SAVING CLOVER SEED. 339 



aud frequent cuttings, tlio experiments do not ;ill give such 

 striking results as those on grass." 



For further notes in regard to securing clover hay the reader 

 is referred to a former chapter of this Avork. 



Savinj^ Clover Seed. — The proper time to cut for seed is a 

 difficult one to state, especially as the heads ripen unevenly. 

 These heads should he examined, for sometimes the earliest con- 

 tain most seeds, and sometimes the main bulk of the seed is 

 found in heads which mature later in the season. 



Some persons have observed that clover, when cut rather early, 

 from the 5th to the 15th of June at the Xorth, is more certain 

 to seed Avell than that cut later. In some cases they report 

 double the amo^^nt of seed from the clover which was cut early. 

 Considering its high price, if there is any prospect of greatly in- 

 creasing the yield of seeds more experiments are much needed. 

 Some were suggested in the jiaragraph which treats of the agency 

 of bumble bees in fertilizing the flowers. 



In England Dr. A. Voelcker tried some different sort of ma- 

 nures for this purpose with results by no means satisfactory or 

 conclusive. Probably the efforts were made in the wrong direc- 

 tion, 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, the writer tested samples from about sixty different 

 farms in Michigan, and found they averaged 85 per cent, of good 



