Show harvesting SOY BEAN CROP BY MACHINERY X I 1 I 1 L 6 view showing rig ahe the thrashing of soy beans and baling the str straw aw in north carolina field prepared ty by the united states depart of agriculture with the widely increased popularity of the soy bean the harvest of the crop has gained markedly in importance in practically every section of the country according to specialists the fact that practical and satisfactory bean harvesters are now on the market at comparatively reasonable prices and are efficient for harvesting the crop either when grown under level or ridged row meth methods bils of cultivation n greatly increases the value of this crop not only as a forage for live stock but also for human food purposes the most common type of special bean harv harvester eiter Is a two wheeled boxlike machine which Is drawn by two horses As the machine passes over the row of plants tour four sets of rapidly revolving arms shatter the beans from the pods into the body of the harvester while the machine moves along the row the seed is gradually raked to the rear of the box by one of the operators under favorable conditions two men with a team can harvest barvest and harvesting means cutting and thrashing the crop in one operation one acre of beans in two hours by this method where tile the yield Is about 20 bushels to the acre although there Is some loss of beans it Is more than compensated by the saving of time and labor ns compared with bar harvesting in other ways if the plants are not too coarse the self binder can also be used to good advantage in the harvest of the taller growing varieties of beans this method Is gaining favor rapidly in many sections as the average grower owns a grain binder while as a rule unless he intends to produce soybeans soy beans benns as a regular rotation crop it will will not pay him individually to purchase a special bean harvester cut but where several farmers in the neighborhood can co operatively buy this equipment such procedure Is commendable for the best results where the grain binder ander Is used the plants should be cut while some of the leaves are still retained as then the harvesting Is easier and n no 0 loss results from shattering mowing machine used the mowing machine Is also used to a considerable extent in saving the soybean soy bean crop generally where this implement Is used it Is adai advisable sable to have a side delivery attachment in order that tile the horses will not tra trample ale on the swath of cut beans homeier IIo Ho weer weier va Y 4 1 1 s NV Z NO reaper used in cutting soy beans where such an appliance Is not available a man can follow the machine with a pitchfork and remove the plants nt at every round out of the w way ay 0 the lie team tor for if trampled upon many of the seeds will be shelled out and wasted the shelf rale rake reaper which really Is a mowing ma machine elline provided with a bunching attachment gives satisfactory is results as it harvests the crop without exposing it to injury when cut with a mowing machine or with a self rake reaper the beans may be raked in small piles or placed it in small mall shocks these plies piles or shocks should be left tor for four or five days in good drying mcable or until tho grain Is f found to be fairly dry in the pods wet vien weather ther does docs not injure the crop seriously provided the ikie plants are not allowed to rest on the ground for any leng length th of time where a binder Is used the bound bundles should be shocked eight or ton ten to a shock ti and ud allowed to remain until thoroughly dry liny ilay caps nie aie not necessary when the piles or bundles are shocked properly they may remain in the field until thrashing time or if 1 thoroughly dry they may be housed a and nd thrashed later the cured plants are ordinarily gathered irom broin the field but web loader commonly used for haying buying will do the alie work more rapidly arid and with less loss of seed than the hand methods should adjust separator the ordinary grain separator ran can be adjusted to thrash iny beans success fully but as equipped for small grains a large percent percentage dge of cracked beans will result the chief cause of split benns beans la Is the high speed of the cylinder which should be reduced at least one half although the speed of the fans and other parts of the separator should be maintained this may be accomplished by doubling the size of both cylinder pulleys in some cases a special set of thin concaves concalves con caves Is used while in other instances some of the concaves concalves con caves are removed good judgment on the part of the 1 will enable him to adjust the ordina ordinary ry separator so that the beans may be thrashed with little splitting some manufacturers have special pea and bean hulling attachments for grain separators which are said to do satis factory work these attachments attachment may elmay be added to the ordinary separator at small cost special pea and bean separators ot of different sizes are now on the market these types of machines do clean hulling bulling and split practically none of the beans undoubtedly such separators are more satisfactory and economical where a considerable acreage ot of beans Is grown in sections where there Is extensive seed production investment in such a machine by the community would be profitable soy beans if thoroughly dry can call easily be thrashed w alth ath a flail in only a small acreage an acre or so this method Is practicable rind and economical in a few sections a corn shredder has been used to advantage if properly cured and dried the beans shell out readily with this machine straw makes good feed the straw obtained from thrashing the soy bean for seed Is 16 a valuable feed tor for all kinds of stock in ma many n y sections the straw Is baled at the time of thrashing rind and sold in the immediate locality to liverymen liveryman livery men dairymen and stock feeders As soybean soy b bean can seed spoils easily it if not properly handled liand led care should be exercised in curin curing gand and storing after the beans are thrashed they should be watched carefully to avoid heating and molding when thoroughly dry there Is no such danger the best plan perhaps is to spread file seeds out on a floor immediately after thrashing rind and shovel them fiver from time to time until they are thorough dry at after ter this they may besabe ly put into sacks or bins the storer storeroom dom should be dry and have a free clr culat lon of air a fr soybean soy bean seed loses its viability rapidly and it is 19 not safe to hold seed for planting fing purposes more than two seasons the seeds of lie file soy bean unlike those of the cowpea are rarely attacked by weevils or other grain insects |