34 



are the following: the leaflet of the red clover is relatively 

 broad, not very hairy, and has a whitish, approximately 

 crescent-shaj)ed mark on the upper surface. The leaflet of 

 the mammoth clover is relatively narrow, elliptical, more 

 hairy than in the common red, and is without the whitish 

 mark. The mammoth clover is somewhat coarser and taller 

 than the common red, and a little later in coming into 

 flower. It is therefore looked upon as being somewhat bet- 

 ter suited for use in mixture with timothy and redtop than 

 is the common red, which is usually past the best stage of 

 development for cutting before the timothy and redtop are 

 ready. These clovers are rather short-lived perennials ; but, 

 as was pointed out in my first paper upon the hay crop, it is 

 possible to produce hay in permanent mowings in which 

 these clovers will be fairly prominent indefinitely, and that 

 without reseeding; for a portion of the heads in the rowen 

 crop are usually ripe before this crop is cut, and the seeds 

 scattered from these heads constantly renew these clovers. 

 As the older plants die, their place in the mowings is taken 

 by the young plants from these accidentally scattered seeds. 

 The persistence of these clovers in mowings, however, is de- 

 pendent, as was pointed out in the earlier articles, upon a lib- 

 eral supply of the mineral elements of plant food, especially 

 lime, phosphates and potash. 



Alsilce Clover. — Alsike clover is intermediate in its char- 

 acteristics between the common red clover and white clover, 

 having the erect habit of growth of the red clover, but the 

 heads shaped like those of the white are in color pink, — a 

 blending of the red and white. Whether alsike clover was 

 originally produced as a hybrid between the red and the 

 white is not definitely known. Alsike clover is of much 

 value in mowings, especially upon the stronger and moister 

 soils, where it is better than the connnon red. It is consid- 

 erably finer than the red, and therefore cures more easily. 

 It is of great value as a honey plant. According to the 

 writer's observation, however, it does not persist as long as 

 the red, neither does it ]n-oduce as heavy a second crop. It 

 should^ however, be included in mixtures of seeds for the 



