The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1910-06-07
BEST TIME TO HARVEST GRAIN.
Ii Left Uncut Until Dead Ripe, Grain
Loss,s Both In Quantity and
QUE IL
II. CAHOON.

,eaa f TO enormous Sas,s e farm
few are more worthy attention
than that Of letting grain, oats. wheat,
harvesting.
No one can ride about the country
IN summer without being struck and
amazed at the prevalence Of this error.
You will notice field after field that
mas reached or Is approaching the
period of dead ripeness. and that
ought to have been harvested several
days before.
The loss arising from this source
| Is more appreciable and more easily
estimated, perhaps in wheat, of which h
We cultivate comparatively little, than
| it IS IN other grains, like oats and rye,
but the same general principle applies
to all.
II wheat is cut two weeks or so be
fore 1t fully ripens, it contains more
gluten and starch and a bushel will
weigh more, and It will make a larger
quantity and a better quality Of finer,
with a less quantity Of bran or mid
dlingS, than if it were allowed to
ripen. This is by no means a matter
OF theory. 1t is the result Of careful
observation.
The straw will begin to change color
slightly two or three weeks before the
grain comes to complete maturity.
IN the pest ana Il1CSI LdFOIi iDlS SSSd
sons it will! begin to ripen and change
color at the bottom. In some less
favorable seasons the upper joints
turn first.
In the great wheat growing sections
Of the far East. where wheat growing
is carried on to a much greater ex-
tent than it Is here, they have studied
this point more carefully than We
have.
The best farmers begin to cut while
portion of the stalk is green. as soon
as the kernel has passed from the
milky" to the doughty state,
The stalk has then begun to change
color, sometimes from the bottom,
sometimes for three or four inches be-
low the head
A most careful AMI accurate expert
ment was made to ascertain the diff
ferences, takfng wheat. first. when 1t
was green; second, week after, When
it was changing color; ana thlro.
when fully ripe.
The result was in the first case
10 IA bushels an acre: in the second,
% Is IN the third, 90 81; and the
same difference was found IN the
straw.
The total value an acre was: in
that cut green, $3.50; IN tnat cut
one week after, when the stalk was
yellow below the ear, s64.s1: IN that
cut one week after, when fully ripe,
$56.13
The first two productions had more
fine -four and less bran than that cut
last, showing that gluten is converted
into starch in standing TO get fully
ripe.
When either end Of the stalk turns
yellow, the sap ceases to flow and the
covering or she'll Of the kernel
thickens and becomes hard, and of
course gives q large proportion Of
bran and less fine -four.
Besides, in early cutting there Is
less loss from shelling out in handling
and from high winds, which involve
a very heavy loss in ripened gram
Now what is true of wheat IS, IN
the main. also true Of other small
grains-OatS and rye. Ii we raise
them for seed to SOW again, they
ought to be allowed to ripen fully,
but if for grinding or for fsed for
animals, they should be cut early.
if they would be in their best and
most nutritive condition.