130 STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



other cases the tips of the stipules stick out from the stem. One plant seen 

 had tlie stipules conspicuously red in stvipes. 



13. Tlic HEADS of flowers, so far as seen, were sessile, with an involucre of 

 two leaves, which have leaflets varying much in width. 



14. The HEADS vary much in size and somewhat in shape. 



15. The CALYX tube and the lobes of the calyx vary in hardiness and 

 somewhat in size. 



IG. The PETALS vary in length and in direction taken. Some are scarlet, 

 others pink ; some pale pink, some creamy white, some erect and quite close 

 together, others more spreading. 



17. Varying with the season, and probably with the plant, the pistils con- 

 tain each from to 3 or 3 or even 4 seeds each. 



18. Some seeds are dark purple, others light yellow ; between these are all 

 gradations. 



No. ]. Plant number one is early, has the stems few and small, erect, quite 

 hairy, purplish; leaflets spotted, rather narrow, leaflets of the involucre lance- 

 elliptical. 



No. 3. Plant number three is early, has many young stems, is erect, rather 

 smooth, purplish ; leaflets with a faint spot, nearly round, rather light colored. 



No. 4. Plant number four is early, stems numerous, spreading, quite hairy, 

 purplish; leaflets with a spot prominent, dark in color. 



No. 7. Plant number seven is early, stems many, large, erect, rather smooth, 

 stem purplish ; leaflets spotted, rather broad, of good size, light green; flow- 

 ers white. 



No. 8. Plant number eight is late, stems few, stout, sprawling, quite smooth, 

 purplish ; leaflets with scarcely a trace of a spot, rather narrow. 



No. 10. Plant number 10 has stems very early, many, small, short, spread- 

 ing, purplish, hairy; leaves few, small, rather round, a slight spot; heads 

 small. 



No. 11. Plant number eleven has stems rather erect, rather hairy, green; 

 leaves with short, small spot on leaflets; stipules conspicuously sti'iped with 

 red. 



No. 13. Flowers bright scarlet, like Italian clover. 



No. 17. Plant number seventeen is very late, stems long, of medium size, 

 spreading about, quite hairy, green; leaves light green, spot inconspicuous. 



No. 18. Plant number eighteen is very late, pea vine, stems few, long, 

 spreading from the first, hairy purplish ; leaflets with a spot conspicuous, very 

 narrow. 



No. 19. Plant nineteen is a seedling of dark seed, stems early, many, large, 

 tall, erect, smooth, purplish ; leaflets rather broad, very dark green, thick, 

 no trace of spots; flowers dark colored. This is the best plant, all things con- 

 sidered, which I have seen. 



It seems to me there is a grand chance for doing something to improve our 

 red clover by selection and perhaps aided by breeding. 



We all know how wonderfully Indian corn varies. The plant is large and 

 everybody sees it. The time required to get up a race of corn is short — four 

 to ten years. We gain in uniformity and excellence in some one or more 

 respects. 



It looks as tliough we could do the same thing for red clover. This great 

 variation in our fields of red clover is a broad hint at the results which may be 

 attained by study and care. 



