[TIME TO CUT THE SEED CROP.]
Opinions of extensive growers of sweet clover differ as to the proper stage at which to cut the seed crop. Some believe that it should be cut when the pods on the lower branches have turned dark brown to black, while others maintain that it is best to wait until the seed on the upper portions of the plants is mature. The time of cutting the seed crop should be governed largely by the machinery which is to be used. If the plants are to be harvested with a self-rake reaper or a grain binder, they should be cut when approximately three-fourths of the seed pods have turned dark brown to black. At this time some flowers and many immature pods will be found on the plants, but the field will have a brownish cast. If the crop is not cut until the seed pods on the uppermost branches have matured, most of the pods on the lower branches will have shattered.
It is the practice in regions where a grain header is employed to permit the plants to become somewhat more mature before cutting the seed crop than in sections where other machines are used. More seed is shattered when the plants are cut at the latter stage, but this is not necessarily a loss, as the grain header is employed for the most part in semiarid regions, where the shattered seed is depended upon to reseed the land.
[LOSS OF SEED FROM SHATTERING.]
From one-fifth to three-fourths of the total seed yield of sweet clover is lost from shattering. The percentage of the loss which occurs before harvesting will depend largely on the time the crop is cut. Much seed may be lost if harvesting is delayed for only a few days, and many fields have been observed in which at least 90 per cent of the seed had shattered in less then two weeks after the time the plants should have been cut.
The percentage of seed which is lost in harvesting will depend largely upon the manner of handling the crop. The binder or header may be equipped at a small cost, so that much of the seed which ordinarily is lost while cutting may be saved. Much shattered seed will be saved by using wagons with tight platforms or platforms covered with canvas. All unnecessary handling should be avoided.
Shattering may be reduced to a minimum by cutting the plants when they are damp from rain or dew. It is the practice in some regions to cut in the early morning or late evening, but this procedure will apply only to small acreages, since it is necessary to cut the crop as soon as possible when it reaches the proper stage for harvesting. It is a good practice to cut sweet clover at night, as the plants usually are damp at that time.