14 



FARMERS BULLETIN 836. 



to fit under the upper end of the one attached to the elevator plate, 

 so that the plants will not be hindered in passing from one to the 

 other. Both extensions may be braced strongly at the top by 

 fastening them to a right angle of iron or wood. 



A grain binder equipped with the pans and extensions herein out- 

 lined is shown in figure 10. 



Binders equipped in the manner described have been tested care- 

 fully in different sections and have proved beyond doubt that they 

 offer an economical device for harvesting sweet clover for seed. 

 This equipment has been used most extensively in Livingston County, 

 III., where farmers have saved with it from $6 to $10 worth of seed 



per acre. When this 

 equipment is used the 

 plants may be permit- 

 ted to become some- 

 what more mature be- 

 fore cutting, as the 

 seed which is shat- 

 tered will be saved by 

 the pans. 



As the pans and 

 extensions described 

 have been designed 

 for one type of binder, 

 it may be necessary 

 to modify them 

 slightly for use on 

 other types of ma- 

 chines. Before mak- 

 ing a set of these pans 

 and extensions for 

 any machine, the 

 plans shown should be compared carefully with the binder to be 

 equipped, in order that any changes which will need to be made may 

 be noted. The pans and extensions at least may be made on the farm, 

 and then it will be an easy matter to check up the measurements for 

 the supports, which may be made at a blacksmith shop. 



Difficulty may be experienced in cutting sweet clover with a 

 binder when the first crop has been permitted to mature, as the 

 plants may be so tall that the machine will not handle them properly. 

 This difficulty may be overcome entirely in most sections of the 

 country by pasturing the field until the first part of June or by cutting 

 the first crop for hay. It is recommended that the stubble be left 

 as high as possible when cutting sweet clover for seed. Not only 

 will this greatly facilitate harvesting but it will leave many of the 



FIG. 9. Extension to the binder deck of the grain binder. A, sLe and 

 shape of the metal before bending; B, extended points which are to be 

 bolted to the main portion of the metal; ^extension when completed. 



