The Oklahoma miner. [volume] (Krebs, Okla.) 1912-192?, 1920-05-27
HARVESTING SOY BEAN CROP BY MACHINERY


pods. Wet weather does not injure
the crop seriously, provided the plants
are not allowed to rest on the ground
for any length of time.
Where a binder is used the bound
bundles should be shocked eight or ten
to shock and allowed to remain until
thoroughly dry. Hay caps are not nec-
essary when the piles or bundles are
shocked properly. They may remain
In the field until thrashing time or II
thoroughly dry they may be housed
and thrashed later. The cured plants
are ordinarily gathered from the field
by hand, but the web loader commonly
used for haying will do the work more
rapidly and with less loss of seed than
the hand methods.
Should Adjust Separator.
The ordinary grain separator can be
| adjusted to thrash any beans success
| fully, but as equipped for small grains
large percentage Of cracked beans
will result. The chief cause of split
| beans 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
special set of thin cOncaves Is used,
while in other Instances some of the
cOncaves are removed. Good judg-
ment on the part of the thrasherman
will enable him to adjust the ordinary
! 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 salts
factory work. These attachments may
be added to the ordinary separator at
small cost
Special pea and bean separators Of
different sizes are now on the market.
These types Of machines do Glen hull
ing and split practically none of the
beans. Undoubtedly such separa-
tors are more satisfactory and eco
nOmiCal where considerable acreage
Of beans Is grown. In sections where
there is extensive seed production, in
vestment in such a machine by the
community would be profitable. Soy
beans, if thoroughly dry, can easily be
thrashed with a fail. In only a small
acreage-an acre or sO-this method
is practicable 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 a valuable
, feed for all kinds of stock. In many
, sections the straw is baled at the
! time Of thrashlng and sold in the i'm
mediate locality to liverymen, dairy
, men, and stock feeders.
, AS sOy-bean seed spOils easily, II
, not properly handled, care should be
, exercised in curing and storing. After
! the beans are thrashed they should
! be watched carefully to avoid heat
ing and molding. When thoroughly
dry there is no such danger. The best
, plan, perhaps, is to spread the seeds
o out on a floor Immediately after
: thrashing and shovel them over from
, time to time until they are thorough
\ dry. After this they may be safe
p ly put into sacks or bins. The
>, storeroom should be dry and have G
4. free circulation of air. Soy-bean seet
@ loses its viabllty rapidly, and it f.
g not safe to hold seed for planting pur
o poses more than two seasons. The
f seeds of the soy bean, unlike those
4 of the cowpea, are rarely attacked by
h weevils or other grain insects.