Bulletin Volume 66-80 (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1911 edition. Excerpt: ...of the pods are yet green and immature while others are fully ripe and beginning to shatter. Good judgment is therefore required on the part of the grower to determine when to cut the crop in order to save the greatest quantity of well ripened seed. In mowing the seed crop the machine should be furnished with an attachment for bunching or windrowing. This delivers the straw at one side and out of the way. If the machine and draft animals are allowed to pass over the fallen swath as the next is being cut much loss from shattering will result. Some farmers in the Middle West cut the alfalfa seed crop with a self-binder, but this machine is little used in Arizona. As soon as the alfalfa is cut it should be raked into windrows, or, if bunched, the bunches may be thrown together into small cocks. Many prefer to cure the straw in cocks assigning as a reason that the seed is prevented from bleaching so much, and that the straw is more protected from showers and cures better. Here it remains until it is ready to thresh or stack. Seed straw requires longer to cure than ordinary hay because of the comparative absence of leaves which assist in drawing the moisture from the stems. When thoroughly cured the seed may be threshed directly from the cock or windrow. If a thresher is not available at this time the straw must be stacked. It may be picked up from the windrow or cock either by hand or with a sweep-rake but in any case it should be handled as little as possible and with great care. When well cured the pods break off and are lost very readily. When, therefore, it is to be handled by hand and loaded on a wagon, it is customary to make the cocks small enough for a man to lift one at a forkful. This will avoid pulling the bunches apart in loading, ..