14 CIRCULAR 137, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
coarse and stemmy by October, and weather conditions in much of 
the Gulf coast area ordinarily will not permit haying before late 
September. 
HARVESTING FOR SEED 
As most species ripen seed through a long period of time, harvest- 
ing the seed crop is difficult, and hand picking has been the common 
method of saving the seed 1 in tropical countries. So little seed has 
been grown in the United States that no machinery for harvesting 
has been developed. Work in this connection needs to be undert aken, 
and varieties with better seed habits need to be developed. As pre- 
viously pointed out, Crotalaria spectabilis has the best seed habits of 
the species tested, but even in this species ripening is over a long 
period of time. 
As the pods burst and scatter the seed soon after maturity, it 1s 
necessary 1n all species to gather seed as it matures. 
YIELD OF SEED 
Very few data are available on the seed yields of crotalaria. The 
seed harvested in the Tropics is for the most part picked by hand 
from plants grown for green manure, and quantity yield under such 
circumstances is of secondary importance. Most species ripen their 
seed over a considerable period of time, so that for maximum yield 
the seed must be gathered in such a manner as not to injure the 
plants. In harvesting with machinery that cuts the crop, maximum 
vields can not be secured. Crotalaria striata ripens its seed over a 
long period of time, so that seed yields are comparatively low when 
harvested by cutting. C. spectabilis ripens its seeds in a shorter 
period than @. striata. The pods in all the species dehisce or break 
open more or less readily when ripe, and for this reason they must be 
handled promptly and carefully. 
In Table 7 are given seed yields of several species of Crotalaria 
as grown at Gainesville, Fla. The seed will weigh about 60 pounds 
to the bushel. 
= 
TABLE 7—NSeed yields of crotalaria at the Florida Agricultural Experiment 
Station, Gainesville, Fla., in 1928 
[The plots were 10 by 33 feet in size and were sown March 29, 1928. They were not replicated] 
Broadeast seeding ! | 2'4-foot row seeding 
Species 
“Cut back} Not cut | Cut back) Not cut 
July 19 back | July19 | back 
| | 
Pounds | Pounds | Pounds | Pounds 
Co striata st = 2 ee, Se Se ae er ee 80.6 | 242.6 141.0 | 281.8 
Csspectabilis <2. 25 eke = aie eee Se Be eres el gh ers 249.6] 598.2] 347.5 | 370. 2 
CMtanceolata:2 282228 12 So eee Sie Se ee ee 138.0 | 657. 2 | 214.8 | 388. 7 
SaISaTAMOG@RSIS <b el See WE Se ee 8.4 | 16.5 1.5 | 36. 1 
| 
1 The ratio of stand plant counts where broadcast was C. striata, 243; C. spectatilis, 58; C. lanceolata, 
76; and C. usaramoensis, 55. 
In the seed yields of Crotalaria spectabilis at McNeill, Miss.. in 
1927, S. P. I. No. 51839 on plots replicated three times yielded 890 
pounds or 14.8 bushels per acre, while for an area of the same size 
