Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1902-07-31
SPONTANEOUS COMBUSTION
Heating of Alfalfa Hay In Muggy
July or August Weather.

All cases Of spontaneous combustion
of alfalfa hay that have come to the
notice OF the Kansas station have oc-
Cured with the first cutting. Early
spring growth Of alfalfa in an ordinary
season is rank. The alfalfa is cut
either in May or early in June, and at
this time of the year the weather is
such that it is difficult to thoroughly
cure the alfalfa without getting it wet
Usually there is considerable damp
weather and little wind after the first
cutting is put in the NOW or stack,
and this hinders further drying. With
later cuttings the growth is not SO rank
and succulent, and the weather is drier,
and there is often wind. This makes
curing easy.
At this station we have not had al
falfa heat sufficiently to take fire, but
we have had it become SO hot that as
a matter Of safety we took it out of
the barn several weeks after putting it
in the NOW and stacked it outdoors.
We have had SO much trouble with the
first crop heating that for the past four
wears we have stacked it outdoors and
put the other cuttings in the barn. We
have cured the first cutting as care
fully as we knew how, keeping it sew
eral days in cocks, putting covers on
the cocks at night and opening the
cocks during the daytime, and with all
these precautions, if there came week
or more of wet, muggy weather in July
or August, the alfalfa hay would be-
come hot. If the weather stayed dry,
no heating took place.
Alfalfa should be cut when not more
than one-tenth of the plants have come
in bloom. Cut at this early stage, the
yield Of hay for the season will be
much greater than if the alfalfa is cut
near maturity, and every pound Of hay
secured will be worth more for feed.
The method of curing will vary with
the condition of the crop, ground and
weather. When alfalfa has made
slow growth and at the time of cut
ting the ground and the weather are
dry, there is no difficulty in curing.
Often under these conditions it is safe
to rake within few hours after now
ing and stack a few hours after the al
falfa has been put in the windows.
When alfalfa has made rapid growth
and is rank and succulent and the
weather and ground are damp, the
problem of curing is difficult one. 1t
is easy to dry the leaves, but the stems
will contain much moisture after the
leaves are too dry. Alfalfa hay should
become so dry before stacking that
when a handful of stems are tightly
twisted together no water can be
squeezed out The most practical way
to accomplish this and at the same
time save the leaves is the plan to
adopt, and this will vary with differ
ent seasons and places.
There is practically no difficulty in
curing any but the first crop. When
the conditions for curing the first crop
are unfavOrable, we have usually
found the most practicable method to
be to cut the alfalfa in the morning
after the dew is off, allow it to barely
wilt in the swath, then rake and be-
fore night put in narrow tall cocks.
After the dew is off the next morning
and the surface of the ground has be-
come dry we open these cocks careful
~, SO as not to shatter off the leaves.
If the weather is favorable, the hay
may be stacked in the afternoon; if
not, we recock carefully and repeat
the treatment until the hay is proper
~ cured.
From all the experience we have
gained to date we advise that the best
way to prevent spontaneous cOmbus-
ton of alfalfa is to thoroughly cure
before stacking.-H M. COttrell.