340 RELATIVE VALUE OF DARK AND LIGHT SEEDS. 



seeds, rarely going as low as 75 per cent., though one small lot 

 went dovvn to 25 per cent. Some went i\]) to 95 per cent. 



Clover is usually threshed and cleaned with a machine made 

 for the purpose. The yield runs from less than a hushel to the 

 acre to two bushels, a fair yield, four bushels, a fine yield, or 

 even six bushels, an exceptionally good yield. 



Relative Talue of Dark and Light Colored Seeds. — Dark 

 colored, bright looking seeds are generally considered the best. 

 The results obtained on testing numerous samples on different 

 seasons indicate that there is no difference in favor of the dark 

 seeds either in vitality or the quality of the jilants which they 

 produce. It is generally the case that all the seeds, or nearly 

 all, from one plant resemble each other in color and size. Some 

 plants produce yellow seeds, others produce dark ones, others 

 produce seeds of mixed colors. 



Tariation of Red Clover. — The late Professor James Buck- 

 man, of England, in Jour. Royal Agrl. Soc, p. 446, 1866, says 

 the American red clover is a much larger and coarser and more 

 hairy plant than that cultivated in England, doubtless due to a 

 longer and warmer summer. 



The wild clover, as early introduced into Europe, is usually 

 the small hairy plant that we meet with (in England) and greatly 

 different from that described by Sinclair, which is larger and 

 quite smooth. The Professor goes on to say that : ^'^ Both when 

 wild and when cultivated it is perhaps as protean in form as any 

 plant the farmer has to deal with. Some are more perennial 

 than others ; all are more or less hardy, more or less 23roductive, 

 and these differences have a high significance. However, it sel- 

 dom happens that an}' particular type can be obtained pure, 

 though the value of the seed varies just in proportion as it is so. 



" There are three desiderata with regard to clover. 



"1st. A good sort or sorts. 



"2d. I*ure seed of tlie sort. 



