The Lamar register., 1921-06-01
MARKETING ALFALFA HAY
Care on Part of Growers in Handling
in the Fields Will Make Big Diff
ference in Price.

AS the time draws near 10 start
harvesting the first crop of alfalfa
| am using the good offices of the
Lamar Register to give little advice
which know from many years expert
ence in handling alfalfa hay both at
the mills and in the bale and for the
last year on the Kansas City terminal
market and should be of some help
to obtain greater revenue from the
leading crop of your section.
Regardless of any argument to the
contrary, color and texture is what
brings the money in baled hay and
color. primarily in meal. To obtain
color your hay has to be protected
from the sun and rain and for quail
ty you have to save the leaves on the
stems. Dry green hay with the leaves
shattered off will sell for two dollars
or more per ton less for the same
color hay carrying the leaves.
There is only one way that hay can
be pu. up to save the leaves and color
and that is to hand shock il from the
windrow. This is no idle dream not
withstanding the fact that the "Old
Timers" will tell you it is not practic-
able. 1t is done in every producing
alfalfa section from Kansas to the
state of Washington with the excep-
tion of strip of territory from Holly
to La Junta and the prices received
per ton on hay from other sections
on this and other markets verify the
statement that something is wrong
with the Lamar section alfalfa. The
alfalfa mills in the past few war period
years when any hay that was purchas-
ed was worth more in thirty days than
on date Of sale, were not particular
on grades and In previous years the
sheep feeder was looking more for
price than quality. which is the cause
for the careless way in which your
hay has been put in the stack. grant
ing OF course the severe labor short
age naturally factor. The question
now revolves itself into the PROPOSE
tion Of what the difference in price
to be received for the old style meth
cd Of starting three or four mowers
in an so or 160 at one time, raking
at a convenient time and then buck
ing up around a rough field shaking
off half OF the leaves and then stack
ing as you come to it, or in taking
the time and expense to follow up the
windrow when the hay is still tough
with hand forks or after rake and
shape the piles up by hand and hav-
ing it cured in the shock with as little
exposed to sun or shower as possible
and have the leaves on the stems in
dollars per ton pay for the added ex-
pense. OF course not if the hay mills
buy "her straight thru" or the sheep
feeder will put "the line over 'em"
but | think Mr.. Hay Mill Man is go-
ing to have to furnish some green
meal with feeding value to compete
with bran selling for 85 cents per
hundred now on this market. am
NOT any expert agricultural aTllSl HOI
practical farmer but | am practi-
cal hay man and know what you have
to ship that will bring the money. Why
do these big dairies pay from five TO
ten dollars per ton premium for al
falfa hay fine in texture and carrying
the leaves in soft condition-simply
because they get this money back thru
the COW. The same thing applies on
alfalfa meal in a measure but not as
directly. Someone buys this alfalfa
meal and in far distant point is pay
ing large sum for it in a mixed feed.
If this purchaser buys a bunch of
meal ground from some bleached
stems and damaged worthless tops he
hasn't bought any feed and might as
well have purchased saw dust cover
ed with molasses He will eventually
be off alfalfa feed. 1t stands every
one interested in the prosperity Of the
alfalfa sections to try and help the
improvement of the alfalfa hay crop
which is most wonderful feed when
the feeding qualities are preserved.
The difference in alfalfa hay can
| onlv ha nracticolly illustrated as nm