24 FORAGE CROPS 



tions warrant, is the complex question of adapta- 

 tion of soil, and its preparation, for different 

 kinds of hay crops; for while many of the grasses 

 and legumes may be grown successfully on a 

 wide variety of soils, they are peculiarly adapted 

 to certain specific conditions. Red clover, for 

 example, will grow well on lands adapted to 

 corn. Alsike clover will succeed on those that 

 are colder and more compact and not so suitable 

 for the red clover. Timothy is adapted to lands 

 rich in humus, and to those which, because of 

 their higher content of clay, are colder than those 

 most suitable for clover. Therefore, mixtures of 

 timothy, red clover and alsike are much safer 

 than either one alone, under general conditions, 

 because if the conditions are unfavorable for one 

 kind they may be favorable for another. 



In seeding any of these crops, the land should 

 always be well prepared, which means not only 

 that it shall be plowed and harrowed, but that 

 it shall be worked frequently, so as to compact 

 the soil and leave only the surface fine and mel- 

 low — the finer and mellower the better, except 

 for soils that contain a high content of fine silt, 

 in which case it is better not to make the surface 

 too fine, else the land is likely to puddle and to 

 become so hard as to prevent full germination 

 and to retard growth. Seeding should be care- 

 fully performed. As a rule, too little seed is 



