532 FOE AGE PLANTS AND THEIR CULTURE 



and the straw obtained is a much better feed. The plants 

 should be allowed to become thoroughly dry after cutting. 

 When ready to bunch and put into shocks, soybeans 

 should be a little damp, as some shattering will occur if 

 handled when very dry. 



One of the chief difficulties in growing soybeans for 

 seed has been the' harvesting. The small early varieties 

 can be harvested only with a mowing machine, or a bean 

 harvester or by hand. For harvesting many of the later 

 and more erect growing varieties, a mower with a bunch- 

 ing attachment or a self-rake reaper is better adapted. 

 The self-binder has been found the most satisfactory 

 machine to use with tall varieties. 



Thrashing is most satisfactorily done in the field with- 

 out previously stacking if conditions will permit. Soy- 

 beans may be thrashed with an ordinary grain separator 

 if necessary adjustments are made, otherwise a large per 

 cent of the beans will be cracked or split. The cylinder 

 should be run at about one-half the speed used in thrash- 

 ing grain, but at the same time maintaining the usual 

 rate for the rest of the machine. Some of the concaves 

 should be removed or a special set of thin concaves should 

 be used. The ordinary wheat separators are now manu- 

 factured provided with a pea and bean hulling attachment 

 which is said to do satisfactory work. Special pea and 

 bean separators are now on the market which not only 

 do clean hulling, but split none of the beans. Soybeans 

 cannot be satisfactorily thrashed unless thoroughly dry, 

 for when slightly damp the pods are tough, and much of 

 the seed remains unthrashed. 



Special care is required in storing soybean seed to 

 prevent heating, which will ruin the beans as far as germi- 

 nation is concerned. The seed should be thoroughly 



