86 FARMERS' INSTITUTES. 



great benefit. A moderate amount of tops left on the ground will often 

 be of some assistance, or a very thin mulch of straw put on after the ground 

 has just hecome well frozen. An early mulching of straw has sometimes 

 done more harm than good. Ko attempt should be made to save red clover 

 over to a third year, as such efforts are not successful. 



As spring approaches and the ground warms up, it is rather discouraging 

 to find the clover killed out. The proprietor often plows up the ground 

 and puts in another crop, thus leaving the land in a still worse condition for 

 the next seeding to clover. He raises millet, or Indian corn or rye, or buys 

 of his neighbors a supply of winter feed. In case of partial winter killing 

 the writer cannot help thinking that too little attention has been given " to 

 patching up" such as meadows in spring. By this is meant to harrow, 

 re-seed, and if possible, top dress with some sort of manure. 



THE BEST TIME FOR CUTTING CLOVER FOR HAT. 



The following is from Prof, H. P. Armsby: 



''What has been shown to be true of meadow hay in this respect applies 

 also to clover. The earlier it is cut, the more concentrated and digestible 

 the fodder, while as it grows older, the crude fibre increases and it becomes 

 coarse and less easily digested. In regard to the advantages of early and 

 frequent cuttings, the experiments do not all give such striking results as 

 those on grass." 



It is not my purpose and time will not permit giving a full account of 

 what is already familiar to good farmers, viz: the curing of clover for hay, 

 but I will give a brief account for your consideration of the method prac- 

 ticed by the Hon. L. N. Bonham, a member of the State Board of Agricul- 

 ture, Oxford, Ohio. 



He has long since abandoned the old method of his fathers and now puts 

 up his clover hay in the mow the same day it is cut. The hay is far better 

 and the labor and risk in making it are far less. He selects a bright day for 

 starting the mower and begins as soon as the dew is off. By 11 o'clock, he 

 cuts as much as can be hauled in between 1 and 5 o'clock. The clover is 

 turned before dinner. By 1 o'clock it is dry enough to rake into windrows 

 if the day is a good one. After 5 o'clock the mower cuts some for getting 

 in the next day. His mow is quite tight and he packs the hay in snug, pre- 

 ferring to put wheat or straw or something on top of the hay. He wants to 

 keep the air out and pack it well. In this way, clover put in the mow, 

 warm and dry the day it is cut, will keep brighter and purer and sweeter 

 than if cured longer in the field. Of course it is not dry, but quite free 

 from external moisture. 



SAYING CLOVER SEED. 



The proper time to cut for seed is a difficult one to state, especially as the 

 heads ripen unevenly. The heads should be examined, as the first ripened 

 frequently contain few seeds, but sometimes more than the heads which 

 blossom later. 



Some farmers have observed that clover, when cut quite early, from the 5th 

 to the loth of June at the Xorth, is more certain to seed well than that out later. 

 In some instances they report double the amount of seed from the clover 

 which was cut early. Considering its high price, if there is any prosjiect of 

 greatly increasing the yield of seeds more experiments are much needed. 

 Some were suggested in the paragraph which treats of the agency of bumble 



