102 FODDER AND PASTURE PLANTS. 



Agricultural value: No forage plant has been so important 

 to agriculture as has Red Clover. This is due not only to its high 

 feeding value, which is surpassed by few plants, but also to its service 

 as a fertilizer and improver of soil texture. No other leguminous 

 fodder plant is equal to it for these two purposes. 



Fodder: Red Clover has its highest feeding value when in full 

 bloom and should be cut for hay before the heads begin to turn 

 brown. If cut late, the stems become woody, lose their palatability 

 and the general value is considerably lessened. The quality of the hay 

 depends to a great extent on the way it is cured. Careless handling 

 causes the leaves to shatter. Exposure to rain or heavy dew dis- 

 colours the hay, dispels its fine aroma and reduces its nutritive value. 

 Over exposure to sunshine also reduces its feeding value. In curing 

 Red Clover hay methods should therefore be employed by which 

 the drying is done as much as possible by the wind. 



Pasture: As a pasture plant, Red Clover is not surpassed by 

 any other legume. It is relished by all kinds of farm animals. On 

 account of the tenderness of the young plants and the necessity to 

 have them start the winter in good condition, it is not advisable in 

 the Prairie Provinces to pasture Red Clover the same year it is 

 sown. In some parts of Ontario, where it may grow rather rank the 

 latter part of the first year, the field is usually pastured; to what 

 extent depends upon conditions. Grazing too late in the fall or pas- 

 turing too close by sheep is apt to reduce the succeeding crop. 

 Grazing the second year may begin early in the spring and continue 

 until late in the fall. 



When cattle and sheep are turned into a field of Red Clover, 

 there is always danger of bloating, especially if it is wet with dew 

 and the animals start grazing on empty stomachs. 



Sowing for hay and pasture: In Ontario Red Clover is always 

 sown with a nurse crop. Tests at the experimental farms of Mani- 

 toba and Saskatchewan, particularly at Indian Head, indicate that 

 in the Prairie Provinces a nurse crop should not be used. In a dry 

 climate or on dry soils it acts as a robber rather than as a nurse in 

 depriving the young plants of moisture. The result is that the plants 

 are weak at the beginning of the winter and are more liable to be killed 

 by the frost. When sown alone, ten to twelve pounds of good seed 

 should be used to the acre. 



Seed: Except in southwestern Ontario, Red Clover seed is only 

 grown to a very limited extent in Canada. Whether or not a field 



