LECTURES AND EHSAYS READ AT INSTITUTES. 249 



••and my experience is that the best time is in the spring when all danger 

 of hard freezing is past, and the ground in good condition to be worked, 

 And as evidence of this position, I think all will agree that clover sown 

 in spring with oats or rye is more certain to produce a good stand of clover 

 than if sown at the other times mentioned ; but as most of our seeding is 

 •done upon ground with winter wheat upon it, I will give you my views of the 

 best way to do it. 



First I go diagonally across the drill rows with a harrow, which loosens up 

 the ground more, and is less liable to injure the wheat than by going length- 

 wise, then I sow the seed and harrow again the way it is drilled. 



The amount of seed to be sown is another point upon which farmers differ 

 very much. Some say a bushel to six acres is not too much, others a bushel 

 to eight acres is plenty, while some have good success by sowing a bushel on 

 twelve or fifteen acres. Now the fact is that there are seeds enough in a 

 ■bushel to thickly seed twenty-five or thirty acres, if it is evenly distributed 

 and all grows. You may think perhaps that this is a mere assertion and a 

 •wide stretch of imagination. We will examine the subject and see if we can 

 sustain the position taken. 



I find by actual count that there are forty-three thousand and one hundred 

 grains of wheat in one-fourth of a pound, which gives us seven hundred and 

 forty-four thousand grains to the bushel. In an acre of land there are forty- 

 three thousand five hundred aud sixty square feet. If we sow one bushel of 

 wheat to the acre, it will make a fraction over one grain to every eight square 

 inches, or a plant on every three inches square. And I find that it takes 

 about twenty-five clover seeds to equal one of wheat in bulk and weight, which 

 gives us eighteen million six hundred thousand seeds to the bushel ; therefore, 

 if we sow a bushel of clover seed evenly upon twenty-five acres, we have a 

 plant upon every three inches square, if it all grows, which is thicker than 

 necessary. 



The failure to get a good stand of clover is due, in my opinion, to the 

 .imperfect manner of planting the seed. It is just as necessary that a clover 

 seed should be placed at the proper depth in the soil to insure its germination 

 and growth, as it is to plant wheat, corn, or any other seeds at the proper 

 ■ depth. How can we expect to get a crop of clover by sowing it upon the frozen 

 , ground, leaving it to be beaten and buffeted about by winds and rains, wash- 

 ing it into the hollows, subject to freezing and thawing, sprouting and drying 

 up again, until its vitality is ended? 



The surface of the ground upon which clover is sown, should be left level 

 and smooth, because clover is a tender plant when it first comes up, and if the 

 ground is uneven, as it is left by the drill (for instance), the plants upon the 

 ridges will be washed away, and those in the hollows covered up, by the first 

 heavy rain that conies after they are up, thereby destroying them all. One 

 thing of importance in raising clover is to have the ground as free from 

 weeds and sorrel as possible, especially sorrel, which is its worst enemy. It is 

 almost impossible to raise it if sown upon a bed of sorrel roots, but if both 

 start from the seed at the same time the clover will effectually overcome this 

 enemy. The most profitable way I have found to free the ground from weeds 

 and sorrel, is to plant it to corn two or three years in succession ; generally 

 two years are sufficient. My remarks so far apply more particularly to soils 

 in which sand predominates. Clay soils are more easily seeded to clover than 

 sandy soils are, because there are generally more lumps, cracks, and crevices, 

 •where the seeds find a lodging place, and are not easily disturbed by the 



