370 FORAGE PLANTS AND THEIR CULTURE 



In the last-mentioned area, the seed is most commonly 

 sown in spring on fall-sown grain, as the preparation of 

 a special seedbed is thus rendered unnecessary. The 

 actual time of thus seeding in grain is determined mainly 

 by soil conditions. If the seed is broadcasted on the 

 surface, the ideal soil condition is while the ground is still 

 much cracked and honeycombed from alternate freezing 

 and thawing in very early spring, as the seeds thus become 

 covered. 



Later spring sowing on grain, even with harrowing, 

 or with a seed drill, is as a rule less desirable ; the fall- 

 grown grain is larger and the later started clover seed- 

 lings are less well able to withstand either the shading 

 of the grain, or the drought of summer. 



If sown alone, red clover may, in the region of its best 

 development, be sown at any time from early spring until 

 early autumn. Late fall plantings are undesirable, as the 

 danger of winter injury is thereby increased. 



At the Indiana Experiment Station, red clover was 

 .seeded in the middle of each month from April to Sep- 

 tember on well-prepared seed beds. Excellent stands were 

 secured from the April, May and June seedings ; good 

 stands from those of August and September ; while that 

 of July was decidedly poor. 



Crozier in Michigan obtained excellent stands by seed- 

 ing in February, March, April and December. Sowings 

 made in July, August, September and October succumbed 

 to winter. 



432. Rate of seeding. Red clover contains about 

 250,000 seeds to the pound, varying from 207,000 in Ger- 

 man seed to 297,000 in American. One pound of seed to 

 an acre evenly scattered would be about 6 seeds to a 

 square foot. 



