20 



FARMERS BULLETIN 836. 



grown and because the ordinary clover huller will not handle a large 

 growth of sweet clover satisfactorily. When the grain separator is 

 operated carefully no trouble should be experienced in removing the 

 seed from the plants, but it is necessary to make certain adjustments 

 if the seed is to be hulled. The adjustments required will vary 

 somewhat with the make of machine and the dryness of the crop. 

 The riddles should be adjusted or changed so they will handle swoot- 

 clover seed properly. Alfalfa or red-clover riddles will answer this 

 purpose. The speed of the fan should be decreased, so the seed will- 

 not be blown over, and this usually will be accomplished when th&. 

 speed is reduced to about one-half that used in thrashing grain. 

 The number of rows of concave teeth which should be used will vary 

 with the dryness of the plants and somewhat with their size. When 

 it is not desired to hull the seed, one or two rows of concave teeth 

 will be sufficient. Some operators believe that one or two rows are 

 sufficient to hull 40 to 50 per cent of the seed when the plants are 

 very dry. These are exceptional cases, and hulled seed should not 

 be expected unless more rows of concave teeth are used. If hulled 

 seed is desired it is recommended that a full set be used and that 

 these be set to run closer to the cylinder teeth than is customary 

 when thrashing grain. Some operators replace two rows of the 

 smooth, concave teeth with corrugated teeth. This practice is 

 recommended wherever possible, as the corrugated teeth will facilitate 

 greatly the hulling of the seed. Even when these changes are 

 made, only a small percentage of the seed will be hulled if the pods 

 are damp. If the plants have been permitted to make a very large 



FIG. 13. Thrashing sweet clover with a grain separator. Note the large sleds used for hauling the plants 

 from the field to the thrashing machine. 



