160 



SCIENTIFIC AGRICULTURE. 



January, 1922. 



seed depends larcjehj on its pedigree. In 

 support of this contention it may be re- 

 lated that a lot of very ligM-colored seed 

 of late Swedish red clover, which some 

 years ago was tested in the Provinces of 

 Quebec and Alberta, proved to be capable 

 of producing crops at least equal, to say 

 the least, to crops obtained from the most 

 fancy, dark-colored commercial seed ob- 

 tainable in Canada. 



SUMMARY. 



1. Eed clover is self-sterile and, as a re- 

 .sult, germinable seed is obtainable 

 only after cross-fertilization. 



2. Red clover is very variable in respect 

 to morphological characters. The 

 various forms may be arranged in two 

 rather distinctly defined groups, viz: 

 European Red clover which has 

 smoot^h or appressed hairy stalks, and 

 American Red clover which is .spread- 

 ingly Jiairy on the stalks. 



3. Biologically, the various Red clover 

 types may be classified as Early types 

 which blossom comparatively early 

 and are capable of producing two full 

 crops of hay in a season, and Late 

 types which blossom from one to sev- 

 eral weeks later than the early ones 

 and which produce only one full hay 

 crop in a season. 



4. Many local varieties exist which differ 

 considerably from each ot'her in res- 

 pect to botanical characteristics and 

 agricultural value. 



5. Presence of leaf markings is dominant 

 over absence and' central markings 

 appear to be dominant over basal ones. 

 Varieties lacking the usual markings 

 and therefore ^laving all-green leaves 

 have been developed. 



6. Polyphylly is hereditary and, as a re- 

 sult, varieties can be developed which 

 are characterized by a large percent- 

 age of polyphyllous plants. 

 Whether polyphylly shall be regarded 

 as an atavistic phenomenon or as a 

 form of fasciation. is as yet an open 

 question. 



7. White-blo.s.somed forms are well 

 known, but blue-flowered Red clover 

 types are very rare. 



8. The red flower color, which is pro- 

 bably determined bv two or more 



Mendelian factors, is dominant over 

 W'hite and blue. 

 9. "Wjiite flower color being a recessive 

 character, it is comparatively easy to 

 develop constant, white - blossomed 

 varieties. For the same reason blue- 

 blossomed varieties may also be de- 

 veloped. 



10. All mature seeds in Red clover plants 

 are of the same color type but great 

 differences in respect to the seed color 

 exist between different individual 

 plants. 



11. The seed color is hereditary, dark- 

 purplish being dominant over light- 

 purplish and pink, and both dominant 

 over yellow. Varieties having a dis- 

 tinct seed color or at least having a 

 certain color type predominant can 

 be developed. 



12. The 1000-seed weight as found in in- 

 dividual plants, varies greatly. Very 

 little is known about its inheritance. 



13. Correlation between time of develop- 

 ment and color of flowers 'has been 

 claimed to exist, but it is very doubt- 

 ful Avhether this really is tlie case. 



14. No fixed correlation exists between 

 color of flowers and color of seed, ex- 

 cept perhaps in the case of blue- 

 flowered types. 



15. Xo correlation exists between color 

 and weight of seed, the two characters 

 varying independently of each other. 



16. Xo correlation exists between color of 

 seed and the agricultural value of the 

 plants developed from the seed. Light- 

 colored and dark-colored seed may 

 each produce either poor or valuable 

 plants. The injierent value of Red 

 clover seed can therefore not be 

 judged from its color. 



17. The inherent value of red clover seed 

 depends on its pedigree more than on 

 anything else. 



LITERATURE QUOTED 

 Arm.strong, J. B. (1) The fertilization of 

 Red clover. Gard. Chronicle Xew Ser 

 XX, London 1883. 

 Ascher.son. P. & Graebner. P. (1) Svnopsis 

 der mitteleuropiiischcii Flora, Leinzitr 

 1898-1002. *' 



Bauman-Alder.stedt. (1), Griiser und Klee- 

 ziichtung, Beitr. z. Pflanzenzueht. Ber- 

 lin 1911. 



