The Wolf Point herald. (Wolf Point, Mont.) 1913-1940, 1924-06-26
INFORMATION FOR
ALFALFA HAY TIME

The harvesting of one of our mos
valuable crops will soon be in order
The time of cutting of the first cror
of alfalfa hay is an important date
and very important to the grower
who expects to produce seed. The
cutting of the first crop at the proper
time is one of the factors that deter
mine, to a great extent, the seed crop
to follow. The n important factor
that makes alfalfa seed high priced
is the uncertainty of the seed crop.
By observing the plants, this one
element in seed production can be
controlled and regulated to advantage
by the grower who wants a seed crop
and with the abundance of feed in
the country, the seed crop is worth
more than the hay crop.
Cut alfalfa for hay when about
one-third of the flowers are showing.
In heavy stands, the blooming will be
delayed, hence cut heavy growth ear
lier.
The better indication of the time
to cut is when the new shoots that
appear from the crown are one to two
inches high. If tops of these new
shoots r clipped, the second growth
is delayed ten days or two weeks,
which in many cases causes the seed
crop to be frosted.
If the second crop is to be saved
for seed, it is almost imperative to
cut the first crop as soon as the first
blossoms appear or new shoots start.
The last hay crop of the season
should be cut not later than Sep
TENDER first, so as to allow time for
fall growth to furnish winter protec-
If the season is very dry, there
is not likely to be much growth after
September first. Under such condi-
make the last cutting earlier,
Or be satisfied with n good CROP
on dry land. For the same reason,
alfalfa should not be pastured late
n the fall.
How to Handle
Alfalfa leaves make up from 40 per
to SO per cent of the weight of
he crop. There is as much feed in
LOO pounds of leaves as there is in
240 pounds of stems. Do not waste
he leaves. Handling the hay when
Try causes great loss of leaves.
After cutting, the hay should not
'e allowed to lie in the swath long
to become crisp, but should
re raked into windows within a few
lours as soon as the alfalfa wits. if
hould be raked.
If possible, bunch as quickly as
'ossible, as curing in the bunch is
'est, but cannot always be done on
ccount of the labor question. The
should be cured so that the lea
es are saved, and only a small part {
1 the hay is exposed to the bleach +
lg action of the sun and weather.
he hay should be allowed to cure I
n~disturbed. Turning the punches {
OCCASIONALLY, except for the very
eavlest crop, has the effect of re- :
lclng the value by knocking off the
'aves. When the ground is wet. it
sometimes a good plan to turn the
falfa over just before hauling the
ay to the stack or barn. If the
of a small wisp of hay in the
ands does not cause moisture or
ices to come from the stem. the
is ready to stack. Alfalfa should
handled rapidly and stored in the
ack as oon as it is ready.
Raising Seed
Many good seed crops have been
because the hay crop was re-
oved too late. Ten days at the end
the season is often the time re-
tired to save the seed crop from
Ost, hence the Importance of earlv
tting of the only hay crop.
Seed crops of alfalfa are not GER
n. Weather conditions which bring
out excessive vegetative growth of
2 plants are unfavorable to seed
oduction. A crop which is sending
many young shoots from the
while in bloom, is not likely
bloom heavily or return much seed
Cloudy, damp weather when the
p is in blossom is u~nfavorable to
rood seed return. The uncertain
of seed production is the princi-
cause of the high price of alfalfa
d.
Under conditions of low rainfall
an unusually dry season. more
d may be obtained from the first
p. The seed on the first crop ri
IS more uneyenlV thar on the SOC