184 



LEGUMINOS^E. LXX. TRIFOUUM. 



sown vvitli spring corn, clover and grass seeds are usually put in 

 after the land lias been pulverized by harrowing in the corn- 

 seed, and are themselves covered by one course more of the 

 harrows, or if the corn is drilled, the small seeds are sown im- 

 mediately before or after hand-hoeing, and the land is then 

 finished by a course of the harrow. When the land is under 

 an autumn-sown crop of wheat or other grain, though the clovers 

 and rye-grass are still sown in spring, the proper period must 

 depend both upon the state of the land and the progress of the 

 crops ; and it may he often adviseable to break the crust formed 

 on the surface of tenacious soils, by using the harrow before the 

 clover-seed is sown, as well as afterwards to cover it. Some- 

 times the roller only is employed at this time, and there are 

 instances of clover and rye-grass succeeding when sown without 

 either harrow or rolling, if the weather is moist at the time of 

 sowing. Half an inch may be considered a proper depth to cover 

 clover-seed in clay soils, and an inch in dry light soil, but it will 

 grow when barely covered. 



The quantity of seed sown on an acre is exceedingly various ; 

 not only as more or less white and yellow clover is sown along 

 with grass-seeds and red clover, or when pasturage is intended, 

 but even when they are the only kinds sown, the quantity is 

 varied by the quality of the soils, and the different purposes of 

 hay, soiling, or one year's pasture, to which the crop is to be ap- 

 plied. When pasturage is the object more seed is necessary than 

 when the crop is to be cut green for soiling ; and for hay less 

 is necessary than to either of the former. Timely pulverized 

 soils do not require so much seed as clays, on which clovers and 

 rye-glass are very frequently sown among autumn or winter- 

 sown wheat, when there is more danger of a part of it perishing 

 from being imperfectly covered. In general 8 or 10 pounds 

 may be taken as a minimum quantity, and from that to 14 

 pounds as the maximum. Rye-grass, commonly at the rate of 

 a bushel per acre, but in many cases only half or two-thirds of a 

 bushel, is mixed with this weight of clover, and both are sown at 

 the same time. 



When it is intended to retain the land in pasture for several 

 years the quantity of red clover is diminished, and several kinds 

 of more permanent herbage are added, the most common of 

 which are white and yellow clover, and rib-wort and rye-grass. 

 No general rule can be laid down as to the proper quantity of 

 each to be sown ; the red clover and rye-grass, however, should 

 predominate. 



In the selection of clover and rye- grass seeds particular atten- 

 tion should be paid to their quality and cleanness ; the purple 

 colour of cloverseed denotes that it has been ripe and well 

 saved, and the seeds of weeds may be delected in it by narrow 

 inspection, if there he any ; but various noxious weeds are fre- 

 quently mixed up with seeds of rye-grass, which it is difficult 

 either to discover or to separate from them. Red clover from 

 Holland or France has been found to die out in the season it has 

 been cut or pastured, while the English seed produces plants 

 which stand over the second, and many of them the third year 

 (General Report of Scotland, vol. 1. p. 537.); thus remaining, 

 in the latter case, four years in the ground from the time of 

 sowing. , 



The after culture of clover and rye-grass is chiefly keeping 

 the ground clear of weeds and stones. After this the surface 

 should be rolled once to smooth it for the scythe. This opera- 

 tion is best performed in the first dry weather of March. Some 

 give a top dressing of soot, gypsum, common lime, peat or wood 

 ashes at this time or earlier ; but where the soil is in good 

 heart, and contains calcareous matter, top-dressing cannot be 

 considered as necessary. 



The taking of the clover or clover and rye-grass crop is either 

 for cutting green for soiling, or cutting green for feeding, or fat- 



tening live stock, by making it into hay, or by pasturing. It has 

 been pretty uniformly found, after repeated trials upon soils of 

 almost every description, that oats taken after clover that has 

 been cut, either for soiling or hay, is superior to the crop taken 

 after clover pasture by sheep. On all farms a part of this crop 

 is cut green for the working horses, and for milch-cows, and in 

 some instances both for growing and fattening cattle. 



In feeding cattle n-ith green clover attention must be paid to 

 prevent swelling or hoving, which is very apt to take place when 

 they are first put on this food, especially if it be wet with rain 

 or dew, and the more luxuriant the clover the greater is the 

 danger. After being accustomed to this rich food for a few days, 

 during which it should be given rather sparingly, the danger is 

 much diminished ; but it is never safe to allow milch cows in 

 particular to eat large quantities of wet clover. 



The mode of making t lover hay is to cut it close to the ground, 

 and in as perfect and uniform a manner as it is possible to accom- 

 plish. The surface in the preceding spring having been freed 

 from stones and well rolled, the stubble after the mower ought to 

 be as short and smooth as possible, by which means the after 

 growth will be more vigorous and weighty. It is turned with a 

 fork or by hand every day until it is quite dry ; it is then put 

 up in field ricks, and afterwards stacked. 



The after groivt/t or second crop of clover is vigorous or weak 

 according to the proportion of clover plants to rye-grass, to the 

 time when the first crop was cut, and to the moisture and warmth 

 of the season. The first of these after cuttings may be made 

 into hay, and sometimes the second, but in general both are con- 

 sumed by soiling or pasturing, unless in some dry warm districts, 

 as Norfolk, and parts of Suffolk and Kent, when the second 

 growth is left to ripen its seed. In the northern counties, 

 should it be cut for hay, which it seldom is, the best method of 

 saving it is to mix it up with straw, which will absorb a part of 

 its juices. It is often cut green as a part of the soiling system, 

 or where a sheep stock is kept, pastured by the old ewes or 

 other sorts, that are to be fattened the ensuing winter on turnips. 



When clover is used as a pasturage crop the live stock are 

 either pent in by hurdles, and the hurdles shifted as the clover is 

 eaten, or they may be tethered in the field, and the tethers re- 

 moved in order to have the clover eaten regularly, as in some 

 parts of Scotland, or the stock is introduced into the field, but in 

 this case always earlier than in tethering and hurdling, in order 

 to avoid the loss that would be sustained by cattle or sheep 

 treading on tall herbage ; but red clover is not generally pas- 

 tured till the third year ; but when white or yellow clovers are 

 sown the herbage is sometimes not mown at all, but only pastured 

 for three or more years, but if a little red clover is sown with 

 them a crop of hay may be taken the second year. 



The produce of clover hay without any admixture of rye-grass, 

 on the best soils is from 2 to 3 tons per acre, and in this state in 

 the London market it generally sells 20 per cent higher than 

 meadow hay or clover and rye-grass mixed. The weight of hay 

 from clover and rye-grass mixed varies according to the soil and 

 the season from one to three tons per English acre, as it is taken 

 from the damp ricks ; but after being stacked and kept till 

 spring the weight is found to be diminished 25 or SO per cent. 

 The value of clover and rye-grass hay in comparison with the 

 straw of beans or peas, may be in the proportion of 3 to 2, and 

 with the finest straw or corn crops in the proportion of 2 to 1. 

 One acre of red clover will go as far in feeding horses or black 

 cattle as 3 or 4 of natural grass. And when it is cut occa- 

 sionally, and given to them fresh, it will probably go still far- 

 ther, as no part of it is lost by being trodden down. With the 

 exception of lucern, Medicago sattva, and the herbage of rich 

 marshes, there is no crop by which so much stock can be sup- 

 ported as by clover. It may be profitably employed in fattening 



