6 
Bulletin 57. 
weather on June 9 and 10 was cloudy with some showers, 
but at this time the alfalfa had not yet dried much and it 
was but little injured by the rain. It showed a total loss of 
9.0 per cent of value in the curing and gathering. 
The next sample was cut June 15, raked June 17, 
cocked June 18 and gotten in the same day; all without a 
drop of rain. It also showed 9.0 per cent loss. 
The third lot was cut June 22, raked and cocked June 
24. That night a quarter of an inch of rain fell and the 
next day was showery. The hay was opened up, turned 
and recocked June 26 and taken to the barn June 28. It 
showed a loss of 13.0 per cent of dry matter. 
Another field was cut June 15, raked June 18, cocked 
June 19 and gotten in June 22. The weather was perfect 
and the hay showed 11.0 per cent of loss. Still another field 
cut at about the same time and under the best of conditions, 
showed 10.0 per cent loss. 
We thus have eight tests of the losses in curing and 
gathering alfalfa. They vary from 5.1 per cent to 26.1 per 
cent, with an average of 11.7 per cent. 
It is probable that this average is not far from the real 
average of the losses on the alfalfa in Colorado that does 
not suffer any hard rain. The first test with a loss of 26.1 
per cent, shows what may easily happen under bad con¬ 
ditions. 
It is specially to be noted that the hay which was made 
in perfect weather shows about the same loss as that which 
had cloudy weather and light showers. The hay that dried 
most rapidly became so brittle that the mechanical losses 
of leaves and stem were fully equal to the losses by ferment¬ 
ation during the damper weather. 
]>—LOSSES OF ALFALFA IN THE STACK AND IN THE BARN. 
A test was made to determine how much of its feeding 
value was lost by alfalfa hay after it was put in the stack 
and how much of that loss could be saved by putting the 
hay in a barn. 
A field of alfalfa was all cut the same day, handled alike 
until made into well cured hay, then it was hauled and each 
two loads put alternately in the stack and in the barn. I'he 
stack was divided by slats into four layers and the hay in 
the barn into four corresponding layers. The hay in each 
layer was weighed separately and duplicate samples taken 
for analysis.This hay was the first cutting and was put in the 
stack June 15. It remained in the stack eight months and on 
