EXPERIMENT STATION BULLETINS. 



403 



HARVESTING FOR SEED. 



The best implement to use in harvesting sweet clover for seed will 

 depend upon the growth made. If the growth is not too rank and 

 heavy the grain binder may be used. However, if very rank the corn 

 binder will give better satisfaction. A three foot swath may be cut 

 with the corn binder when the sweet clover has been broadcasted by 

 placing ten-inch extensions upon the dividers. The mowing machine 

 causes great loss of seed through shattering and is not satisfactory. 

 Kegardless of the implement used the shattering will not be nearly so 

 great if the plants are harvested when toughened by a light mist or dew. 

 At this stage of growth most of the leaves have fallen off and no diffi- 

 culty is experienced in curing. A sweet clover plant does not mature 

 all of its seed at one time, consequently the proper stage at which to 

 harvest is when from GO to 75 per cent of the seed pods have turned 

 brown. 



^%',. 



Fig. 6. Harvesting sweet clover seed with grain binder iu .Mprna Coimi.v. Wiicii the 

 growth is not too rank the grain binder is one of the bt-'sl implrments to us*- for harvesting 

 sweet clover seed. 



Sweet clover seed may be threshed with the ordinary grain thresher. 

 If very dry most of the seed will be hulled, if slightly damp very few 

 seed will be hulled. When the grain thresher does not remove the hull 

 it may be removed with a clover huller or a sweet clover seed scarifier. 

 Due to the greater capacity of the grain thresher it is better adapted 

 for threshing sweet clover than the clover huller. 



Sweet Clover is (Well Adapted to Michigan Kotations. 



Many farmers have observed the aggressive habit of sweet clover 

 along railroad embankments, roadsides and on clay knolls where the 

 top soil has been removed and have thus become prejudiced against it, 

 fearing it would be difficult to completely eradicate the crop when 



