EED CLOVER 386 



the fall of the season it is planted, but it should not be 

 grazed too closely, otherwise the danger of winter injury 

 is increased. Where two crops of hay are harvested the 

 second season, there may still be some pasturage produced, 

 especially if soil moisture conditions are favorable. There 

 is rarely much pasturage after a seed crop has been 

 harvested. 



456. Silage. Red clover may be preserved as si- 

 lage, especially when unfavorable weather makes haying 

 impracticable. The results so far obtained with pure 

 red clover thus preserved have not been entirely satisfac- 

 tory. At the Canada Central Experimental Farm, clover 

 silage was found on the basis of chemical analysis to be of 

 less feeding value than green clover, but the silage was 

 eaten with eagerness both when the clover was put in 

 whole and when cut into lengths of 1 inch. At the Wis- 

 consin Experiment Station clover silage varied greatly in 

 quality, some samples being very good, others ill smelling. 



At the Oregon Experiment Station, clover was. ensiled 

 when the first heads were beginning to discolor. The 

 clover was run through a cutter and made good silage. 

 There was no apparent need of additional water. At the 

 Ohio Experiment Station clover silage was kept three 

 years and was then eaten readily. The clover should 

 be ensiled as rapidly as possible after mowing, first run- 

 ning it through a cutter to insure close packing. 



457. Number of flowers and seeds to the head. 

 The number of flowers in a head of red clover averages 

 about 85. At Ames, Iowa, Pammel reports that the num- 

 ber of flowers to a head varies apparently with soil condi- 

 tions. On black loam the average for the first crop was 

 71.1 and for the second crop 98.1, or where underlaid with 

 gravel, 101 ; on alluvial soil, third crop, 68.7. The maxi- 



2c 



