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Show SAVE THE LEAVES IN HARVESTING The Total Yields arc Greatly Increased In-creased by Care and Proper Methods. Iin curing alfalfa for hay it is particularly par-ticularly important to save tho leaves. J Whcter this is dono depends on tho methods of curing; tho mcthod'of cur-' ing depends chiefly on tho man who I is doing it. If ho understands the ' great vnluo of tho lenves and havo to save them, he usually succeeds in doing do-ing so, because hero is ono place where "too rushed f0r timo" haB no part. It is an easy and rapid to cure nlfalfa properly as to handle it in such n way as to loso most of tho leaves. The leaves nro considerable richer rich-er in protein and mineral mnttcr and about four times as rich in fat ns tho stems. Cattlo and hogd cat leaves as well in properly cured hnf. Morever, tho leaves represent ono third to ono half tho total dry woight. With hay at its present high prico n0 farmer can afford to loso from 30 to 45 por cent of his hay by curing improperly. Thnt is just what happens when tho leaves arc sacrificed. Most leaves practically nil of them, in fnct may be saved by cutting at the timo tho first blossoms begin to show and by curing principally in tho cock. Early mowing (ono tenth blossom) blos-som) gives a considerably larger seasonal sea-sonal yield f0r three cuttings than docs later mowing. Tho hay is more palatablo and also more nutritious. Tills is shown by tho fact tho acre yiolds were in. the proportion of 100, 92, and 85 for enrly medium and later cut hay. Tho yields of beef vcr6 100, 79.5 and G9.5 respectively for curly, late and medium cutting. These are tho nvcrogo figures for tho totnl of ench season for five years. Quality in tho hay is further enhanced en-hanced by raking at onco and cocking cock-ing ns soon as possible preferably tho Bamo day that it is cut. Possibly Bomo nlfalfa land is too wet to permit this, but not much of it and that little is not good alfalfa land. Let tho hay be cocked green as possiblo in small cockB just large enough to make ono good forkful. Alfalfa so cured re- tains its leaves, is bright in color and HH palatable. Furthermore it is easier "1 to handlo both in loading and unload- H ing. Firmer and moro symmetrical H stacks can bo built from the compact H fiat flakes mndo by cock-curing. Such H hny also sheds water better than H swath-curcd hay which consists mnin- H ly of stems and which is invariably H too looso and too dry to handlo well. .H Alfalfa leaves nro valuable. They jH incrcaso tho total yield by about 30 H to 45 per cent. They arc also better H feed, pound for pound than baro stems. H |