134 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



In the case of red and alsike clover I believe there are 

 plenty of bacteria of the proper kind in New England lands. 

 The chief trouble has been that the conditions under which 

 they best thrive have not been right. The land has either 

 been too wet, or too sour, or too close in texture, or some 

 other essential condition has not been favorable. Make the 

 conditions right, and I am very sure you will have no 

 trouble. 



We are then right in believing that for these crops our 

 New England soils will not be benefited by soil inoculation. 

 We must give proper conditions for bacterial growth. Of 

 course with alfalfa, soy beans or some other crop not pre- 

 viously grown here it is a different matter. But, instead 

 of commercial cultures that you know nothing about, get soil 

 from inoculated fields that are known to contain bacteria of 

 the right kind. 



Our methods of cutting and curing our clover are entirely 

 different from those used with the grass. We cut when the 

 heads are about one-half in blossom. The mowed clover is 

 allowed to wilt, tedded out i)erhaps once, then raked and 

 put up in good-sized bunches and left for three or four days, 

 according to the state of the weather, to "sweat out." We 

 handle the clover just as little as possible after it begins to 

 dry, in order not to break off the leaves, — the most valuable 

 part of the plant. During the morning of the day that it is 

 to be drawn to the barn these bunches are tipped apart, the 

 sun and wind dries the visible moisture from the center, and 

 the hay goes to the barn in good shape. I have heard of the 

 practice of putting the clover into the barn in a very green 

 condition, but we do not do it. Those who do, claim great 

 things for their method, and of course it has in its favor the 

 avoiding of rain and showers. 



My discussion of gi'ass and clover production would not 

 be complete if I did not say something on the subject of 

 alfalfa. If alfalfa could be successfully grown throughout 

 Massachusetts and the other New England States, and if 

 fields could be obtained which would vield four or five crops 

 continuously for fifteen, twenty or more years, as it does in 

 the west, it would be the salvation of our dairymen. Just 



