The Glenwood post., 1912-10-12
TAKING CARE OF
THE ALFALFA SEED

A regular alfalfa huller is the most
satisfactory machine for hulling alfalfa
seed, but many sections do not produce
| enough of this crop to justify tine pur-
chase of such machine. Where these
may be used. By screwing down the
concaves and providing Il special set OF
alfalfa sieves fairly satisfactory results
may be attained, especially if the
haulm is run through twice, for in a
single run great deal of seed is left
in the straw. 1t is the custom in some
parts of the country where both thresh-
ers and hullers are used for the hullers
to follow the threshers and thresh out
alfalfa straw piles for half the seed
obtained. In addition to the two
methods cited grain separators are
sometimes fitted with hulling attach
ments.
While the use of the ordinary thresh-
ing machine has sometimes been unsat-
isfactory, 1T is generally true that i'm
perfections are due to the lack of prop
er manipulation of the machine, but
some makes of separators are better
adapted than others for this work. In
sections where ordinary hullers are not
available, there is no doubt of the ad
visibility of using threshers rather
than forego the seed crop entirely.
Failure to appreciate the fact that the
usual threshing machine may be adapt
ed to this purpose has resulted in the
loss of a profitable seed crop in sec
tions where seed production is not often
attempted. 1t is very difficult to hull
alfalfa seed in damp weather or when
the plants are at all moist Hulling
may be accomplished most readily when
the weather is very dry and hot or
when dry and very cold.
Alfalfa seed as it comes from the
machine is not usually in marketable
condition. 1t contains small stones,
clods, pieces of stems and pods, and
often a considerable quantity of weed
seeds. as well as more or less shriveled
alfalfa seed. The bulk of these i'm
purities must be removed before the
seed can be sold to advantage. 4
specially modified flaming mill or other
cleaning device will remove the lighter
seeds as well as most of the pieces of
pods and stems, while a set of sieves
will remove the weed seeds and small
stones and cods which differ in size
from the alfalfa seed.
The alfalfa straw remaining after the
seed is removed is not nearly so valua-
BILE as the same quantity of alfalfa hay,
but it contains great deal of valuable
feeding material and may be used as
roughage for stock. The feeding value
Of the haulm is probably nearly half
that of first-class alfalfa hay and is
probably about equal, pound for pound
to ordinary grass hay. 1t is sometimes
balei and put on the market, but ordi-
narily it is used as bedding or is fed as
roughage to stock in the winter. 1t is
suggested that very coarse straw might
be run through feed cutter to make ii
more palatable to stock Where it may
not be utilized as feed, it may be put
back on the ground and plowed under to
increase the humus content of the soil.
This is a much better practict than
burning the stack as is sometimes done
when no demand exists for it as feed.
We have known hundreds of instances
in which the shuckings around pile Of
alfalfa has saved thousands of head of
livestock from actual starvation during
the boreal blasts Of winter.