Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1912-06-12
ALFALFA
IS NOW A
GREAT CROP
MANY STATES PRODUCE 1T
oklahoma Turning Out a Fine
Crop This Year

Oklahoma City, June 11.-..Oklaho
Tia farmers should in the next 81,
%eeks get $4,O0O,OOO from the sale o.
'neir first cutting of alfalfa" said H
y. Cottrell, agricultural commission
er of the Rock Island lines, who was
IN Oklahoma City on his way to the
alfalfa growing country. THE coun-
Try from the Rocky mountains to the
Atlantic is short of hay and hay is
"llnging unusually high prices. Okla.
n"ma farmers will be the first to have
f1y large quantity to market and
should market their alfalfa as early as
early as possible and in the best OF
condition, considering the weather.
There is an extreme shortage OF
Goth cattle and hogs in Oklahoma, so
t"at the farmers can afford to sell all
N" first cutting of alfalfa, except the
small amount needed for work horses.
The money this alfalfa will bring to
oklahoma farmers will come in be-
fore the wheat money and will make
conditions better all over the state.
Fhr better quality the hay the more
Money it will bring and little ware
less handling among the growers will
. nee the price one-third to one
half.
Alfalfa hay brings top prices when
1t is bright green in color, half the
total weight consisting of leaves, and
the aroma is rich.
THE first cutting should be made
when not more than one-tenth of the
plants come in bloom. If the grower
feels reasonably sure of a weeks dry
weather it will pay to cut as soon as
g few plants have blossomed This
will put the hay on the market a week
earlier.
To make alfalfa hay that will bring
q high price, the plants, after being
cut. must be exposed as little as pos
sible to the sun. Pound for pound.
alfalfa leaves are worth four times as
much as the stems. Where alfalfa S
cut and allowed to cure in the swath,
the sun quickly kills the leaves and
makes them so brittle that large por-
ton of them drop off.
THE quicker the alfalfa plant is
thoroughly cured after cutting the bet
ter; and quick curing can be best Sc
ourel by a method of handling that
will keep the leaves out of the sun.
The haymaker who gets the highest
price for his hay handles the cut
plants so as to keep tie leaves alive as
long as possible.
When the plant is growing the
leaves pump moisture from the soil
and 'evaporate it into air. After the
plant is cut, as long as the leaves are
alive they keep pumping the water out
of the stems and evarorating it into
the air. If the leaves of the cut al
falfa plants can be kept alive for ~
to "a hours they will thoroughly dry
out the plants, making good hay. If
the leaves are killed quickly by let
ting the hay lie in the swath, the wa
ter slowly evaporates from the stems
and it takes several days for the first
cutting to cure The way to keep the
leaves alive is to keep them shaded
THE easiest way that | have used,
provided it does not rain, is to start
the mower in the forenoon after the
dew has gone; follow the mower in 80
minutes with a side delivery rake,
throwing two windows together, put
ting most of the plants out of the
sunlight The next forenoon, after the
moved ground becomes dry and hot,
run the side delivery rake to throw
the windows over on the bare ground,
where the heat will help cure the
hay.
THE only way that have been able
to make good hay in showery weather
s to put it up in tall, narrow cocks
for curing, and just before stacking
open up these cocks to the air and
sun for a couple of hours. This takes
labor, but the extra price the hay
will bring often makes the method
paw"
Those who have returned from the
trade excursions in the west part OF
the state readily agree with Commits
sioner Cottrell as to the amount that
will be realized from the first cutting
of alfalfa this year. In all that sec
| ton the crop is the best ever seen in
the state.
The first cutting will be made in {
| few days. and the hay will soon b.
ready for market The fact that tn,
crop is light elsewhere is favorabl'
20 oklahoma, and the railroads will
he ready to handle the crop in thi
first cutting. Oklahoma farmers ma,
expec good prices for their alfalf
this year, which will be the first ste
n the prosperity that is to come &
The state after three dry years.
The enthusiastic voter wouldn't b
f he knew what it was about