RED CLOVER. 87 



bees in fertilizing the flowers. In England, Dr. A. Voelcker tried some dif- 

 ferent sorts of manure for this purpose with results by no means satisfactory 

 or conclusive. Probably the efforts were made in the wrong direction, as 

 indicated in the preceding paragraphs. 



For securing the seed, red clover is ordinarily cut with a reaper which 

 delivers the clover in small gavels. In this way the clover is moved to one 

 side and is not damaged by the tramping of the horses. The clover is 

 allowed to lie until it is well dried and probably black and brittle. It may 

 need turning once or more before dry and ready to thresh or draw to the 

 stack or the barn. 



Clover seed during the harvesting will stand a good deal of abuse and not 

 lose its vitality. During a very unfavorable season for curing, when there 

 was much rain, I tested samples from about sixty different farms in Michigan 

 and found they averaged 85 per cent of good seeds, rarely going as low as 75 

 per cent., though one lot went down to 25 per cent. Some went up to 98 

 per cent. 



RELATIVE VALUE OF DARK COLORED AND LIGHT COLORED CLOVER SEED. 



Dark colored, bright looking seeds are generally considered the best. The 

 results obtained on testing numerous samples in different seasons indicate 

 that there is no difference in favor of the dark seeds either in vitality or 

 the quality of the plants which they produce. It is generally the case that 

 all the seeds, or nearly all, from one plant resemble each other in color and 

 size. Some plants produce yellow seeds, others produce dark ones, others 

 produce seeds of mixed colors. 



Clover is usually threshed and cleaned with a machine made for the pur- 

 pose. The yield runs from less than a bushel to the acre to two bushels a 

 fair yield, four bushels a fine yield, or even six bushels an exceptionally 

 good yield. 



VARIATION OF RED CLOVER. 



The late Professor James Barkman of England (in Jour. Eoyal Agr. Soc, 

 p. 446, 1866), says the American red clover is a much larger and coarser 

 plant and more hairy than that cultivated in England, doubtless due to a 

 longer and warmer summer. 



The wild clover, as early introduced into Europe, is usually the small 

 hairy plant that we meet with [in England], and greatly different from that 

 •described by Sinclair, which is larger and quite smooth. The Professor adds 

 that " both when wild and when cultivated, it is perhaps as protean in form 

 as any plant the farmer has to deal with. Some are more perennial than 

 others; all are more or less hardy, more or less productive, and these differ- 

 ences have a high significance. However, it seldom happens that any 

 particular type can be obtained pure, though the value of the seed varies just 

 in proportion as it is so. 



'' There are three desiderata with regard to clover: 



" 1. A good sort or sorts. 



" 2. Pure seed of the sort. 



"3. Seed from a known and suitable climate." 



The Professor goes on to describe six of the leading varieties, none of 

 which are Just like those I find in Michigan. 



Not long ago our seeds of red clover came from Europe, and already we 

 have a great change in the plants. 



