HAIRY-VETCH SEED PRODUCTION. 17, 
wind blew, as when going “‘ with the wind” the cutter bar slides over 
the prostrate vines without cutting them. 
After mowing, the crop is allowed to lie on the ground for a few 
hours until the excess moisture has evaporated. Theswaths are then 
raked into loose piles with a hayrake driven at right angles to the 
mower, to avoid stirrmg the vines more than necessary. Even at 
this stage the pods shell easily, and should be handled as little as 
possible. | 
As soon as the vines are cured, but before the pods are thoroughly 
dry, they should be hauled to the barn and stored on a tight floor or 
on an old canvas hay cover. Not uncommonly 3 or 4 bushels of first- 
class seed shatters out of a good-sized mow before the thrasher 
arrives, and this, if saved, is often enough to pay the entire cost of 
thrashing. In no case should hairy vetch be left in the field longer 
than is necessary to dry out the stems; neither should it be stacked 
out of doors unprotected if there is any way to get it under cover. 
Not only is there a heavy loss of seed from shattering, but the quality 
of the seed which remains is subject to injury from mildew and 
weathering. In case of prolonged wet weather the seeds are likely 
to sprout in the stack. 
The practice of the largest growers indicates the most economical 
method of producing hairy-vetch seed to be to sow the crop rather 
lightly and, when thoroughly ripe, harvest with a reaper or with a 
mowing machine equipped with a clover buncher. Mature hairy 
vetch plants are dry and brittle and break apart readily, so that 
harvesting such plants is no more difficult than harvesting an ordinary 
field of grain or clover. The reaper is preferred to other harvesting 
machines because it handles the seed-laden plants gently and deposits 
the gavels, or bunches, in convenient rows out of the way of the horses. 
For those who do not own a reaper, a clover buncher on a mowing 
machine is an inexpensive and satisfactory substitute. Clover 
bunchers which deliver the bundles at the side are preferred to those 
which discharge at the rear, as they do not leave the bundles in the 
-path of the machine on the next round. However, the side-delivery 
bunchers roll the crop considerably in turning the windrow to one side 
and some seed is shattered. 
Ripe hairy vetch should be harvested at night, or at least very 
early in the day, while the pods are still damp and tough from the dew. 
The best hours are from midnight until 7 or 8 in the morning. This 
may seem a hardship, but will be found well worth while in the extra 
quantity of seed obtained. If harvesting is delayed until late in the 
day, the pods dry out to such an extent that the hum of the mowing 
machine is accompanied by a popping of the pods as ashower of seed 
falls to the ground behind the harvester. 
Unless the weather continues rainy or humid, the gavels should 
be picked up within an hour or so after cutting and hauled to the barn 
