Fig. 7.—Shoe sole to be Used on the outer shoe of the mower, so that a high stubble may be left when cutting sweet clover; A, End view of the back part of the sole; B, side view of the sole, showing general shape; C, forward end of the sole to be used on certain Deering machines; D, end view of the front part of sole shown in B.
Then these soles are to be placed on machines that have shoes of the type used on the Deering mower, the forward 8 inches of the sole for the inner shoe should be tapered gradually to a blunt point and bent in such a manner that it will hook into the slot in the shoe. ([Fig. 6], C.) When the soles are to be placed on mowers having shoes of the type used on McCormick machines, the forward 8 inches of the sole for the inner shoe should be tapered gradually to about 1 inch in width, bent forward so that it will fit against that portion of the shoe where it is to be bolted, and have a hole of the proper size bored for the bolt three-fourths of an inch from the end. (Fig.6, B and D.) The bottom of the sole should be rounded, so as to run smoothly on the ground when the cutter bar is raised to cut at different heights. The back portion of the sole should be upright and should have holes bored in it, so that it may be set for the cutter bar to rest at different heights from the ground. Preferably the lower hole of the upright should be located so that when the bolt in the shoe is run through it the cutter bar will be 6 inches from the ground. It should be long enough to permit four or five holes, 1 inch apart, to be bored above the lower one. ([Fig. 6], A.)
With some makes of machines it is not advisable to raise the cutter bar higher than 10 inches from the ground, but when this is true the cutter bar may be tipped upward, so that a 12-inch stubble is left.
The forward end of the shoe sole to be used on the outer shoe should be tapered gradually to 1 inch from the end. The forward inch should be one-fourth of an inch in width and bent slightly upward and inward, so that a hook will be formed to fit into the slot in the front end of the shoe. ([Fig. 7], B.) The rest of the sole should curved, so that it will run smoothly on the ground when the cutter bar is set to cut at different heights. The upright which is bolted to the sole should preferably be made of three-eighths by 1 inch material and should have six holes, 1 inch apart, bored in it, so that the outer end of the cutter bar may be raised to the same height as the inner end. On practically all standard makes of mowers the outer shoe sole hooks into the shoe instead of bolting to it, as is the case with the inner sole on some machines. A wheel is used in place of a shoe sole on the outer end of the cutter bar on some machines. When this is the case, the upright to which this wheel is attached should be lengthened. On other machines the forward end of the sole hooks into a slot in the shoe in the same manner as the inner sole. In this event the front end of the sole should be bent slightly upward and outward. ([Fig. 7], C.)
Before shoe soles are made for any mower a careful examination should be made of the shoes to determine the exact size required and the manner in which they should be attached to the forward ends of the shoes.
CURING AND HANDLING SWEET-CLOVER HAY.
One of the greatest difficulties in curing sweet clover is the fact that the plants usually are ready to be cut for hay at a time of the year when weather conditions are likely to be unfavorable for haymaking. Little trouble is experienced in curing this crop in the drier sections of the country where the methods used for alfalfa are employed. The curing of sweet clover is more difficult than the curing of either red clover or alfalfa, as the leaves are very apt to shatter before the stems are cured. Every possible means should be employed to save the leaves, as these constitute the best part of the hay. (See [Table II].)
Table II.—Average analyses of the leaves of four samples of well-cured white sweet-clover hay.
[Analyses made by the Bureau of Chemistry.]