Farm Notes. 5 
had a hard time of it, but no worse than often happens to 
the first cutting of alfalfa in northern Colorado. The plots 
gathered up at once on May 28 yielded at the rate of 16,553 
poundsof green alfalfa per acre, which contained 23.2 per cent 
of dry matter or 3,840 pounds of dry matter per acre. After 
the fifteen days of hardship the final hay secured weighed 
3,302 pounds per acre, with 86.0 per cent of dry matter or 
2.839 pounds of dry matter per acre. Thus, of the original 
3.840 pounds of dry matter, but 2,839 pounds were saved, 
showing a loss of 1,001 pounds per acre or 26.1 per cent. 
In the second test the alfalfa was cut June 21, raked and 
cocked June 23, and brought to the barn June 28, or seven 
days after cutting. The only moisture on this hay was a 
small rain and a mere sprinkle, both coming after the hay 
was in the cock, and neither enough so that the hay had to 
be opened up to dry. This case represents the ordinary 
good conditions of the first crop of alfalfa in Colorado. At 
the time of cutting the field yielded at the rate of 16,258 
pounds of alfalfa per acre, containing 30.3 of dry matter or 
4,926 pounds of dry matter per acre. The hay put in the 
barn weighed 4,900 pounds per acre and was very dry, 
testing 90.3 per cent dry matter or 4,425 pounds of dry 
matter per acre. In this case, of the original 4,926 pounds 
of dry matter, 4,425 pounds were saved; a loss of 501 pounds 
per acre or a loss of 10. 2 per cent. 
The third trial was made in September, under perfect 
weather conditions, the hay coming to the barn without 
having had a drop of moisture fall on it. The crop was 
the heaviest ever cut on the College farm in the fall. The 
green weight was 13,133 pounds per acre, containing 38.0 
per cent dry matter, or 4,990 pounds dry matter per acre. 
This field produced, in the whole season, a little over seven 
and a half tons of hay per acre. When the experimental 
hay was put in the stack it weighed 5,097 pounds per acre 
and contained 93.0 per cent dry matter or 4,740 pounds of 
dry matter per acre. So, in this third trial there was a loss 
of but 5.1 per cent of the value of the hay in curing and 
stacking. 
The other method used for making a test of this 
same point was to cut the field and at once gather up the 
alfalfa from sixteen different plots scattered over the field, 
each plot being twenty feet long and the width of the 
mower swath. It was considered that these sixteen plots of 
over a thousand square feet would represent the average 
of the field. 
In the first test the alfalfa was cut June 8, raked June 
12, cocked the 14th and taken to the barn June 16. The 
