The Delta independent., 1909-10-08
Ranch ano 0rcbaro
Stacking and Threshing Alfalfa.

CtQCRlng ana nIeSHHIS Hy0Co'
Care should be taken not to stack or
thresh alfalfa when the straw is too
green or tough and the seed not fully
dry. II requires even more time to
properly cure the seed crop of alfalfa
than it does to cure the hay crop. The
stems are largely stripped of leaves and
cure slowly and pack closely in the
stack. If stacked green. the alfalfa is
sure to heat and thus injure or destroy
the vitality of the seed. Also. if
threshed green or damp much seed will
be lost, since it will not hull properly.
and if damp seed is stored in bulk it
may heat and spoil.
To cure the alfalfa fit to stack from
three to seven days of favorable wealth
er are required, and a longer period If
threshed from the field. When bound
and shocked the crop should have
twenty weeks or so of drying weather
to cure before stacking or threshing. 1t
is safest to put into narrow stacks and
it is also good plan to mix with layers
of dry straw, especially if the alfalfa is
bound and there is any indication that
the straw is damp or green in the mid
die of the bundles. The straw improves
the ventilation of the stack and absorbs
the excessive moisture. The practice
of using straw in this way. however, is
seldom practical.
To prevent loss of seed in stacking or
threshing, racks are sometimes covered
with canvas and canvas is spread under
the machine or along the stack in order
to catch the shattered seed and the bolls
which break off. Care must be taken
to handle the alfalfa carefully in pitch
ing and loading. Large growers of al
falfa often stack the seed crop in the
field with the sweep-rake and hay
stacker. Those who practice this meth
cd usually cut with the mower and
leave in punches or windrows, drying
the alfalfa quickly and stacking as soon
as possible. This is rough way to
handle the crop and occasions more or
less loss of the seed, but when a large
area Is handled it may be more profit
able to handle the cropin this way than
by a slower method and run the risk of
damage from wet weather.
When the alfalfa is left in gavels or
bundles, as thrown off by the harvester.
Z it should be taken up with a barley
fork. There will be less shattering of
seed, however. if the alfalfa is in small
compact punches, not too heavy to be
1 lifted in one forkful and this is impor-
tant. When the alfalfa is stacked. un-
less threshed within two or three days
after stacking. 1t should be allowed to
pass through the sweat before being
threshed. which requires several weeks
or months. The best plan is to cover
the stacks well to prevent damage by
rain. and thresh late in the fall when
the weather is dry and cool. In order
to secure seed for fall sowing it is often
in favorable season. Ii machine
can be secured this is the safest and
most economical method of handling the
crop.
Farmers differ in their opinions as to
whether it is preferable to thresh with
a huller or with a common grain sepa-
rator provided with huller attach
ment. Some growers favor the use of
the latter machine because the work
can be done more rapidly. AS a rule,
however, when farmers have had a
chance to use both kinds of machines
and have compared their work the
huller is preferred. Although it takes
longer to thresh with a good huller, yet
with a good crop enough more seed may
be secured to amply pay for the extra
time and expense required; in fact, the
owner of huller will often pay some
thing for the privilege of threshing
over again the strawstacks left by the
common thresher.