CRIMSON CLOVER AND OTHER ANNUALS 427 



land. It was cultivated in Germany as early as 1796. 

 At the present time it is grown in France, Switzer- 

 land, northern Italy, Austria, the wine districts of Ger- 

 many and in southern England. The earliest established 

 record of its culture in the United States is 1818, when 

 it was introduced by Bedingfield Hands of Chestertown, 

 Pennsylvania, and distributed among his friends. It was 

 widely distributed by the United States Patent Office 

 in 1855, but its culture did not assume much importance 

 till about 1880. 



513. Description. Crimson clover is an annual plant, 

 reaching under favorable conditions a height of three feet. 

 The root system penetrates at least as deep, as plants 

 sown at the North Dakota Experiment Station in spring 

 were found to have roots three feet deep by August 22. 

 At the Delaware Experiment Station the tops and roots 

 on an acre were determined to contain respectively 5372 

 and 413 pounds of dry matter. The stems are spreading 

 or ascending where the plants are isolated, but more 

 nearly erect where they are crowded. When sown in fall, 

 the young plants are apt to be single stemmed. Well- 

 grown plants from fall-sown seed may have as many as 

 20 stems and 50 or more flower spikes. The flower clus- 

 ters are dense cylindric or slightly tapering spikes, If 

 to 2 inches long, the flowers usually brilliant crimson, but 

 rarely white, yellowish, rose or variegated. 



514. Adaptations. Crimson clover is normally a 

 winter annual and is, therefore, primarily adapted to 

 regions where the average minimum temperature is not 

 fatal. In Germany Werner thinks this temperature is 

 about 4 below zero Fahrenheit. By selective elimina- 

 tion, however, hardier strains can undoubtedly be secured, 

 as J. H. Hale grew for a period of years in Connecticut 



