80 



years, that we do not exactly think favorably on them. At any 

 rate no more favorably on them than on the South-European 

 grown seeds! 



The American and Canadian seeds may do well in their own 

 countries and yield good crops of good quality there, they cannot 

 by a long way replace the seeds grown in our northern- and 

 central-European districts. 



Our objection to these two origins are: 



Istiy. that they produce a plant far shorter and thinner and 

 yield as a result thereof a smaller bulk than what we are used 

 to of North-European seed. 



2ndiy. that the second cut of these two origins gives in our 

 region at least very little bulk indeed. 



3 rd 'y- that their plants come very badly through winter; leave 

 at any rate with severe winter-weather large bare spots in the 

 fields, whilst the plants that actually come through are as a rule 

 of a poor weak character, so that for a two years' lay, as is usually 

 the case with us, the American and Canadian seeds scarcely ans- 

 wer the purpose in view. And 



4thiy. the fact that the plants, produce of these two "origins are 

 covered all over from bottom to top, stalk and leaves, with rather 

 prominent hairs to which both cattle and horses, but especially 

 cattle have a great dislike. It is surmised that, though the first 

 Red clover introduced in America during the 17 th century was 

 of European origin, therefore originally free from it, the plant 

 has acquired in the course of time that hairy character as some 

 kind of degeneration, due perhaps to the hotter and drier atmos- 

 phere prevailing on the American continent, and which might 

 have been avoided if, instead of regularly using their own : Ame- 

 rican farmers had from time to time imported new genuine Euro- 

 pean stock-seed. 



The fact that the American crops of Red clover have been 

 almost an entire failure in the years 1905 and 1906, compelling 

 the American seedsmen and farmers to look for stock-seed else- 

 where, and causing the trade in America to import large quantities 

 from Europe, has given the American farmer an unexpected oppor- 

 tunity to make a comparison between the crops yielded by Euro- 

 pean and American stock-seed. 



So far we have heard nothing about the results obtained. But 

 we venture to say that, if the European seed has under the altered 

 conditions of soil and climate had a good start in its early devel- 



