40 
BULLETIN 1296, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
DISTRIBUTION OF LABOR ON ALFALFA 
There is considerable variation from year to year in the time of 
cutting alfalfa, particularly for the second and third cuttings. The 
earliest date reported for the first cutting was May 13, 1922. The 
second cutting may come any time from the middle of June, if the 
first cutting is early, to the middle of September, when there is a 
considerable amount of pasturing between cuttings. The most usual 
dates of the three cuttings are shown below: 
Date 
Work 
days 
avail- 
able 
First cutting " . 
May 27 to June 10 
9 
Second cutting. ... . -_ ^ 
July 1 to Julv 25 
15 
Third cutting. . " ... ..... 
18 
The first cutting of alfalfa conflicts with the cultivation of corn. 
The most serious conflict is that which occurs between the late first 
cutting or early second cutting of alfalfa and the harvest of wheat 
DISTRIBUTION OF MAN LABOR ON 21 ACRES OF ALFALFA 
MAN 
HOURS 
30 
20 
I 
1 
jL l i 
111 )i 
10 20 10 20 
JAN. FEB. 
MAR. APR. 
10 20 10 20 10 20 10 20 10 20 10 23 10 20 10 20 
MAY JUNE JULY AUG. SEPT. OCT. NOV. DEC. 
Fig. 22.— Alfalfa conflicts with corn cultivation, wheat harvest, and fall plowing. The second cutting 
is usually delayed until after wheat harvest 
and oats. The cutting of alfalfa is frequently delayed because of its 
conflict with the wheat harvest. The third cutting conflicts with 
plowing or listing for wheat and may conflict with silo filling or the 
threshing of wheat. A typical distribution of labor on 21 acres of 
alfalfa that was cut three times is shown in Figure 22. 
PRAIRIE HAY, SOWED SORGHUMS, AND SUDAN GRASS FOR HAY 
Land which has been left in the native prairie grasses for meadows 
exists only in limited amount on these farms. It is usually in irregular 
areas along the small streams, or is land that does not drain well and 
consequently would not be suitable for tillage. Hay is cut from this 
land once each year. The date of cutting varies from the latter part 
of July to late in the summer. The hay is usually stacked in the field. 
Sowed sorghums are grown to supply roughage for horses and cattle 
during the winter months. The acreage devoted to feed of this kind 
is small. The crop is drilled late in the spring on land which has 
been plowed and receives no further attention until cut in the fall 
with the mower. The hay is usually placed in large shocks or small 
stacks in the field and allowed to remain there until hauled out for feed. 
A limited acreage of Sudan grass for hay is grown on a few of the 
farms. The usual practices in handling this crop are very similar to 
those followed in growing sowed sorghums, except that the hay is 
stacked instead of being shocked and, in the better years, more than 
one cutting of hay may be secured. 
