Culli-catlon of Arable Land. Red Clover After-mandgtmcnt of. 361 



gree of firmnefs. It mould then be cut, and harvefted in the fame method as the 

 common crop, but let remain in the field till it is more perfectly dry andcrifp, in 

 order that the feeds may become more fully hardened. It may then be laid up 

 dry, in order to the feed being threfned out in the winter feafon at the farmer s 

 convenience. 



As the great difficulty in the fecuring of the clover for this purpofe is that of 

 getting the herbage fufficiently dry in the dewy and damp feafon at which the 

 feed becomes ripe ; it has been fuggefted that light bags, formed of thin cloth or 

 fine wire, might be ufeful for collecting, catching, and retaining the heads which 

 moftly rife above the herbage, by being fixed upon the handles of the fcythcs, as 

 they are fvvept off by them, being emptied as there may be neceffity : as in this 

 way the herbage, by being left upon the ground, would be of three times the value 

 of the mufty ftraw afforded by feed clover, either for the purpofe of being eaten 

 off or turned down as manure. Befides, the heads by being well dried in wet 

 weather in the houfe, and in dry feafons in the open air, the feed would not only be 

 preferved with more certainty, but in a much better {late in refpect to the fample, 

 and, of courfe, in moft feafons be of much greater value.* It appears fcarcely 

 polfible, however defirable it might be, to collect the heads in this way without 

 buffering confiderable lofs from their dropping down and being loft in the 

 herbage. 



Much labour and expence is neceflary in feparating the feed from thecapfule, 

 flough, or feed-coat, efpecially when it is effected by threming, as the work is 

 feldom, from its difficult execution, performed at lefs than from five to fix or 

 feven (hillings the bumel.f By the ufe of mills or other contrivances it may, 

 however, be rubbed out with more facility, and at a much cheaper rate. 



The produce in feed like that of hay, is liable to vary much, under different cir- 

 cumftances : in general it may be from about three to four or five bufhels when 

 perfectly cleaned, weighing from two to three hundred weight. The principal 

 objections to the feeding of clover crops are thofe of their uncertainty, on account 

 of the ftate of the feafon at which they become ripe, the trouble and expence of 

 threming out the feed, and the injury which they produce in leffening the fertility 

 of the foil. The high value of the feed in mod feafons is, however, a great in- 

 ducement to the letting of clover crops ftand for the purpofe. 



But though much advantage may be derived from the converting of clover 

 crops into hay, and letting them remain for feed, it is probable that a flill greater 



* Marshall s Rural Economy of the Southern Counties. t Modern Agriculture, vol. II. 



VOL. ii. 3 A 



