
21.0 
17.5 
15.6 
14.5 
15.1 
15.8 
14.4 
14.3 
14.9 
18.8 
15.7 
14.1 
13.4 
13.6 
13.3 
13.6 
14.1 
13.2 
13.4 
13.7 
31H hours 
23.4 
21.3 
18.0 
15.9 
14.7 
15.0 
15.3 
14.3 
14.4 
14.8 
16.5 
15.0 
14.2 
14.1 
13.6 
14.2 
14.9 
13.7 
13.8 
14.3 
48M hours 
72 hours 
96 hours 
120 hours 
168 hours 
192 hours 
216 hours 
240 hours 
456 hours 
21 : 3 
18.0 
15.7 
14.7 
15.6 
15.8 
14.8 
14.8 
15.4 
14.1 
14.1 
13.7 
13.5 
14.3 
14.4 
13.6 
13.7 
14.2 
~19T 
15.9 
14.8 
15.2 
15.5 
14.6 
14.5 
15.2 
~~l3~9 
13.9 
13.5 
13.9 
14.2 
13.3 
13.4 
13.8 
At Redfield, S. Dak., 100-gram samples of alfalfa taken just as 
the plants were coming into bloom were weighed on August 13, 1924. 
Unfortunately, the records for the first three days were lost, but the 
data for the remainder of the test appear to be of sufficient value 
to warrant publication and are given in Table 4. 
As shown by Table 4, samples of alfalfa with leaves removed from 
the stems lost moisture with appreciably greater rapidity than where 
the leaves were left on the stems. This test included a little vari- 
ation from the experiment previously reported, in that the leaves 
were detached from two lots. In one lot the stems and leaves were 
mixed in curing, and in the other lot they were cured separately, 
but as the two lost moisture at approximately the same rate the 
average of the results has been reported in the table. 
97190—26 2 
