ALSIKE CLOVER. Ill 



plants keep green and succulent for a comparatively long time. 

 Usually only one crop of hay can be taken in a season. Harvesting 

 can be done as for Red Clover., As a rule, however, the curing is 

 less difficult, especially if the Alsike is grown with grasses. 



Pasture: Although not eaten with the same eagerness as is 

 Red Clover, Alsike is highly esteemed for pasture on account of its 

 high feeding value. Grazing can begin as soon as the plants have 

 made a good start and it should never be delayed long enough to 

 let them blossom. Given favourable weather, early grazing will 

 make the pasture last longer than if the plants are allowed to develop 

 more. On account of being perennial, it is preferable to Red Clover 

 for permanent pastures. When grown alone, six to eight pounds of 

 seed should be used to the acre. 



Seed growing: Growing Alsike for seed is quite a profitable 

 business where conditions are favourable. The plants produce a 

 large number of heads and the flowers are pretty certain to be fer- 

 tilized as both bumble bees and ordinary honey bees are at work. 

 The soil should contain a reasonable amount of lime, potash and 

 phosphates and must not be too wet. Very moist soil produces 

 rank growth and plants liable to lodge. As a result the seed crop 

 will be comparatively light and of poor quality. The seed is gener- 

 ally secured from the first crop. Sometimes the fields are clipped 

 or pastured early in the season. This delays ripening but enables 

 the plants to be better stocked and to produce a larger amount of 

 seed. To prevent lodging, which lessens the seed on the prostrate 

 branches, as much as six pounds to the acre is sometimes sown with 

 good results. This heavy seeding is recommended by seed growers 

 for heavy, comparatively moist soil. 



Alsike is ready to cut for seed when most of the heads are brown 

 and the flowers can be easily stripped off. As the blossoms fall off 

 separately when the seed is ripe, care in harvesting is necessary to 

 prevent shelling. The danger is greatest when the heads are per- 

 fectly dry and it is therefore advisable to cut when the plants are 

 wet with dew. For the same reason the subsequent handling of the 

 crop must be careful. The threshing should be done during dry 

 weather. As a rule, only one crop of seed is taken from a field; 

 sometimes, however, .seed can be advantageously harvested lor two 

 or even three successive years. 



Quality of seed: Commercial seed in bulk is greenish or yellow- 

 ish, or sometimes very dark. Every sample contains different 

 coloured seeds; some of them arc yellowish green, others almost black. 



