Florida Agricultural Experiment Station


 HARVESTING SEED
 The gathering of permanent pasture grass and legume seed
has received very little attention in Florida. Practically all
seed of pasture crops have been purchased from out-of-state or
foreign sources.
 Preliminary work with harvesting of seed of permanent pas-
ture crops indicates that production is profitable and that Florida
produced seed is often superior to introduced seed. Seeds of
many pasture plants are also difficult to obtain.
 Carpet and Bahia grass seed have been gathered with com-
bines satisfactorily (Fig. 21). Where combines are not available
seedpan attachments for mowers can be used. A screen may
be used with seedpans to save seed in case of heavy shattering
(Fig. 21). Other methods of seed harvesting-hand-stripping,
mowing with window attachments and subsequent combining,
or mowing, raking into windows and subsequent threshing-
also may be used.
 The newly gathered seed should be spread under shelter in a
well ventilated place to dry. Frequent stirring may be necessary
to prevent heating and damage to germination. After the seed
is dry it may be cleaned and sacked. Seedheads gathered with
seedpan attachments for mqwers may be placed in small cocks
to dry before being threshed.
 The seedheads or seed gathered with combines also may be
spread immediately on land where a new pasture is to be de-
veloped. With this method the seed should be surface-broadcast,
since immature seed that are incorporated with the soil may rot.
After all seeds have reached maturity they may be incorporated
with a disk.
 White Dutch, Black Medic, Hop, Persian and sweet clovers,
annual lespedeza, and carpet, Dallis and varieties of Bahia
grasses, as well as other grasses and legumes, seed prolifically
in Florida. Seed of these plants might well be gathered.
 TEMPORARY PASTURES
 Temporary pastures serve primarily to supplement permanent
pastures by furnishing feed during drought periods or the win-
ter season when permanent pastures furnish little feed. Tem-
porary pastures may be planted so that green feed will be avail-
able any time of the year. They are thus good insurance against
a feed shortage.
 The best winter grazing crops include oats and rye. Rust-
 resistant varieties of oats and adapted varieties of rye should