LEGUMES 



209 



reduced from one third to one half, to give the clover plants 

 a chance to develop. 



270. How and when to make clover hay. The best time to 

 cut clover for hay is when a majority of the heads are a little 

 past full bloom (Fig. 97), or when the first heads are beginning 

 to turn brown and the last heads are opening. At the season 

 of the year when clover hay is made, the soil and air contain 

 much moisture, the weather is unsettled, and heavy dews occur 

 at night. Even when the weather is favorable, by the time the 

 large succulent stems 



have become sufficiently 

 cured to be safely stored 

 the leaves have become 

 so dry that often they 

 are lost in the process 

 of raking and handling 

 the hay. Since the leaves 

 and fine stems are the 

 best part of the plant 

 for feeding purposes, 

 this loss seriously affects 

 both the quality and the 

 quantity of the harvest. 



If clover is exposed FIG. 98. Bumblebees, while securing nectar, 



tOO long in the process hel P to P ollinate red clover. (Photograph from 



the Iowa Experiment Station) 



oi curing, it becomes 



sunburned, loses its bright color, and becomes harsh and unpalat- 

 able. After the hay is partly cured it is easily injured by rain 

 or by a heavy dew. To overcome all these difficulties the hay 

 should be cured as much as possible in windrows and shocks in- 

 stead of in the open swath. In this way the leaves are kept moist 

 by the stems until the entire plant is cured. Protection against 

 rain may be secured by canvas covers for the hay shocks. 



271. Seed production. The first cutting, or the hay crop of 

 clover, produces very little seed. The second crop is used for 

 pasturage or for seed. The chances of getting a seed crop are 



