4 FARMERS' BULLETIN 836. 



TIME TO CUT THE SEED CROP. 



Opinions of extensive growers of sweet clover differ as to the 

 proper stage at which to cut the seed crop. Some believe that it 

 should be cut when the pods on the lower branches have turned 

 dark brown to black, while others maintain that it is best to wait 

 until the seed on the upper portions of the plants is mature. The 

 time of cutting the seed crop, should be governed largely by the 

 machinery which is to be used. If the plants are to be harvested 

 with a self-rake reaper or a grain binder, they should be cut when 

 approximately three-fourths of the seed pods have turned dark 

 brown to black. At this time some flowers and many immature 

 pods will be found on the plants, but the field will have a brownish 

 cast. If the crop is not cut until the seed pods on the uppermost 

 branches have matured, most of the pods on the lower branches will 

 have shattered. 



It is the practice in regions where a grain header is employed to 

 permit the plants to become somewhat more mature before cutting 

 the seed crop than in sections where other machines are used. More 

 seed is shattered when the plants are cut at the latter stage, but this 

 is not necessarily a loss, as the grain header is employed for the most 

 part in semiarid regions, where the shattered seed is depended upon 

 to reseed the land. 



LOSS OF SEED FROM SHATTERING. 



From one-fifth to three-fourths of the total seed yield of sweet 

 clover is lost from shattering. The percentage of the loss which 

 occurs before harvesting will depend largely on the tune the crop is 

 cut. Much seed may be lost if harvesting is delayed for only a few 

 days, and many fields have been observed in which at least 90 per 

 cent of the seed had shattered in less than two weeks after the time 

 the plants should have been cut. 



The percentage of seed which is lost in harvesting will depend 

 largely upon the manner of handling the crop. The binder or 

 header may be equipped at a small cost, so that much of the seed 

 which ordinarily is lost while cutting may be saved. Much shattered 

 seed will be saved by using wagons with tight platforms or platforms 

 covered with canvas. All unnecessary handling should be avoided. 



Shattering may be reduced to a minimum by cutting the plants 

 when they are damp from rain or dew. It is the practice in some 

 regions to cut in the early morning or late evening, but this pro- 

 cedure will apply only to small acreages, since it is necessary to cut 

 the crop as soon as possible when it reaches the proper stage for har- 

 vesting. It is a good practice to cut sweet clover at night, as the 

 plants usually are damp at that time. 



