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THE AMERICAN FARMER 



Hay that is packed compactly in the mow, excluding the air as far as possible, is less liable 

 to ferment than where this precaution is not observed. 



Cultivating Clover Seed. Some farmers pasture the clover-field till June, and then 

 leave it to mature a full crop of seed; others mow it early, and leave the second crop to ma 

 ture the seed; but when this is done, the first cutting should be done before blossoming and 

 seed-forming, as the plant will become too much exhausted to produce a second crop of seed, 

 the seed-forming substance having been used up, in a measure, in the first crop. It is of more 

 importance to place more value upon the seed to be raised, than the hay first secured, as 

 this will prove most profitable in the end. The early mowing has the benefit of removing the 

 weeds, while the second growth of clover will be so rapid that the weeds will be smothered 

 and the clover is then saved comparatively free from other seeds. 



An application of plaster to the clover-field in the spring will secure a better crop of seed 

 when matured, while its application to the field freshly mowed, after its first crop, will make 

 the second growth very luxuriant and rank in hay, to the detriment of the seed-crop. 



Harvesting Clover Seed. The best time for cutting clover for seed is when about 

 three-fourths of the heads are brown ; at this time there is less liability to loss from shelling 

 while handling; besides, clover heads will ripen considerably after cutting, and those heads not 



CLOVER HULLER AND CLEANER. 



WHEELER S CLOVER HULLER. 



sufficiently advanced, at this period of ripening process, would be of but little value for seed 

 production if allowed to stand till dead-ripe. The hay is also of greater value for fodder ii 

 cut at this period than later. It can be mowed with a scythe or mowing-machine, but what 

 is better still is a reaper, arranged as for reaping grain, with a board at the back to retain a 

 large amount of the clover, which can be pitched off in heaps. 



Some recommend cutting quite high, as it saves time in curing and labor in handling, 

 and leaves the dryer and coarser portions of the stalk upon the field. It should be well-cured 

 and handled with care to prevent loss of heads; still, it is less liable to injury from lack of 

 curing than either hay or grain. &quot;When thoroughly dried, the seed can be threshed out with 

 a threshing-machine, or light flails, which can best be done in extreme cold weather, when 

 there is no dampness in the seed or air. The calyx of the clovers is very firmly attached to 

 the seed, often rendering the separation difficult. A clover-huller, of which there are several 

 kinds, is a good machine for this purpose, in rubbing the seeds out from the chaff, by passing 

 through it several times, until the separation is complete. The first two cuts of clover 

 machines represent implements manufactured by the Wheeler & Melick Company, Albany, 

 N. Y. The first is somewhat similar to a grain thresher and cleaner, except that it is under 

 instead of overshot, and fed from a hopper over the cylinder, instead of in front of the cylin- 



