338 SOILING CROPS AND THE SILO. 



The soy bean should be harvested when the 

 beans are more or less grown in the pods, and the 

 same is true of the cowpea and the horse bean. It 

 is usually considered preferable to allow the pods to 

 become well advanced, so as to increase the feeding 

 value of the silage, but more experience is wanted 

 in siloing these crops before the exact stage of 

 growth can be certainly known at which they ought 

 to be harvested. 



Clover should be cut for the silo when coming 

 into full bloom. If cut earlier it is too immature 

 a:nd is over succulent. If cut later it is lacking in 

 succulence. Rye and wheat should be cut as soon 

 as out in head, and the same is true of millets. Oats 

 and peas grown together are ready when the pods in 

 the peas are in process of filling. The seed of sun- 

 flowers should be allowed to become nearly matured 

 before putting them into the silo. But from what 

 has already been said, it will be evident that the 

 period of harvesting may be varied somewhat by the 

 treatment given to the crops while storing them. 



Ctitting Crops for the Silo. — The implement to 

 be used in cutting crops for the silo will depend on 

 the nature of the crop. Very frequently the field 

 mower is used. The exceptions are, corn, sorghum 

 the non-saccharine sorghums, sunflower heads, and 

 in some instances such crops as rye and millet. Rye 

 and millet are sometimes harvested with the ordinary 

 binder. When thus harvested they are handled with 

 but little labor. Some form of knife must be used in 

 cutting off the heads of simflowers. The best mode 

 of cutting corn and sorghum for the silo will vary 

 with conditions. When small quantities only are to 



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