94 



CLO 



COL 



" the short period between the 

 flowering and the seeding of clo- 

 ver, is that in which its use would 

 be most advantageous, whether re- 

 garded us forage, or as an amehor- 

 ating crop." But " when seed is 

 the principal object of culture, we 

 cannot do better than to adopt the 

 practice in Holland — where the 

 first crop is cut before it flowers, and 

 the second is reserved for seed." 



Green clover is good food for 

 swine in sumnier ; and when cut 

 green, and salted, after being a lit- 

 tle withered, with about half a peck 

 of salt to a load, it makes good food 

 for swine in winter. But for this 

 latter purpose it should be steam- 

 ed, or boiled. 



Two sorts of machines are de- 

 scribed in the Transactions of the 

 New-York Agricultural Society, 

 for gathering clover seed. They 

 were invented in Brookhaven, 

 Suffolk County, New-York,by Mr. 

 L'Hommedieu. One of these ma- 

 chines consists of an open box, 

 about four feet square at the bot- 

 tom, and about three feet in height 

 on three sides ; to the fore part, 

 which is open, fingers are fix- 

 ed, similar to those of a cradle, 

 about three feet in length, and so 

 near as to break off the heads from 

 the clover-stocks between them, 

 which are thrown back into the 

 box as the horse advances. The 

 box is fixed on an axle-tree, sup- 

 ported by two small wheels, two 

 feet in diameter ; two handles are 

 fixed to the hinder part, by means 

 of which the driver, while he man- 

 ages the horse, raises or lowers the 

 fingers of the machine, so as to take 

 off all the heads of the grass ; and, 



as often as the box is filled with 

 them, they are thrown out, and the 

 horse goes on as before. 



The other machine is called a 

 cradle, and is made of an oak board 

 about 18 inches in length, and 10 

 in breadth. The fore part of it to 

 the length of 9 inches, is sawed in- 

 to fingers ; a handle is inserted be- 

 hind, inclined towards them, and 

 a cloth put round the back part of 

 the board, which is cut somewhat 

 circular, and raised on the handle ; 

 this collects the heads or tops of 

 the grass, and prevents them from 

 scattering, as they are struck off by 

 the cradle, which may be made of 

 different sizes ; being smaller in 

 proportion for women and children, 

 who by means of it may likewise 

 collect large quantities. 



The part containing the seed 

 must be well dried in the sun, be- 

 fore the seed can be threshed oui. 

 About three bushels of seed may 

 be commonly collected from an 

 acre. 



COLE-SEED, Brassica Raput 

 "This plant, which is generally 

 known by the title of rape, or cole- 

 seed, is much cultivated in the isle 

 of Ely, and some other parts of 

 England, for its seed, from which 

 the rape oil is drawn ; and it hath 

 been also cultivated of late years, 

 in other places, for feeding of cat- 

 tle, to great advantage. 



" The cole-seed, when cultiva- 

 ted for feeding of cattle, should be 

 sown about the middle of June. — 

 The ground should be prepared 

 for it in the same manner as for 

 turnips. The quantity of seeds for 

 an acre of land is from six to eight 

 pounds, and as the price of seed is 



