62 FIELD AND GARDEN PRODUCTS 



such a sieve. A method of separating buckhorn seed from clover 

 has been devised and published by the United States Department of 

 Agriculture. In brief this method consists of mixing with the seed 

 containing the buckhorn thoroughly wetted sawdust. The buckhorn 

 seed becomes sticky on being wet and readily attaches itself to the 

 sawdust. The entire mass is then immediately screened, when the 

 larger particles of sawdust with the buckhorn attached are readily 

 separated from the clover seed. This work should be done imme- 

 diately before sowing the clover seed which with the small particles 

 of sawdust that pass the screen need to be dried only sufficiently to 

 enable the seeding to take place readily. This is an effective means 

 of removing practically all viable buckhorn seeds and is easily ac- 

 complished by the farmer who handles a comparatively small quan- 

 tity of seed which is not necessarily bulked immediately after the 

 somewhat damp seed has been screened out. 



The Purchase of Red Clover Seed. The quality of the seed as 

 previously discussed should receive more attention than has usually 

 been given it. If home-grown seed produced under known condi- 

 tions is not available, samples should be procured from reliable 

 dealers. These should be examined for adulterants, weed seeds, and 

 shriveled seeds. They should also be tested for germination before 

 purchasing. Cheap, poor seed is often mixed with good seed and 

 sold at the price of good seed. 



Making the Seed Test. In the absence of more accurate methods 

 an estimate should be made of the proportion of true red clover seed 

 and of weed seeds and other impurities. From the red clover seed 

 separated from all impurities a counted number, as 100, should be 

 taken just as they come. These seeds should be placed between 

 layers of moistened cloth or paper or merely covered in a bed of sand 

 or light soil. The germinating receptacle should be held at a tem- 

 perature of a living room, varying between 65 and 85 F. Be- 

 tween the third and sixth days the sprouting ability of the seeds 

 should be shown. Seeds which at the close of a week are still hard, 

 not yielding to the pressure of a knife blade, are "hard" seeds and 

 are to be considered little better than dead seeds for sowing. It 

 should be borne in mind that the sowing value of the seed is repre- 

 sented by the amount of true clover which will germinate with 

 reasonable promptness. Thus, if four-fifths of a sample is pure 

 clover and but three-fourths of this clover will sprout, then only 

 three-fifths, or 60 per cent, of the original seed as offered will grow. 

 The examination of the seed is facilitated by the use of a magnifier. 



Soils Adapted to Red Clover. As a general rule throughout the 

 clover belt any soil that will grow corn successfully will produce 

 satisfactory crops of red clover. A deep soil is desirable for red 

 clover in order that it may utilize fully its extensive root system, 

 which may extend down as far as 5 or 6 feet. Red clover is a legume 

 that will grow in soil relatively low in nitrogen so long as there is a 

 sufficient supply of this element to start the plants, until they have 

 opportunity to develop tubercles on the roots. Absence of sufficient 

 humus, however, makes it very difficult if not impossible to secure a 



