72 FIELD AND GARDEN PRODUCTS 



bloom. If examination of the field shows a uniform stand of a 

 goodly number of heads with an average setting of 25 or 30 seeds 

 to the head, it may be taken as an indication of a sufficiently good 

 crop to pay for the seed, as under normal conditions this indicates 

 a yield of 1 to 2 bushels per acre. If the heads which are turning 

 brown show less than 20 seeds to the head, it will usually be better 

 to cut the crop for hay even though it is a little too late for the best 

 quality of hay. 



Harvesting the Red Clover Seed Crop. Under normal condi- 

 tions the stand of red clover should be cut when the heads have 

 turned dark brown and most of the seeds have reached the dough 

 stage. If left much later than this stage the heads become brittle 

 and break off in the process of harvesting. On the other hand, it ig 

 inadvisable to cut the clover when the seeds are in the soft dough 

 stage, expecting them to ripen after cutting, as light, shriveled seed 

 is likely to result. If the clover is a little overripe, the loss of heads 

 may be materially reduced by cutting early in the morning or in the 

 evening when the straw is less brittle by reason of the dew. The red 

 clover should be cut as high as possible, as this will enable thrashing 

 to be done with less trouble from the straw. Headers similar to or 

 identical with the grain headers are sometimes used. Many farmers 

 use a mower with a fingerlike attachment behind the cutter bar 

 for bunching the clover behind the wheels, so as to be out of the 

 way of the trampling of the horses on the next round. Another 

 buncher is tripped by the foot, the guide rods pushing the hay 

 partly to one side before the buncher is tripped. In the absence 

 of such an arrangement, the ordinary mower may be followed by 

 men who remove with barley forks the clover from the path of the 

 mower and horses. An old-fashioned self-rake reaper is probably as 

 satisfactory an implement as can be used. In many cases, however, 

 no special devices are used to prevent injury by the mowing-machine 

 wheels and the trampling of the horses. 



Utilization of Clover Straw. The clover straw after the seed 

 has been removed from it is too coarse and unpalatable to be of much 

 value as feed, though sheep and cattle will pick it over during the 

 winter. It may be scattered back on the field with good effect on 

 the land. The chaff may also be used as an absorbent of liquid in 

 stables. It is an excellent plan to apply the clover straw and chaff 

 to thin spots in the field which are to be in clover the succeeding 

 year. This method materially improves the inoculation and tends 

 to increase the productivity of the clover and other crops. If the 

 clover is cut for seed and cured without having been rained upon, 

 the straw has some feeding value, but such instances are unusual. 



Enemies of Red Clover. The principal enemies of red clover 

 are insects, fungous diseases, and weeds. Occasionally burrowing 

 rodents, such as mice and gophers, do some damage, usually not at 

 all serious. Of the enemies just mentioned the insect pests are usually 

 more troublesome than either the fungous diseases or weeds. 



Clover-Sickness. Some confusion exists regarding the nature 

 of clover-sickness, a term which appears to have been applied to a 



