Irrigated Agriculture in the San Luis Valley 
19 
Harvesting .—One of the first essentials in growing alfalfa is 
to know when to cut it. The proper time to cut to get the greatest 
total yield of hay and feed for the season is when the crown shoots 
which are to produce the following crdp make their .first appear¬ 
ance. An examination of the crowns at the soil’s surface from 
time to time will determine this point. The blossoming period is 
not a safe criterion to follow, because weather conditions markedly 
influence the time of blossoming. Sometimes the crop will be in 
full bloom before the crown shoots appear, and sometimes the 
crown shoots will be out before more than the first blossoms are in 
evidence. If the alfalfa is allowed tO' mature too much for any 
particular cutting it will retard the development of the succeeding 
crop. While any individual cutting will give a greater amount of 
tonnage if allowed to go to full bloom, the total weight of cuttings 
during the year will be greatest and the hay will be of much better 
ciuality if the alfalfa is cut upon the appearance of the first crown 
shoots. 
The best method of making hay is to mow after the dew is 
off in the morning or afternoon; then rake with a side delivery rake 
very soon after the alfalfa is cut. It should only be allowed to 
wilt slightly before raking. The cutting process thru which al¬ 
falfa must pass is essentially drying. The leaves are the natural 
organs of alfalfa for getting rid of moisture. If the alfalfa is al¬ 
lowed to lie in the swath until the leaves are dry it takes a long 
time—several days—to dry the stems out. When-thrown-into a 
loose windrow with a side delivery rake most of the leaves are in 
the shade and will continue to evaporate moisture rapidly so that 
the curing or drying will take place in a very much shorter time. 
The alfalfa can be stacked directly from the windrow or may be 
cocked, depending upon the particular farm conditions. Where the 
old dump rake is used it is advisable to rake after the hay is slightly 
wilted, and put the hay into small cocks as quickly as possible, and 
cure in the cock. When handled in this way, especially where the 
side delivery rake is used, the hay can be put in the stack from 
twelve to twenty-four hours after cutting, which very much reduces 
the work and facilitates the whole process. 
Black Stem Rot or Alfalfa Blight .—In the spring of IQIL 
alfalfa made an unusually good growth early in the season because 
of favorable weather conditions. A heavy frost, however, struck 
the Valley May 9th. A few days after this frost many growers 
noticed that their alfalfa was not growing properly. One of the 
authors, with Mr. A. C. Cooley, at that time Valley Agriculturist, 
drove over practically all the western and central sections of tlie 
Valley examining fields. It was found that the difficulty was 
