102 FODDER AND PASTURE PLANTS. 
Agricultural value: No forage plant has been so important 
to agriculture as has Red Clover. This is due not only to its high 
feeding value, which is surpassed by few plants, but also to its service 
as a fertilizer and improver of soil texture. No other leguminous 
fodder plant is equal to it for these two purposes. 
Fodder: Red Clover has its highest feeding value when in full 
bloom and should be cut for hay before the heads begin to turn 
brown. If cut late, the stems become woody, lose their palatability 
and the general value is considerably lessened. The quality of the hay 
depends to a great extent on the way it is cured. Careless handling 
causes the leaves to shatter. Exposure to rain or heavy dew dis- 
colours the hay, dispels its fine aroma and reduces its nutritive value. 
Over exposure to sunshine also reduces its feeding value. In curing 
Red Clover hay methods should therefore be employed by which 
the drying is done as much as possible by the wind. 
Pasture: As a pasture plant, Red Clover is not surpassed by 
any other legume. It is relished by all kinds of farm animals. On 
account of the tenderness of the young plants and the necessity to 
have them start the winter in good condition, it is not advisable in 
the Prairie Provinces to pasture Red Clover the same year it is 
sown. In some parts of Ontario, where it may grow rather rank the 
latter part of the first year, the field is usually pastured; to what 
extent depends upon conditions. Grazing too late in the fall or pas- 
turing too close by sheep is apt to reduce the succeeding crop. 
Grazing the second year may begin early in the spring and continue 
until late in the fall. 
When cattle and sheep are turned into a field of Red Clover 
there is always danger of bloating, especially if it is wet with dew 
and the animals start grazing on empty stomachs. 
Sowing for hay and pasture: In Ontario Red Clover is always 
sown with a nurse crop. Tests at the experimental farms of Mani- 
toba and Saskatchewan, particularly at Indian Head, indicate that 
in the Prairie Provinces a nurse crop should not be used. In a dry 
climate or on dry soils it acts as a robber rather than as a nurse in 
depriving the young plants of moisture. The result is that the plants 
are weak at the beginning of the winter and are more liable to be killed 
by the frost. When sown alone, ten to twelve pounds of good seed 
should be used to the acre. 
Seed: Except in southwestern Ontario, Red Clover seed is only 
grown to a very limited extent in Canada. Whether or not a field 
