186 



Effective Farming 



up in cocks before the leaves become very dry, as they will 

 then dry out more slowly and will be more likely to remain 

 on the stems. 



Red clover seed often contains many weed seeds and it is 

 necessary for farmers to examine carefully the seed that is 

 offered for sale by dealers. The examination of a small sample 



with a hand lens will often 

 reveal many weed seeds. 



Alsike clover. The stems 

 of alsike clover are about as 

 tall as those of red clover 

 and its blossoms are about 

 the same size and shape as 

 white clover, but are pinkish 

 in color. The leaves are 

 similar to those of white 

 clover, but are without the 

 white crescent-shaped 

 marks. (See the description 

 of white clover.) Alsike 

 clover is used for the same 

 purposes as red clover. It 

 grows best in a cool climate 



FIG. 78. Crimson clover, an important 



crop in the South. 



and on moist soil, but it will 

 grow farther south and 

 farther north than red clover and in soils too wet and too acid 

 for the latter. Often the seed is sown in mixtures with red 

 clover and timothy. The yield of alsike clover hay is some- 

 what less than that of red clover hay and as a result the latter 

 is preferred where it will grow. 



Crimson clover. In the South an important crop for hay 

 and green-manure is crimson clover (Fig. 78). In most varieties 

 the blossoms are crimson or scarlet, cone-shaped, an inch or 

 even two inches long. A variety with white blossoms is offered 

 by seedsmen and grown to a limited extent. As usually grown, 



