THE CLOVERS 127 



4. Harvesting the Red-Clover Crop 



Red clover should be cut for hay just as it is past full 

 bloom. If cut much earlier than this the entire food value 

 of the plant is not obtained; if it is allowed to stand too 

 long the leaves begin to fall, and the stems become dry 

 and stiff. If the second crop is to be cut for seed, it may 

 be necessary to cut the first somewhat early. 



The care of clover hay. In stacking or mowing the 

 hay in a barn, the important thing is to avoid exposure to 

 the weather, or becoming dry enough so that the leaves 

 crumble and are lost. For the leaves of red clover, while 

 they are only about forty per cent, of the weight of the plant, 

 contain almost two-thirds of the protein of the whole plant. 

 Clover hay that has become too dry is also very dusty, and 

 not so good for feed. 



Red-clover hay does not shed rain so well as the grass 

 hays, and should therefore be stored in a barn where pos- 

 sible. If it must be put in stacks, these should be built 

 with the greatest care, keeping the middle of the stack full 

 and well tramped. The top should be covered with 

 canvas, or with a coating of grass or straw. 



Care must be taken not to put red clover into the barn or 

 stack when it is damp from dew or rain, as it has a tend- 

 ency to heat. This heating not only damages the hay, 

 but not infrequently sets fire to the stack or barn and burns 

 it down. 



Harvesting red clover for seed. Red-clover seed is 

 usually secured from the second crop of the season, the 

 first being harvested for hay. The clover is cut either with 

 a mower or a special header, and run through a clover 

 huller. By special adjustment an ordinary thrashing ma- 

 chine may be used for hulling the seed. Cover straw still 

 possesses good feeding value after the seed is removed. 



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