White Bluffs spokesman. [volume] (White Bluffs, Wash.) 1907-1938, 1926-12-03

lions made satisfactory curing diff
cult and uncertain. To make the
best hay dry and bright weather was
a requisite, and lacking it, the al
falfa experiments were unsuccessful,
CONGRESS ENCOURAGES
EXPERIMENTS
The department then began expert
ments in southeast Missouri, on the
Mississippi bottom lands recently re-
claimed by drainage, 10 determine
whether some practical method might
be devised to cure alfalfa by artificial
means. Two men were assigned to
solve the problem and an applopria-
ton of $4,000 a year was authorized
by congress for the study, which, CEN
tinued from 1911 to 1914.
The various factors involved were
readily determined. After alfalfa is
cut, it is raked into windrows and left
for the sun to d:y. Curing rle hay
is somewhat wasteful process. The
dry leaves are very brittle and there
is a loss Of about a third Of the al
fa,fa. In artificially dried alfalfa,
however, there is no loss of any kind.
It was found that in small quantities
there was RIO particular difficulty en-
countered in passing current Of hot
air through the alfalfa and drying
it in from 20 to 60 minutes.
The color of the artificially dried
product was altogether satisfactory,
almost that Of the green plans. Its
palatability was found to be greater
than that Of any other hay on the
market. 1t was noted that hay cured
in the sun lost about "a fourthYrof it's
protein and minerals in the curing
process, with corresponding lessen
ing in it's value. Artificially curea
hay was found to have from 10 to go
per cent higher nutritive properties.
The experimenters found that farm
animals prefe,-ed the artificiallv cured
fiay TO the tleld-dried hay.
T The difficulty lay, however in pro-
ucing a sufficient amount of the
artitlcially cured hay to make the
process commercially profitable. The
small experimental machine used
could turn out only 500 pounds day.
1t was estimated that commercial
machine was needed capable of turn
ing cut f-'om Is TOTO tons day.
Inc cost CT such airnachine was es-
tirnated to be from $4,000 to $22, 600.
/, APPROPRIATIONS CUT OFF
But in 1914 the small appropia-
ton which had been granted was en-
tlfely cut off. In addition to the
quantity production difficulty, one
otker phase of the problem remained
,,nsoved. Tha. was to secure even
ness in the drying. 1t was observed
that the alfalfa tended to bunch III
/ the drier in some places and to spread
thinly in Others The result was that
some parts of the hay would retain an
excessive amount of moisture, as
much as 20 per cent, while ether parts
would have only 2 per cent OF the
moisture and become almost as dry
as powder.
The scenes now shift to farm
near Chicago. There retired
mechanical engineer, Arthur ]. Mason
had been developing a country home.
He had an engineers inquiring minu
and was interested in experimenting
with farming methods. He o.
served that part of his land that
had been used for the cultivation or
corn had lost four inches OF it's
surface soil. He decided to raise
crop that would not result in
such loss and selected alfalfa.
When the crop was CUT he be-
came interested in the problem Of
drying it artifcially, just as the de-
partment Of agriculture experts had
been trying to do for so many years.
At the logical time he bumped up
against the same old, apparently in
surmontable, prpblem. He found
that alfalfa seemed to have an IN
herent aversion to spreading evenly
in the artificial drier. ~ But being
Of an inventive tu:n of mind, he
succeeded in devising process which
solved the difficulty OF the uneven
drying of the alfalfa.
ENDLESS BELT is USED
After extensive experiments he de-
cided that the maximum returns would
be obtainable by drier carrying
the alfalfa on an endless belt in a
layer eight inches deep for suffi-
cent time to allow heated air to re-
move the required amount Of mois-
ture. Desiring eight-inch lengths of
the plant, he proceeded to devise
machine which cut the alfalfa in the
field the desired length. In the
drier the hay was kept for 40 minutes,
entering with rs per cent moisture
and LEAVING with about per cent.
The hay passes into the drying
chamber in a uniform laye.' eight
inches deep. In this layer the stems
are all in vertical plane. A bank of
furnaces provides hot air. A large
fan mixes this with cold air in such
proportions as to give temperature
Of 275 degrees. This hot air mixture
is blown into the top of one end Of
the drying chamber, is forced down
Though the hay, passes to the other
end Of the chamber, up through the
layer OF hay and thence into a flue
that carries it up and out.
Mr.. Mason's work was watched
by the officials OF the department Of
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