Method and mechanism for harvesting and grading alfalfa

Claim 1

AN ALFALFA FIELD HARVESTING AND GRADING MACHINE COMPRISING A WHEELED VEHICLE, MEANS FOR MOVING AND GUIDING THE VEHICLE ALONG A WINDROW OF AIR DRIED ALFALFA IN A FIELD, PICKUP MECHANISM ON THE VEHICLE FOR PICKING UP SUCH ALFALFA FROM SUCH WINDROW, POWER DRIVEN REDUCING MECHANISM ON THE VEHICLE POSITIONED TO RECEIVE SUCH ALFALFA FROM THE PICKUP MECHANISM, SAID REDUCING MECHANISM OPERATING TO REDUCE THE ALFALFA TO A CONDITION WHEREIN THE STEMS THEREOF ARE OF SHORT LENGTH, THEREBY REDUCING THE MORE FRAGILE LEAF AND FLOWER PORTIONS OF SUCH ALFALFA TO PARTICLES SMALLER THAN THE STEM PARTICLES, FIRST, POWER DRIVEN, COARSER SCREENING MEANS ON THE VEHICLE, MEANS FOR TRANSFERRING SUCH REDUCED ALFALFA FROM THE REDUCING MECHANISM TO THE FIRST, COARSER SCREENING MEANS, THE LATTER HAVING A MESH SIZE TO RETAIN THEREON A MAJOR PORTION OF THE STEM PARTICLES OF SUCH REDUCED ALFALFA AND TO PASS THE REMAINDER THEREOF THERETHROUGH, FIRST RECEIVING MEANS ON THE VEHICLE FOR RECEIVING THE PORTION OF THE REDUCED ALFALFA RETAINED ON THE FIRST, COARSER SCREENING MEANS, SECOND, POWER DRIVEN, FINER SCREENING MEANS ON THE VEHICLE, MEANS FOR TRANSFERRING THE PORTION OF THE REDUCED ALFALFA WHICH PASSES THROUGH THE FIRST, COARSER SCREENING MEANS TO THE SECOND, FINER SCREENING MEANS, THE LATTER HAVING A MESH SIZE TO RETAIN THEREON INTERMEDIATE SIZE PARTICLES OF SUCH REDUCED ALFALFA AND TO PASS THE REMAINDER THEREOF THERETHROUGH, SECOND RECEIVING MEANS ON THE VEHICLE FOR RECEIVING THE PORTION OF THE REDUCED ALFALFA RETAINED ON THE SECOND SCREENING MEANS, AND THIRD RECEIVING MEANS ON THE VEHICLE FOR RECEIVING THE REMAINDER OF THE REDUCED ALFALFA WHICH PASSES THROUGH THE SECOND SCREENING MEANS.