The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1927-04-14
Expert Says That Alfalfa
Must Be Cured, Not Dried

man, and with the aIi of his ID
year-old son and 12-year old
daughter, they were able to care
for all this hay.
To save these leaves, alfalfa
must be cut at the right time and
Cured" not "dried". If you dry
the leaves in the swath, you are
liable to lose most of them before
you get them in the barn. Many
practice raking the hay when the
dew is on SO the leaves won't fall
off. Some of this dew gets into
the haymow or stack, and causes
mold, dust and an inferior quail
| ity of hay.
In choosing the time to cut,
there are many things to take into
consideration. What are you GO
ing to use the hay for-dairy cat
tie, horse feed, or to bale and sell?
Is your field in a system of crop ro-'
tation? If so, you would not be so
particular about the long life of
all your plants.
The proper manner of curing to
have the leaves and the color of
the hays is much more important
than whether you will cut it when
it is one-tenth, one-third, one-half
or in full bloom, and this whether
you are going to use it for dairy
cattle, beef cattle, sheep, horses or
chickens, or sell for a cash crop.
For beginners, we founl that
the most successful results have
been secured when they begin cut
ting the hay when it is about one
tenth in blossom. In large field,
unless you have excellent weather
and a large crew of hay makers,
before you get through some of the
field will be in full bloom. When
the hay is about one-tenth in
blossom, the little shoots at the
base of the plant will be about
one-haf to one inch in length. This
will give "a fine quality of hay as
to palatability, color and mixture,
and as far as permanency of stand,
will work out quite satisfactorily
for you, using a 5-year rotation
for your alfalfa fields.
OF course, the permanency of
the stand and also your yield will
be improved by leaving your al
falfa go to full bloom, although it
is harder to save the leaves, doesn't
make as nice a texture or color of
hay, and the hay as less palatable.
So, it is really up to the grower to
apply the above facts to his own
conditions and needs. Then decide
at what stage to cut.
A good many dairymen and
stockmen are practicing the cutting
of their hay and just leaving it wilt
a little, then putting 1T in the
stack, thus making brown hay of
it, because when it is put in green,
fermentation and heating will take
place and change the color to a
brownish hue. But if the stack is
so constructed that no rain will
work down into the main part of
the stack, and if the hay is put up
without any dew moisture or rain
moisture, the natural moisture in
the hay will not cause mold or
spoiled hay in the main body of
the stack. Making brown hay is
somewhat like making silage.
This method is one which makes
| it very easy to save the leaves, but
as yet, we are lacking in definite
information in regard to how much
of the protein will pass out of
the hay because of this fermenta-
ton and heating. 1t will be in
teresting as time goes on, to find
out different farmers results when
using brown hay.
Pick up the market report from
any hay markets, and you will find
No. alfalfa hay selling for $24.00
or $500 a ton; No. 2, $1,000 to
$17.00, and No. 8, $1,000 to $14.00
and No. a, will be worth from
$500 to $1,000. In most cases,
this difference of price is caused
by different methods of putting up
the hay. Too much alfalfa hay is
dried and not cured. This, of
course, is true with other hays
aside from alfalfa, such as red
clover, alsike, or crimson and also
sweet clover, and to some extent,
with the non-leguminous hays.
Last summer, I made a careful
study of methods being used on
different farms throughout Mime
sofa. I found that because of the
lack of information and experience
too many followed the method of
cutting the hay in the morning as
soon as the dew was off and allow.
mo r. tn lie in the swath where the
sun beat down on it and the hot
sun and winds burned the life and
color out of the hay.
| Did you ever think of comparing
the curing of alfalfa hay with the
method of butchering a hog? Now
if you cut your hay and leave it in
the swath a day or so, why don't
you knock the hog in the head and
leave it lie on the ground day
or two before you stick it so il
will bleed. You wouldn't think oil
| do;nor fhic. of course not After