156 THE FORAGE AND FIBER CROPS IN AMERICA 



with spring tooth hay rake. Attachments to mowing-machines 

 known as clover bunchers are now made and commonly used. 

 The self-rake reaping machine is also used. (C. A. 163) With 

 the latter the clover can be cut higher, making less material 

 to handle and leaving a great stubble, and hence more organic 

 matter to be plowed under. The clover buncher is less ex- 

 pensive and when clover is down may secure more seed. The 

 clover is dried in small piles and where the weather is moist 

 must be turned to keep seed from sprouting. On account of 

 the ease with which flowers break off, the less the clover is 

 handled the less the loss of seed. On the other hand, the 

 alternate wetting and drying facilitates the hulling. From three 

 to five days are required to cure for hulling, but two or more 

 weeks may be allowed without material injury under suitable 

 weather conditions. The quantity of seed varies greatly. Fre- 

 quently only half a bushel, ordinarily two to five bushels, oc- 

 casionally eight to ten bushels are obtained. 



166. Clover Hullers. Clover hullers differ from threshing 

 machines in having an additional cylinder for hulling the clover 

 seed and in the adjustment of the devices for cleaning the seed. 



Sectional view of clover huller. Threshing cylinder above; hulling cylinder below, 

 covered with hardened steel rasp 



The clover first passes an ordinary threshing cylinder, which 

 removes the heads from the stems and to a small extent hulls 

 the seeds. The stems pass to the stacker while the heads, hulled 

 seed, and chaff pass through riddles and are conveyed to the 

 hulling cylinder, which removes the seeds from the pods ami 



