190 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



best variety for most New England conditions. On heavy, 

 rather clayey soils, better results are often obtained with the 

 alsike clover. The alsike is finer and more leafy, and con- 

 tains considerable more protein than the common red. The 

 crimson clover has been advocated as a valuable substitute 

 for our common clover, but for this climate it is doubtful 

 economy. In Connecticut it has failed to winter about 

 three years out of five. As a hay plant, it has no advan- 

 tages over the common clover. If it can be made hardy, it 

 will prove a valuable catch-crop for green manuring, as it 

 can be sown late in the summer, and may be ploughed under 

 in time for planting some hoed crop the next season. 



Alfalfa. — The alfalfa is a forage plant of the clover 

 group that is very extensively grown in the Rocky Moun- 

 tain and Pacific Coast regions. Although not especially 

 well known in the East, it possesses qualities which make it 

 well worthy of our consideration. The great drawback 

 with the crop is its tendency, the first year, to "throw out" 

 by the freezing and thawing weather which is so common 

 during our winters. Wherever it has been successfully 

 carried over the first winter, it has proven permanent. As 

 a crop for soiling purposes, it has few if any equals. From 

 three to four cuttings per year may be obtained, and it will 

 often yield as high as 10 to 12 tons of green fodder per 

 acre. It is one of the most nutritious of the legumes, 

 giving a considerably higher percentage of protein than any 

 of our clovers. When wanted for hay it should be cut 

 early, even before the majority of the plants reach full 

 bloom. Soon after the blossoming period the stems become 

 tough and woody and are not well eaten, while if early cut, 

 it is greatly relished by dairy stock. One difficulty in 

 growing the crop in the east seems to be due to the general 

 belief that it is suited to poor soils, and will grow without 

 the addition of much manure or fertilizer. This is a great 

 mistake, as the crop needs careful culture the first year. 

 The land should be heavily seeded, at the rate of 15 or 20 

 pounds per acre, and well manured with stable manure or a 

 complete fertilizer, so as to induce as vigorous a growth as 

 possible the first season. The crop should also be cut three 

 times during the first summer, in order to induce a vigorous 



