No. 4.] GRASS AND CLOVER. 141 



Hon. M. A. Morse (of Belchertown). What my brother 

 says as to clover seed is true of all kinds of hay seed. I 

 bought mine from a wholesale dealer in Palmer. He had a 

 few acres himself, and Ijought the best kind of seed, and I 

 bought the same kind. He has gone out of the business, and 

 I am looking for some one with good seed. The Palmer 

 dealer told me he could not sell the best seed at the whole- 

 sale store, and yet they tell you it is the best seed. It pays 

 to buy the Ijest seed ; it doesn't take so much per acre, for 

 one reason. 



Mr. W. M. Tucker (of Monson). I spent a little time 

 in the State of Michigan, — I think that is the speaker's 

 home, — and I was quite surprised to find at that time that 

 everybody was cutting a second crop of clover, and cutting 

 it for seed. Is the second crop of clover as good for seed as 

 the first? 



Professor Hurd. The chief reason for using the second 

 crop is, that it all matures at nearly the same time. In the 

 first crop, some is ripe and gone ; and where one crop has 

 been cut, and the second crop comes on, you get all heads 

 ripe at the same time. 



Mr. Tucker. It looked to me a very small amount per 

 acre. 



Professor Hurd. About a half bushel ; that is all. 



The Chair. Mr. Dawley is in the audience. He is fa- 

 miliar with alfalfa-growing in New York, and I hoi)e he will 

 give us a few words on the subject, as everywhere I go over 

 the State I am asked concerning the growing of alfalfa. 



Mr. F. E. Dawley (of Fayetteville, N. Y.). There was 

 one thought brought out in relation to this last question that 

 I would like to mention first. The plant is the unit, and not 

 the seed ; and I don't believe it makes any difference whether 

 it comes from a first or last crop, if it comes from a vigorous 

 plant, taken from a field where the plants are well grown. 



In relation to the matter of alfalfa, in our section we have 

 been very successful with it, the success dating back some- 

 thing like forty years. Professor Hopkins had a whole lot 

 of converts, in the vicinity where I am living, in regard to 

 inoculation. I think, easily, about four-fifths of all the hay 



