44 BULLETIN 1271, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
Table 35 — Standard requirements for alfalfa -production 
First cutting: 
Mowing 
Raking 
Hauling 
Second cutting: 
Mowing 
Raking 
Hauling 
Third cutting: 
Mowing 
Raking 
Hauling 
Operation 
Hours of labor 
Man Horse 
l 
H 
Acres 
covered 
in a 10- 
hour day 
8 
20 
10 
20 
10 
20 
4 
Seed, 12 pounds. 
DISTRIBUTION OF LABOR OX ALFALFA 
Considerable seasonal fluctuation occurs in the dates of the dif- 
ferent cuttings of alfalfa. In 1922 some was cut as early as June 5 
and in 1920 some was cut for the first time as late as June 26. The 
second cutting has varied from July 9 to July 31 and the third from 
August 20 to September 27. The usual dates of cuttings and days 
available during the period are as follows : 
First cutting, June 13 to June 22, 7 days available. 
Second cutting, July 15 to July 21, 5 days available. 
Third cutting, Sept. 1 to Sept. 10, 6 days available. 
Distribution of Man Labor on 6 Acres of Alfalfa 
OF 
LABOR 
I 
# 
1 
hi 
J 
10 20 
10 20 
10 20 
10 20 
10 20 
10 20 
10 20 
10 20 
10 20 
10 20 
10 EO 
10 20 
JAN. 
FEB. 
MAR. 
APR. 
MAY 
JUNE 
JULY 
AUG. 
SEPT. 
OCT. 
NOV. 
DEC 
Fig. 13.— The first and second cuttings of alfalfa are usually about four weeks apart and the 
third cutting five to six weeks after the second 
Figure 13 shows the labor distribution by days on a field of 6 
acres of alfalfa cut three times. The first cutting of alfalfa conflicts 
with corn cultivation, the second with small-grain harvest, and the 
third with silo filling, stack threshing, and fall plowing. Like tame 
hay, the crop is characterized by high labor requirements for short 
periods of time with little chance of shifting these periods materially. 
Once alfalfa is ready to cut, it can not be allowed to stand without 
loss of feeding value for that crop and a lessened yield for the next. 
After it is cut it must be cured and hauled to the barn as promptly 
as possible to avoid loss of leaves. 
USE OF UNIT REQUIREMENT AND LABOR DISTRIBUTION DATA IN PLANNING A CROP- 
PING SYSTEM 
Iii the presentation of labor requirements by operations for the 
several crops, a wide range in requirements for each operation has 
been apparent. The principal causes for these variations have been 
